Help sick GF

FishForums.net Pet of the Month
šŸ¶ POTM Poll is Open! šŸ¦Ž Click here to Vote! šŸ°
I really donā€™t want to argue this point. Iā€™m so sorry but itā€™s ridiculous. I have raised goldfish for over 50 years and even in winter months we should keep hornwort and other plants in ponds for goldies to nibble on. Saying it is OK to allow a fish to go 2 months without food is terrible information to be giving out for newbies to be reading. Google some information on them. My biggest question though is why would anyone want to do this? Iā€™m curious, Colin, you of all people! Why would you allow your rainbow fish to go 2 months? If a fish is too sick to eat and hadnā€™t eaten in 2 weeks, itā€™s time to consider your options. Allowing them to starve is just cruel. Hereā€™s some more Google info. I can get lots more.

Goldfish can go for as long as two weeks without food, experts suggest, but just because they can, it doesnā€™t mean they should. We wouldnā€™t ever endorse leaving yours for so long without feeding them, as itā€™s incredibly unfair on your charges. After two weeks, theyā€™ll be malnourished, not to mention extremely hungry.
 
Last edited:
The only way any goldfish could survive over a month would be in a pond with algae , plants, or small insects/worms to live off of. Unless, of course, it is in freezing months where they go almost dormant. No normal goldfish in a tank can go 2 months without food. That is not possible. Iā€™m Sorry.
You dont have to apologize, but goldfish can survive much longer without food. colin is right that it dependes on the fish size and condition, and water temp which has a direct effect on the fish metabolisem. I dont know exactly how long the starvation period for each species or size and how dramatic each parameters effect the duration but i know ive had a few incidents of goldfish, dwarf ciclid, iridiscent shark and an oscar not eating 20-60 days and surviving. and also ive heared about others.. FYI hot blood{mammals,humans} creatures survive less then cold blood{fish} creatures without food, and humans can survive 3 weeks{once again it depends on some parameters,but in generall..} without eating, so its not much suprising that fish survive 1 or 2 mounths

Just to be clear-all those fish were sick and were offered food, no one should ever starve a fish!! fish should eat every day {in a proper amount} no one should experiment how much fish will survive without eating! its abusing and its horrible. The fact that some will survive dosent mean its good for them, it can cause serius pain and demage to organs and health problem and in alot of cases can kill them! people have managed to survive the holocost, it dosent mean that it was good for them!!
 
Last edited:
Saying it is OK to allow a fish to go 2 months without food is terrible information to be giving out for newbies to be reading. Google some information on them. My biggest question though is why would anyone want to do this? Iā€™m curious, Colin, you of all people! Why would you allow your rainbow fish to go 2 months? If a fish is too sick to eat and hadnā€™t eaten in 2 weeks, itā€™s time to consider your options.
I'm not saying fish should go for 2 months without food, but they can go for a long periods without food.

Unlike mammals that eat to keep warm, most fish take their body temperature from the surrounding environment. This means any food they eat is used for growth and movement. If adult fish are in good condition and have fat reserves, they can go for a very long time without food. Obviously it's better if they don't go for months without food but they can do it and don't suffer from starvation like mammals do.

After a few days without food, most animals (including fish), develop a smaller stomach. The stomach shrinks and stops producing stomach acids that help digest food. The body then goes into survival mode where they use less energy and cellular changes start to occur. Recent research has found that fasting for periods of time actually increases lifespan in all animals including people.

There are fish in the southern half of Australia in the Galaxias Genus, and they regularly go for months without food. Their stomach shuts down and they basically just hang around in shallow pools of water waiting for food and rain. These fish are really interesting because they can start their stomach up and get it working at optimum efficiency, within minutes of eating something. They can also increase the size of their stomach so it uses almost the entire digestive tract. This is a survival adaptation that lets them gorge on food when it's available and go into a conservative state when no food is available.

Galaxias only grow to about 4-6 inches and are long narrow fish, shaped like a pencil. So they don't hold a lot of body mass.

There is another smaller fish from the south-west of Western Australia, called the salamanderfish (Lepidogalaxias salamandroides). These fish reach 3 inches maximum and are usually less. They go dormant during summer and have to survive for 6 months or more without food or water. They bury into the mud and produce a mucous coating over their body to retain moisture. Many of these fish are only 1-2 inches long and 2-3 mm in diameter when they do this. They have a very small body mass but do survive for long periods without food.

