Fat fish

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by my2rotties

I sure hope I can get a chance to dive and see these fish for myself. There is no better way to tell if you are doing something right, or wrong in this hobby then.

A long time ago I saw a post on another forum chastising another member for having so many tangs in one tank, and overfeeding them to keep them subdued in temperment was wrong. I believe it was untamed's tank to be honest. When the fish are hungry they are more aggressive and active...

Today has been a peaceful day with everybody, and I have no seen anything out of sorts until I put the mirror up as someone suggested I do. What was funny is all my peaceful fish were out for blood and the aggressors were in hiding...

Marie, congrats on keeping your tang so healthy and robust. I need to see if you have more pictures posted of him else where. Beautiful fish.

IMO there is nothing wrong with feeding your fish more often to keep their tempers in check if that works. And I do believe that can help. If your system can handle it, I would try feeding a bit more even and see how the Sailfin and Sohal react. Perhaps it will help out a bit.

In fact I have realized that the day my Hippo beat up my Powder Brown was a rare day when I only fed them twice as I was out. Most days I feed three times with about 3 more times where I feed "snacks". Then yesterday I was out much of the day again and he went after my tusk.

Today he is an angel since I have been home and they have been getting a sheet of nori every 2 hours or so.

[my2rotties]

I can't believe a fish would mess with the tusk. I saw one at the LFS and they look pretty serious. I can see why he bit your damsel in half...

When I noticed the sailfin was almost gutted it was after feeding but I forgot to fill the nori clip. Usually I do the nori first, pellets and then Griffie's puffer chow which everybody goes nuts for. Maybe fish are creatures of habit and because I did things backwards it caused an issue.

I just fed everybody and the sohal and sailfin went after each other for a second... I guess they don't think they are just fat enough yet... Pretty soon the will sink rather then swim

I guess lard butt fish are a good thing but I wanted to make sure this was the case. I guess salt water makes one more buoyant, so they can be fatter.

Originally Posted by GreenSpottedPuffer

IMO there is nothing wrong with feeding your fish more often to keep their tempers in check if that works. And I do believe that can help. If your system can handle it, I would try feeding a bit more even and see how the Sailfin and Sohal react. Perhaps it will help out a bit.

In fact I have realized that the day my Hippo beat up my Powder Brown was a rare day when I only fed them twice as I was out. Most days I feed three times with about 3 more times where I feed "snacks". Then yesterday I was out much of the day again and he went after my tusk.

Today he is an angel since I have been home and they have been getting a sheet of nori every 2 hours or so.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by fishoholic

Interesting, I have been cutting back on how much I feed because I was told it was too much, I think I will continue with the way I was feeding before.

Were you told it was too much because of water parameters though? You can easily feed more than your tank can handle, leading to high phosphates and nitrates as I am sure you already know.

Originally Posted by my2rotties

I can't believe a fish would mess with the tusk. I saw one at the LFS and they look pretty serious. I can see why he bit your damsel in half...

When I noticed the sailfin was almost gutted it was after feeding but I forgot to fill the nori clip. Usually I do the nori first, pellets and then Griffie's puffer chow which everybody goes nuts for. Maybe fish are creatures of habit and because I did things backwards it caused an issue.

I just fed everybody and the sohal and sailfin went after each other for a second... I guess they don't think they are just fat enough yet... Pretty soon the will sink rather then swim

I guess lard butt fish are a good thing but I wanted to make sure this was the case. I guess salt water makes one more buoyant, so they can be fatter.

The tusk and most I have seen are big push overs. They don't really stand up for themselves much. Most people who buy them are quite surprised I think. They just look tough.

[my2rotties]

I never knew they even existed until I saw your post... then I saw one at the LFS and they are simply awesome. I meant to do some reading on them, since they look pretty specialized. Must be a stunner in your tank...

Originally Posted by GreenSpottedPuffer

Were you told it was too much because of water parameters though? You can easily feed more than your tank can handle, leading to high phosphates and nitrates as I am sure you already know.



The tusk and most I have seen are big push overs. They don't really stand up for themselves much. Most people who buy them are quite surprised I think. They just look tough.

[Lance]

Originally Posted by GreenSpottedPuffer

The tusk and most I have seen are big push overs. They don't really stand up for themselves much. Most people who buy them are quite surprised I think. They just look tough.

I totally agree with you. I was a little worried to get one because I thought it might be too aggressive, but he is just the opposite. He pretty much ignores the other fish and in fact, was getting bullied by my foxface.

[fishoholic]

Originally Posted by GreenSpottedPuffer

Were you told it was too much because of water parameters though? You can easily feed more than your tank can handle, leading to high phosphates and nitrates as I am sure you already know.

Our nitrates have been highish around 20 for awhile now. Thought it was from having Simon our puffer (who we rehomed) and feeding him clams and krill etc.
I used to feed some handfuls of pellets and a chunk of mysis every day and nori every now and then. Now we've been doing pellets one day and mysis the next and going back and forth between the two and I still do nori every now then. I always feel bad though on the day it's just pellets since I have a few fish that only eat the mysis. However I have a high pod and mysid shrimp population and all my fish are pretty fat so I'm sure they are ok.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by fishoholic

Our nitrates have been highish around 20 for awhile now. Thought it was from having Simon our puffer (who we rehomed) and feeding him clams and krill etc.
I used to feed some handfuls of pellets and a chunk of mysis every day and nori every now and then. Now we've been doing pellets one day and mysis the next and going back and forth between the two and I still do nori every now then. I always feel bad though on the day it's just pellets since I have a few fish that only eat the mysis. However I have a high pod and mysid shrimp population and all my fish are pretty fat so I'm sure they are ok.

Ya sounds like your fine then. I wouldn't worry too much as long as your fish keep their weight on. I find they loose weight fast if you are underfeeding.

[Funky_Fish14]

To think that its possible for a fish to gorge itself to death in captivity, even with the heaviest of feedings (which is simply a 2 minute all you can eat buffet 3 or 4 times a day), I think is ureasonable.

Fish spend almost their entire time in the wild foraging or seeking out food, eating. Nothing stops them from eating, and certainly many fish can find food in excess, so if they were going to blow, they probably would. Since they spend so much time doing so, and do so even in our tanks... I dont think that any amount of feeding or 'fatness' would really cause a fish's demise. The only exception I can think of, its feeding some sort of large mouthed fish (such as a lion or frogfish) something much too large and unreasonable... but this is far from an average scenario.

IMO - Cant feed a fish too much, only thing you can do is 'blow up your skimmer'. Lol.

Chris

[Leah]

Good to hear this! My yellow tang is super thin and I thought I fed alot. On the other
hand my hippo is just that a HIPPO. I would love to catch the yellow and put him in my
fish only tank, so he can eat till his heart is content. I feed frozen daily and nori daily
and flakes as well. But out of curiosity what pellets are you feeding? I think I have spoiled my fish as they do not seem to like any pellets. That is once they hit the ground,
maybe it is the wrong pellet food.
If only he would listen when I tell him he could have a home without the hippo tagging
along side him. My hippo has a strange bond with my yellow tang.
But I am pretty sure the yellow tang see's it totally differently.