Fiery Diet: Fish Pond Owners Feed 2,000 Fish 5 Tonnes Of Chillies Daily
It's said to improve the look and flavour of the fish.
By Ian Wee | 14 Nov 2025, 11:30 AM
#chillies#china#china fish#fish#fish farm#international#news#seafood#spicyCover image via Sina / Douyin via South China Morning Post & Husain Akram / Unsplash
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A fish pond in Changsha, China has gone viral after its owners revealed they feed 5,000kg of chillies to their fish every day
According to the South China Morning Post, the owners, 40-year-old fish farmer Jiang Sheng and his former secondary school friend Kuang Ke, claim that the practice improves the look and flavour of the fish.
Kuang said the pond, which spans roughly 10 acres, is home to about 2,000 fish, who are fed a variety of chilli peppers every day, such as cone peppers and millet peppers.
He claimed that after feeding them, the fish develop better body shapes, more tender and flavourful meat, improved intestinal health, and even shiny, golden scales.
The chillies are sourced locally at no cost from unsold or nearly spoiled batches, making them a more affordable alternative to traditional fish feed.
Jiang said fish do not have taste buds and rely on their sense of smell, so they aren't deterred by spice
According to Kuang, the fish even developed a preference for a chilli-based diet:
"Initially, the fish were hesitant to eat the chillies. But now, when we toss in both grass and chilli, they actually prefer the chilli. When we eat spicy food, we drink water, right? Well, they live in water, so even if it's spicy, they just drink more to counter it."
He added that chillies are as rich in vitamins as aquatic plants, which explains why fish love them.
It is unclear whether science supports the owners' claims
A study at the University of Çukurova in Turkey found that feeding rainbow trout with measured amounts of chilli extract and powdered supplements improved their pigmentation and growth, but this differs from dumping 5,000kg of raw chillies into a pond.
Further research at the National Library of Medicine found that capsaicin, the active compound that gives chillies their heat, affects different fish species in different ways.
Some fish like cod showed behavioural and physiological responses, while others like zebrafish were unaffected.
In any case, the pond has sparked a generally humourous response on Chinese social media.
A clip of the viral post on the Chinese platform Baidu may be viewed here.
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