Weekly fasting, yes or no?

[snxtif]

Hello all,

Just would like to hear some advice about weekly fasting your discus.

Do you fast them once a week or don't bother at all?

I used to do that with my other fish (especially carnivores) but not sure about discus,
especially with 35-ish cardinal tetras swimming around their mouth...;)



PS. lemme share my humble 8's photos
PS II. pls don't mind busy background lol

[brewmaster15]

Hi,
I dont fast them regularly...only when shipping or on vacation. I dont think doing so harms them in any way though.In the wild they may "fast" quite a bit in times of food shortages...but even in the wild fish don't skip eating unless they have very very stomachs....they eat went they are hungry and until they are full.

Al

ps..nice looking Discus!

[Willie]

I don't understand the science behind fasting. If there was a real benefit, we'd be doing it ourselves. :confused:

Willie

[brewmaster15]

I don't understand the science behind fasting. If there was a real benefit, we'd be doing it ourselves. :confused:

Willie

Lol.. Willie, its actually becoming a real thing with Purported health benefits for humans... I kid you not. Its supposed to " it may lower blood glucose levels and insulin resistance and reduce inflammation and cardiovascular risk"

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/a19933862/intermittent-fasting-diets/
https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/why-intermittent-fasting-may-be-best-diet-plan/
https://www.prevention.com/weight-loss/a20500235/intermittent-fasting/
https://www.medicinenet.com/fasting_diets/article.htm

.............................


al

[Willie]

That's pop media, Brew. I take it seriously if it appears in peer reviewed journals and shows up on an AMA or AHA website.

Willie

[brewmaster15]

Willie I Hear you loud and clear! Give me a choice of fasting or not, and I'm ordering the drink and a steak.:) Like most people I only follow the healthy activities I like.:) However, hypothetically if we are truly carnivores, they are naturally in a perpetual cycle of fasting and gorging , so who knows.Maybe theres something to it. Maybe even for fish that are, I have heard several hobbyist mention this recently.

I don't know, but its definitely the newest trend in weighloss for people and is tempting many to try. Hopefully it doesn't cause more harm than good.
al

[Willie]

;)

[snxtif]

Thank you Al for sharing.

So far, 1 clear benefit of weekly fasting that I can tell tho,
-14.3% food expense! Ha!

[Paul Sabucchi]

There are a few folk over here that only feed 2 or 3 times a week (and the fish still look half decent), and ok in nature especially towards the end of the dry season there is nothing left to eat (to the point that Victor Hugo Quaresima stops collecting after mid January, the fish are so thin that it is not worth the effort to catch them), but I like my fish nice and plump so even once fully grown no fasting for my fish!

[JamesW]

Check out one of almost 10,000 peer reviewed, indexed journal articles from the National institute of health: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/?term=intermittent+fasting+humans

Lots are done in mice but it is a lot more than pop media.

AMA/AHA is at least 3-5 years behind the cutting edge research.