In the deepest parts of the ocean are numerous species of fish and crustacean that go for up to a year or more without food. They are so far down in the ocean that food rarely makes it down that far. When something big like a whale dies, its carcass might sink to the bottom and the deep water fish can then gorge themselves. They might spend a month or more feeding on the rotting body and once it's gone they starve until the next body sinks down there.

----------------------
As for my rainbowfish going without food for 2 months, I went up north to study and asked my sister to feed my fish every couple of days. The food was all set up, tanks on timers, everything was ready to go. Well she fed them the first time and then forgot. So the fish went for 2 months without any food. They ate the plants in the tanks and picked all the algae off the glass. I lost some baby fish and a few specialised feeders, but most of the fish where fine.

----------------------
I agree with you that if a fish is sick and hasn't eaten for a while, then perhaps look at euthanising it. But the choice is up to the owner. Generally tho, when animals (including fish) are no longer interested in food, then it's time to let them move on to a better place.
 
Last edited:
----------------------
I agree with you that if a fish is sick and hasn't eaten for a while, then perhaps look at euthanising it. But the choice is up to the owner. Generally tho, when animals (including fish) are no longer interested in food, then it's time to let them move on to a better place.
My way is not to give up. i had alot of very bad cases who overcome all sort of disease and problems and survive. the iridiscent shark who wasnt eating for more then 3 weeks for example is all better now, healthy and feeding and looking good.
anyway this fish has showen improvment since ive rescued him, at start he wasnt interested in food at all, now he is trying to eat. he was flashing and gasping for air alot and now he isnt doing it anymore so im continuing to try an save him. If you have anymore suggestions for treatments for him or idea what else could be his problem ..
 
I'm not saying fish should go for 2 months without food, but they can go for a long periods without food.

Unlike mammals that eat to keep warm, most fish take their body temperature from the surrounding environment. This means any food they eat is used for growth and movement. If adult fish are in good condition and have fat reserves, they can go for a very long time without food. Obviously it's better if they don't go for months without food but they can do it and don't suffer from starvation like mammals do.

After a few days without food, most animals (including fish), develop a smaller stomach. The stomach shrinks and stops producing stomach acids that help digest food. The body then goes into survival mode where they use less energy and cellular changes start to occur. Recent research has found that fasting for periods of time actually increases lifespan in all animals including people.

There are fish in the southern half of Australia in the Galaxias Genus, and they regularly go for months without food. Their stomach shuts down and they basically just hang around in shallow pools of water waiting for food and rain. These fish are really interesting because they can start their stomach up and get it working at optimum efficiency, within minutes of eating something. They can also increase the size of their stomach so it uses almost the entire digestive tract. This is a survival adaptation that lets them gorge on food when it's available and go into a conservative state when no food is available.

Galaxias only grow to about 4-6 inches and are long narrow fish, shaped like a pencil. So they don't hold a lot of body mass.

There is another smaller fish from the south-west of Western Australia, called the salamanderfish (Lepidogalaxias salamandroides). These fish reach 3 inches maximum and are usually less. They go dormant during summer and have to survive for 6 months or more without food or water. They bury into the mud and produce a mucous coating over their body to retain moisture. Many of these fish are only 1-2 inches long and 2-3 mm in diameter when they do this. They have a very small body mass but do survive for long periods without food.

In the deepest parts of the ocean are numerous species of fish and crustacean that go for up to a year or more without food. They are so far down in the ocean that food rarely makes it down that far. When something big like a whale dies, its carcass might sink to the bottom and the deep water fish can then gorge themselves. They might spend a month or more feeding on the rotting body and once it's gone they starve until the next body sinks down there.

----------------------
As for my rainbowfish going without food for 2 months, I went up north to study and asked my sister to feed my fish every couple of days. The food was all set up, tanks on timers, everything was ready to go. Well she fed them the first time and then forgot. So the fish went for 2 months without any food. They ate the plants in the tanks and picked all the algae off the glass. I lost some baby fish and a few specialised feeders, but most of the fish where fine.

----------------------
I agree with you that if a fish is sick and hasn't eaten for a while, then perhaps look at euthanising it. But the choice is up to the owner. Generally tho, when animals (including fish) are no longer interested in food, then it's time to let them move on to a better place.
I didnā€™t think it was in you to allow fish to go hungry. Sorry if I was scolding yesterday but I canā€™t stand to hear of any animal or pet suffering needlessly. Peace!
 

Most reactions

trending

Staff online

Members online

Back
Top