SebastianTheCrab 10 Posted May 26, 2018 It is possible for a goldfish to eat till they die in one meal ? Say if someone accidentally knocked a jar of goldfish flakes into the tank spilling all the food within the tank. Will the goldfish eat so much within ten minutes where they would die from over eating? 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shakaho 6,312 Posted May 26, 2018 No. They will eat a lot, but they won't be damaged by that in the short run. If you keep on overfeeding, they will become obese, which isn't any better for them than for us. The only time they die from overfeeding comes from the uneaten food rotting, releasing toxic ammonia and excess carbon dioxide. The bacteria that decompose the food also use up much of the oxygen in the water. 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SebastianTheCrab 10 Posted May 26, 2018 (edited) Thanks shakaho, I found some misleading information on the net that said that fish will overeat to point where their stomach rupture. Quote The collective noun for goldfish is a 'troubling.' ... Also, you've probably heard that a goldfish can eat itself to death. Well, that's true. Many fancy goldfish varieties will keep devouring fish flakes until their intestines rupture or they die from some similarly embarrassing medical complications related to binging https://animalreview.wordpress.com/2008/06/16/goldfish/ That misleading quote popped upped prominently as the most pertinent answer when I googled "goldfish eating till they die" https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=T7wJW9aQG8misAWQxoXgDg&q=goldfish+eat+till+they+die&oq=&gs_l=psy-ab.1.0.35i39k1l6.3033.4993.0.7841.5.3.1.0.0.0.149.290.0j2.3.0..2..0...1.1.64.psy-ab..1.4.435.6..0j0i131k1j0i20i264k1j0i67k1.125.P6WB-qOxUQI Edited May 26, 2018 by SebastianTheCrab 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mjfromga 1,784 Posted May 27, 2018 I have never once heard of a fancy goldfish dying right after a huge accidental meal. I've heard of them floating after such a meal but not dying. 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FishyMandy 6,278 Posted May 27, 2018 Yea that goes around a lot, but isn't true. I know years ago my mum dumped in a massive amount of food, my tank was a mess and it took me ages to clean up, but no fish ate themselves to death. 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shakaho 6,312 Posted May 27, 2018 Actually, overfeeding can kill goldfish by fouling the water. Over time, overfeeding morphed into overeating and led to the myth that goldfish could eat so much it killed them. Back when almost everyone had a bowl with two goldfish, we followed the rule to just feed a tiny pinch of food daily, and many fish lived long lives, but stayed small. In fact virtually everyone who has raised a goldfish to record ages credits the longevity to following that rule. 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites