Fasting ember tetras?

[Fin35]

I have a heavily planted tank. I want to fast my Betta because he is looking so fat. I think he’s also getting some of the tetra food in addition to his Betta food. I will feed them less so they eat it faster and there will be less for him to steal. I know it’s healthy to fast Bettas for 1-2 days every couple of weeks, but can Ember Tetras fast like that as well? They’re a lot smaller and online it’s recommended to feed them 3x a day. I feed them twice and sometimes only once a day. Let me know how long they can fast healthily.

Thanks

 

[rlederer]

Just cut down on the amount of food. There is no evidence that fasting is beneficial to fish, although it is not harmful for short periods.

 

[Fin35]

In the wild they don’t eat everyday or even multiple times a day, so fasting is more natural to how they eat in the wild

 

[rlederer]

Fin35, can you cite the evidence that the typical tropical fish that keepers keep don't eat everyday in the wild? I don't think that is true except under extreme circumstances.

 

[Fin35]

Most are just experts blogs. Not sure where this person got their resources but
“It is also important to note that by nature, carnivores do not eat every day. In fact, they can endure a season when food resources are scarce in the wild. On the other hand, herbivores have to feed every day. In fact, it’s pretty much all they do. Such fish feed on plant matter that is, under normal circumstances, hard to digest.”


https://www.google.com/amp/s/petgearlab.com/how-long-can-your-tropical-fish-survive-without-food/amp

 

[rlederer]

True, but that is a vast generalization. I’ve looked up the scientific literature on captive fish fasting. Their hormones adjust to a feeding schedule and when that schedule is interrupted by a day of fasting, their hormones go a bit askew. It’s not particularly harmful, but it certainly is not beneficial.

 

[Fin35]

At home I’ve been feeding daily. We do have a classroom Betta fish that doesn’t get fed on Saturday or Sunday. He seems pretty healthy, hopefully it’s not to hard on him!

 

[rlederer]

Sometimes you have no choice, and as I said, fasting for a short period is not harmful; it just isn't helpful.

 

[libertybelle]

Ok but in the context of this particular question, it is not a general fasting question it’s a response to a chubby fish.

Bettas can be prone to constipation and swim bladder problems when overfed so if you are noticing some chubbiness cutting back on feeding or adding a fast day could indeed prevent some problems from cropping up so that’s a good call.

Personally I never had a systematic fast day, I simply cut back feeding, but my bettas also did go small stretches without eating without apparent difficulty. In a mature tank just because you’re not adding food doesn’t mean they’re not eating anything.