It feels caring to sprinkle in plenty of food, but overfeeding is the single most common way pet fish are unintentionally harmed. Fish have small stomachs, and the food they do not eat rots, poisoning the water they live in.
Why overfeeding is so harmful
Uneaten food and the extra waste from overfed fish break down into ammonia, spiking toxins and fuelling algae. Many ‘mystery’ fish deaths and green, murky tanks trace straight back to too much food rather than disease.
The simple rule
- Feed only what your fish can finish in about two minutes, once or twice a day.
- If food is still drifting down or sitting on the substrate after that, you have fed too much.
- Match the food to the fish — floating flakes for surface feeders, sinking pellets for bottom dwellers.
Less is more
It is far safer to slightly underfeed than to overfeed; healthy fish cope easily with a little less. Many keepers include one fasting day a week, which is perfectly healthy and helps keep the water clean. Remove any uneaten food promptly, and your tank — and your fish — will stay far healthier.
