My BP is getting really fat, I'm starting to wonder if it's bad for him. It started with this trick I described in this post:
http://parrotcichlid.com/node/14733
Now, he does it so much that my husband feeds him and I'm feeding him treats all the time. He is noticeably bulking up. I'd say he probably eats about 6 times a day. 2x with hikari pellets about 15 of them and as for the treats, he probalby eats about 20-30 river shrimps, these are smaller than krill, maybe 3-4 crickets and about 5-7 mealworms.
His body is about 6" long and another 3" for the tail, and he's thick. I noticed his forhead is starting to bulge a little, like a small kok, but he never had that before. He's 11 years old and he's very healthy. He's in a 55gal. tank by himself and seems to get a lot of excersize, I see him swimming really really fast back and forth sometimes when he's bored.
So first of all, do you think the above daily intake is too much food for a fish his size? Secondly, is it harmful for a fish to eat too much or be fat? What are the health consequences?
Comments
feeding
This is only my opinion but I think it is very easy to over feed, leading to poor water quality,with all that implies, and constipation which can lead to swim bladder, parrots are floating orange piggies, a healthy parrot should always appear ready for its next meal, I feed once a day, a varied diet but only as much as they can eat in 5 mins and if any reaches the tank floor ,I stop, no matter how much they beg for more,I fast them on sundays, this does them no harm whatsoever, I also give the pealax on the monday too,I believe that no parrot has fallen ill from having too little but many have actually died from having too much,I have four big parrots and have had them for some years now,with no illness(apart from one case of ick,)so it works for me! the variety of diet is good but dont feed too much, like anything else, being overweight can be very bad, you just have to get them balance right because if they are truly too hungry it can lead to aggression in the tank,its said that a fish stomach is the same size at its eye, that gives you an idea of how much they can stuff themselves if you let them
Oh gosh he's eating WAY too
Oh gosh he's eating WAY too much... Although I only give him small amounts many times a day so he never leaves any behind, it makes him poop copious amount of poo. And although I clean 30% of his water twice a week and water quality is not an issue, it sounds like he is in fact eating too much!
I'll have to cut down on his snacks and I'll add peas to his diet. Thanks Shaz for reminding me about the peas, I meant to do that a while ago but then forgot my intentions.
diet
dont forget to shell the peas becaurse they spit the shells out and it makes a mess
Yes it is possible to over
Yes it is possible to over feed them. Give them about 10mins to fill up( unless there are alot of other fish stealing it from them- other wise give them a little longer) and then remove food. I feed mine 2X a day.
I have 3 blood parrots that
I have 3 blood parrots that are huge too. They will eat continually if I would keep putting food in. That is a question I would like to know myself. I know my fish are very healthy. I even feed them night crawlers broken up sometimes and they adore me for that. My tank is the same size as yours. I am also raising my own meal worms, not only for them but for my pet chipmunks.