The goldfish has been wronged for so long, will it really eat to death?

Goldfish don’t die from being “overfed”, they die from being “suffocated”.

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Feeding goldfish is very particular. People often say that you can’t feed too much when feeding fish. Goldfish don’t know when they are full and will die if you feed them too much. After dying in a fish tank with too much food, goldfish are often accused of not knowing when they are full, while those fish raised in fish ponds seem to know dining etiquette. Could it be that goldfish are really a special species and are dumber than other fish? Therefore, many people who have raised goldfish, especially those who have killed goldfish, often teach novices that you can’t put too much food in the fish tank when feeding goldfish, otherwise it will keep eating and eating until it dies of fullness. So, is this really the case?

In fact, although goldfish are not smart , they are not stupid enough to die from being stuffed .

01

Can't tell the difference between goldfish and crucian carp

Goldfish originated in China. They belong to the same species as crucian carp in academic classification. They are also called " golden crucian carp ". They are similar to carp and evolved from wild red and yellow crucian carp. Regarding goldfish, there are written records of "red-scaled fish" in ancient Jin Dynasty. It can be called the quintessence of China. Goldfish are gentle and easy to raise. Their lifespan is about 6 years. Goldfish have strange postures, beautiful shapes and bright colors, which are loved by people.

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02

Feed decomposition and water oxygen consumption are the "culprits"

Goldfish feed mainly consists of live food such as fish worms and red nematodes and synthetic fish food . However, no matter which type is used, when the feeding amount is too large, there will be uneaten feed left in the fish tank, which leads to problems. After the goldfish is full, the oxygen demand increases due to digestion of food. The food left in the water will be decomposed and deteriorated by microorganisms. On the one hand, the rotten food will produce various toxic metabolites and pollute the water body. On the other hand, the microorganisms will also consume the dissolved oxygen in the water during the classification process. At the same time, if live food is fed, the food itself will also increase the oxygen consumption .

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Therefore, after overfeeding the fish, the water in the fish tank will have problems such as deterioration of water quality and decrease of dissolved oxygen. When the dissolved oxygen in the water is insufficient , the goldfish will have body dysfunction due to lack of oxygen, which will lead to the death of the goldfish. Therefore, goldfish are not actually "unaware of hunger and fullness". Most of the goldfish kept in the fish tank are "suffocated" to death due to the lack of dissolved oxygen in the water.

03

Goldfish is not good after purchase? That's because you don't know how to choose

Many friends have encountered this situation. When they bought the goldfish at the flower, bird, fish and insect market, they were all alive and kicking , but they died within a few days of taking them home. What is the reason for not changing the water frequently and not feeding them a lot of fish food?

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In fact, goldfish on the market are prone to damage and cross infection due to the wide variety of varieties, long transportation cycles, and frequent operations. In order to prevent large-scale infection of goldfish, many merchants will add antibiotics to the water to enhance the resistance of the fish. In this case, the selection skills when buying goldfish are particularly important. The gills of healthy goldfish should be bright red, the tail should be bright and translucent, and the fins around the anus should also be normal. The gills of sick fish are a little black, the tail is dark, and there are bloodshot and forked.

After understanding this knowledge, we must pay attention to feeding goldfish in small amounts and multiple times in the future, and we must clean up the leftover fish food in time . Of course, we must also pay attention to the issue of oxygen supply , so as to avoid tragedies.

Author | Ding Xiangyang

Audit Expert | Xu Gangchun, Director of Aquaculture Research Laboratory, Freshwater Fisheries Research Center, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences

This article was originally created by "Science Popularization China - Scientific Principles at a Glance" and compiled and adapted by the "Science Rumor Refutation" platform. Please indicate the source when reprinting.