Fish Sizes

[Crazycat lady]

After leaving my parents home 5 years ago, I have only just within the last year set up my own tank.
I'm interested in new types of fish as at home we stuck mainly to common community fish (neons, gupps etc)
I only have a 60l and am confused about fish sizes. I would only buy fishies when they are a suitable size for tank.
Now fishies grow, plecs get massive! I have been told 2 things( gonna relate. To plecs for arguments sake, but I'm refering to all fish


1. Plecs get too big, don't get em (unless it's one of the ones that stay pretty small)

2. Get em small and they will only grow to a comfy size for the tank

Which is correct?

 

[StandbySetting]

Both are correct, the second will stand if you don't do water changes, the hormone released by fish to control growth will be in high concentrations so will inhibit their growth, but their life will be significantly shortened as a result and will leave them prone to many other problems.

 

[KittyKat]

1. Plecs get too big, don't get em (unless it's one of the ones that stay pretty small)

There is only one pleco that I know which is suitable for a standard 60 litre tank.

2. Get em small and they will only grow to a comfy size for the tank

This is not true. We'd have long since seen mini-horses, mini-giraffes, mini-everything, if this was true. Mini-dogs are bred to be small, not raised in tiny cages.

This is how things usually are: if the tank is too small for the fish, it will become deformed or stunted once it started becoming cramped. When it does, this will affect the fish's health and life span.

 

[Crazycat lady]

My mother had a sucking loach in her 60l tank. He grew to around 3 inches( told they can grow up to 12) and
was the healthiest fish in there. Lived very happily for 7 years x

 

[KittyKat]

My mother had a sucking loach in her 60l tank. He grew to around 3 inches( told they can grow up to 12) and
was the healthiest fish in there. Lived very happily for 7 years x

Common and sailfin plecos (if you were told it would grow to 12", it was most likely one of those) have a life span of to 20 - 30 years.

 

[Crazycat lady]

I looked it up on the net and deffo a sucking loach x

 

[StandbySetting]

In captivity they rarely exceed 4 inches anyway, and with proper water changes their growth wont be stunted due to the removal of the growth inhibition hormone. Which is more than likely why it lived to be 7 years, the average for this species.

 

[Crazycat lady]

He was called sam the suckerfish I have one living in my tank at the mo (60l)
Called sam the second he came to me a very pale drown colour and is now bright orange!

 

[StandbySetting]

I'd put it in a bigger tank personally, and once it begins to get a bit larger it will attack other fish.

 

[Crazycat lady]

He's been the same size since I got him and has been no bother.

Seems very happy, always sucking the glass or hiding in his coconut x

 

[KittyKat]

I looked it up on the net and deffo a sucking loach x

Sorry, plecos are sometimes called "sucker loach" by some people >.<

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Both those statements are false.

Start with ancistrus claro, then look at Pekoltia sp. (L008), next Panaque L206 aka clown pleco, or Gold Stripe panaque L169, an assortment of hypancistrus to include L046 aka zebra, L136, L173, L 316, L340..... the list goes on and on. Please note that we are talking about housing just a single pleco, not several. However, I would not have a problems keeping a pair of many of these fish in 60L/16gal if they were the only fish.

I would go so far as to say statement one is just plain idiotic. One could say the exact same thing about all fish, not just plecos. but the fact of the matter is that fw fish, including plecos, come in all sizes. I mean whats the difference in saying that and saying "Fish get too big, don't get em (unless it's one of the ones that stay pretty small)." I mean really think about it.

Title as you Wish: Fish and Tank Size

by Heather Candelaria
A myth that I am sure everyone has heard, is that a fish will only grow to the size of its container. This is something I believe---If you disagree with me just stop and think about it for a minute. A fish obviously does not grow larger than the container it lives in...right? The ugly fact is that it generally dies when it reaches the maximum size that the container can handle, thus no longer `growing' and making this a catchy yet convenient myth, more conducive to buying fish indiscriminately.

From http/www.gsas.org/Articles/1998/size-myths.html


Basically, when you put a fish in too small a container, this in and of itself doesn't stop it from growing. The poor conditions in the tank that sooner or later have to occur, as noted above, will eventually kill the fish which will preventing it from growing further. Also, unless you have one of them fancy tardis tanks that is larger on the inside than on the outside, no fish can be bigger than the tank it is in. You just cant put two pints into a one pint mug. Consider the popular Betta splendens and the small size containers/tanks they are often kept in. If water conditions are properly maintained does a betta kept in a 5 gallon tank grow to a much bigger size than one raised in a 1 gallon tank? Or think about this- put a lone fish that normally grows to 6 inches into 150 gallon tank and then make the water conditions as poor as possible short of being fatal- how big will this fish get?

 

[Crazycat lady]

In going to different pet shops/aquarium stockists, unfortunately I have come accross a lot of idiotic remarks.
But being a rookie I generally believed them (until I joined here.
A lovely man in one place told me my synodontis petricola would not get bigger than 2 inches
He's up to 3.5 now and getting rehomed in next couple of days.

In regards to the statement “plecs get too big don't get em” (can't quote, on blackberry)
I was refering to the ones that actually
do grow big eg sailfin plec
I wasn't talking about some of the smaller L numbers

So what the statement actually meant was “don't get a sailfin as it will grow to 18 inches in any tank”
And statement 2 “salifins will not get that big if in smaller tank”

 

[Crazycat lady]

This is what my current understanding is now. Please correct me
If I am wrong. Let's refer to a big un again the beautiful sailfin pleco

If u put a small one in say a 100l tank, it will not grow too
Big so it is physically uncomfy swimming in the tank

But will be an unhappy bunny coz it can't grow to it's maximum
Potential and may have physical problems due to stunted growth

???

So it's just mean to keep a fish that could potentially be a monster
In an ickle tank.

???

 

[StandbySetting]

Yes definitely.