Obese fish

[scuzy]

Anyone ever done study on obese fish? My tanngs are all super fat and I am wondering if that's consider healthy or not?

 

[ThRoewer]

It's of course not healthy!

 

[ca1ore]

What do you mean by 'super' fat? Pictures? Only fish in my tank that I'd judge to be fat is my potters angel - it's basically a swimming egg. It's actually quite hard to get tangs too fat since hey metabolize poorly and thus graze constantly.

 

[brett559]

Please post a picture of your Potters Egg...

 

[Dmorty217]

Unless they are larger than you see them naturally in the wild then no they aren't obese if you will

 

[BlueMac92]

Only fish in my tank that I'd judge to be fat is my potters angel - it's basically a swimming egg.

Thank you for this.

 

[snorvich]

It's actually quite hard to get tangs too fat since hey metabolize poorly and thus graze constantly.

This.

 

[ca1ore]

Please post a picture of your Potters Egg...

Difficult fish to photograph. Best I can do ....



.... I think you get the sense of it though

 

[brett559]

Jeez, that guy is fat.

 

[DopeCantWin]

jeez, that guy is fat.

+1

 

[ca1ore]

..... like I said, a swimming egg :lol:

 

[Mael]

lol, my lawnmower blenny looks like that most of the time, especially after the evening frozen feedings, looks like he swallowed a marble for a while....he is a pig.

 

[BrianD]

It's of course not healthy!

Based on what? The tangs I see while snorkling are very fat. I rarely see a tang in a tank that is as round as those in the ocean.

 

[Dmorty217]

Based on what? The tangs I see while snorkling are very fat. I rarely see a tang in a tank that is as round as those in the ocean.

Don't think this is worth your time Brian... Fish are much fatter in the wild so they must all be unhealthy right?

 

[ca1ore]

The tangs I see while snorkling are very fat. I rarely see a tang in a tank that is as round as those in the ocean.

Agreed. I've 'followed' groups of Tangs on a few diving occasions and they are basically aquatic cows - eating continuously.

 

[ThRoewer]

Based on what? The tangs I see while snorkling are very fat. I rarely see a tang in a tank that is as round as those in the ocean.

Maybe my statement wasn't differentiated enough.

Well, the question was if it is healthy for fish to be obese and it surely isn't.
The key question is from what the fish are fat.
Tangs in the wild eat predominantly algae and while having always a full belly are hardly ever obese.
But aquarium fish too often get fed a high fat diet which may lead to a fat liver.

 

[o2manyfish]

In my experience well established and happy aquarium kept fish are much fatter than fish coming out of the wild. Having had the opportunity it see lots of fish coming in from the wild for the past 30 years. Captive fish are much heavier.

Now before someone speaks up and says - Well tangs are starved before being shipped so they don't crap in their shipping water. That couple of days without food leads to a pinched stomach. But I am talking about the thickness of the fish from behind the eyes or under the dorsal fin - not near the stomach area.

This past year I spent a lot of time at the Aquarium of the Pacific - They have several tanks with tangs - The big tank I think is like 350k gallons. So these tangs have plenty of swimming room. Are all really fat fish. The most notably obese were the Hippo tangs.

I think it's a safe assumption that any critter that doesn't have to hunt to survive, is going to be quite a bit heavier than a critter that is always trying to locate it's next meal.

Dave B