An observation about fish digestion

[untamed]

Originally Posted by justinl

Well, I think it is impossible to generalize such a function accross all fish. Some fish, like lions are designed to go out and hunt, eat a very big meal and let it sit for weeks. In fact feeding every day can actually harm some fish in the long term like lions... if they accept the food and even if they beg. General trend is that large ambush predators do that, but peaceful planktivores like anthias eat constantly. Predators like lookdowns fit too, because they are mid-water fish with high metabolisms and eat constantly in the wild. I find that knowing a fish's life history in the wild is a very helpful tool in this hobby. But yes, food for thought indeed for those with fish that fit the criteria. good observation.

Yes, of course there are differences. I suspected that food went through my fish quickly, but I was surprised that it was only 3 hours.

As you know more than me...Do fish actually store fat? Assuming that they do, it is another suspicion of mine that fish don't generally store fat very well. As they may be wired to eat constantly, there is no reason to store energy for long periods of non-eating.

I often joke that my fish are "fat", but I'm not so sure that they actually are. It also seems to take a long time for a thin fish to put on weight, even when they seem to be eating a lot.

[justinl]

that is a very good question and I can't really answer it. I think it is safe to assume it will depend greatly on the life style of the fish. Lookdowns and tangs probably store fat less than a grouper for example. Probably not stored as fat either but as soluble lipids in their blood; im just speculating now though. i would expect fat in a fish to serve as insulation but not as an energy store. I could be wrong though. wonder if it might screw up their buoyancy after a point?