At present, there are many domestic animals that we can find as an option to be companions for life and to share a home with us. Of all those options, fish are one of the most popular pets.
These friendly animals have reached such popularity because, really, they do not require excessive care, however, you do have to pay special attention to certain details such as food. And it is that, How long can a fish go without eating?
The answer to this question is truly diffuse and a specific period has not yet been established. Throughout this article we will try to address this issue, providing advice and different products that we can have at our disposal when it is practically impossible for us to feed our little friends, after all, their diet will depend how long does a fish live.
How many days can a fish go without eating?
As mentioned at the beginning, the exact days that a fish can endure without eating are not established. Why? Well, very simple. This time depends on various factors, such as the species of fish in question, the state of health of the fish, the care previously received, the state of the water in which it lives, all its previous feeding, etc.
However, if an approximation could be made. Under normal conditions, a fish could go without food for about 2-3 days. Once this period has elapsed, the animal will show a certain weakness, which is logical on the one hand, and this lack of food and nutrients will cause the defenses to plummet considerably. This circumstance puts the health of the animal at risk and seriously triggers the chances of the fish contracting a disease and, therefore, death.
There are times when we can hear how it is stated outright that fish can go up to almost a week without eating. Such a feat may come to pass, but it is certainly difficult, so I advise you not to trust it.
If you are going to be away for more than 2 or 3 days, a very useful solution is to bet on an automatic feeder, so the fish will not run out of food during the time we are absent.
Symptoms and behavior of a hungry fish
If, for any reason, our fish has not eaten food for some time, it will show a series of symptoms that will serve as a warning sign to act as soon as possible.
In the first place, if the fish are hungry we can observe how their behavior is more restless than usual, they climb several times to the upper areas of the water looking for some food. Ultimately, they become anxious.
This is followed by another series of symptoms that do not affect behavior so much, but rather act on the physical state of the animal and emerge when the famine process is really advanced. They are seen above all on your skin and scales, which lose brightness and color, sometimes presenting a rather deteriorated appearance..
Finally, it should be noted that when food is scarce or null, fish can go through processes of such anxiety, which forces and drives them to engage in a behavior that borders on cannibalism, since in their incessant search for food they will be able to attack and kill other individuals. So, if we see several fish in our aquarium with wounds on their fins and tail or fish that have disappeared suspiciously, it is a sign that something is not going very well.
Tips for a fish to go longer without eating
Actually, there are few tricks that exist to make our fish last as long as possible without eating, since the lack of food causes the animal to not be able to continue with its vital processes correctly and to enter into serious danger. Therefore, the most effective thing is to try to prevent our fish from going through long periods of famine, although it is true that sometimes unforeseen problems arise that make it impossible for us to supply them with food for some time.
If such a case occurs, there are some guidelines or precautions that can help our fish survive a little longer. One of them is to provide our fish with a rich and varied diet at all times that allows them to have certain reserves of fat and energy, and that keeps them healthy and strong. The best way to achieve this is to prepare homemade fish food that besides being very easy, it will save us money.
I would also recommend you buy an automatic fish feeder. With this you will solve the problem in the vast majority of cases.
Other measures have to do, and a lot, with water. The water in our fish tanks, aquariums or ponds has to be as clean as possible. If we achieve this, we will make the habitat of our pets free of infections, bacteria and parasites that can play a trick on them if the fish are weak, as happens when they have not ingested anything for several hours.
Finally also we must pay attention to the oxygen levels in the water. This aspect is essential, since oxygen levels are key in the future of the fish. Oxygen-poor water, coupled with food shortages, turns into a deadly cocktail.
How to prevent our fish from going without food?
Unfortunately, there are many times when we have to leave home, for example on vacation, and we have no one to take care of and feed our animals.
For fish, some products are available on the market that can provide food in the aquarium for some time.
There are some shells or tabletsThe most characteristic ones are whitish in color, which are arranged in the fish tanks and which dissolve little by little, releasing some substances that serve as food for the fish. It is true that we have to be especially careful with them, since some of the substances they release can alter the parameters of the water and cause the opposite effect to what we want.
In the same way that these tablets act sticks or cookies that we find in any establishment specialized in pets. They basically consist of I think pressed, which is gradually diluted in the aquarium water.
As a last resort, which is perhaps the most effective, we are presented that fish food dispensers. These devices are placed on the surface of the water, for example on the upper edge of the fish tank, and release the food stored in its tank to the guide based on the previous programming that we have made. They are very useful and easy to find. Of course, when the food is in the tank for a long time it becomes damp and loses many of its properties.
Thank you very much, really; Just today they gave me one and I have no fish food. So tomorrow I will be able to buy it quietly: 3
very good explanation thanks
Mine hasn't eaten for 2 years, is he immortal?
Hello I have a female swordfish and it has not eaten for a week ... what can I do,
My fish have not eaten for 2 days and I have 6 fish and I am afraid that they will eat each other, that I can feed them
Hello, I have a variety of Japanese fish and they do not eat or defecate and they are all the time at the bottom of the aquarium, what can I do? I hope someone helps me
Thanks for the tips I hope my fish survives as it fell down and now it doesn't want to eat :(
Well, my fish has not eaten for 4 months and is still alive, it can be said that it has a Guines record.
I left my fish without food or oxygen for three and a half months, for reasons of force majeure, I did not think I found them alive, but there they were, but they were about twenty-six, I found about fifteen, well, you can imagine my joy. be cannibalism because I did not find anything of the others and oxygen there if I do not know how they survived the truth
I have a golfie who has not wanted to eat for 4 days I don't know what it will be… .thanks
Hello some time ago, so far my fish have been dying, they swell a lot and their cloaca is inflamed, and I found some eaten by others, I feed them 2 times a day they are guppies, I change water every 2 weeks 3/4 and I wash your filter last time take everything out and wash water change 80%