Fish Sizes

[Crazycat lady]

I transferred my molly fry into my 20l yesterday from the breeding trap in main tank.
I swear they have grown a couple of mm overnight! they will be going to my mum soon.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

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

I must be a blind old man. I did not see one word about a gibbiceps or sailfin in your original post.

Oh and this from loaches.com

Gyrinocheilus aymonieri is commonly know within the aquatic trade as the "Sucking Loach" or "Chinese Algae Eater". It is not actually a loach at all, but a Cyprinid.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

A 26 gal. (100l) is about what 24 inches long by 12 inches wide by 20 tall? I can get a gibby to over a foot and likely a bunch more in that size if I were willing to do what it takes to keep it alive, fairly healthy and growing to close its max size. However, what it takes is basically many years, a continuous water changing system, spot on parameters, excellent foods, and a virtually instant method for removing poop. The only thing that would prevent the fish from growing is poor water conditions etc. etc. that inhibit its growth and ultimately kill it. This system would prevent those conditions from arising. But why would anybody want to do that?

The physical limits of growth in any tank are determined by the glass ends and sides of the tank. How does a fish know where these are? How would a 3 inch vs a 6 inch vs a 12 inch long gibby know where these limits are in a different way? And then what would cause a fish to suddenly shut down the growth process based on how far it is from the physical limits of the space. And could you answer that as if the fish were in the tank I described above please

 

[Caprichoso]

Stunting occurs when there is lack of food and nutrients. I have seen this first hand in my local perch lakes. The lake will have about a billion teeny tiny perch because there is no predators and so the fish breed like crazy and will only grow to be 2-4 inches because there is barely enough food to make them grow. A fish WILL NOT just grow to the size of the tank. If you buy a fish and put it into a tank, it will grow to the size it was intended to grow. Therefore, do not put those types of fish in your tank because they will get big and then you either make it suffer and keep it, or you have to re-home it, which then it just becomes someone else's problem.

 

[Curiosity101]

Just referring to the loach comment earlier. I've seen quite a few of these guys at the 5-6" mark when they've been housed and fed correctly from the beginning. Most people keep them in too small a tank and feed them nothing but algae wafers... which tbh does tally with what caprichoso just said.

They need space and also need a mixed diet that has a greater and greater meat emphasis as they grow.

 

[StandbySetting]

Feeding has something to do with it but so does water quality, growth hormone as previously mentioned and other metabolites have an affect.

 

[KittyKat]

Lack of space to move will affect muscle growth and development, which affects adult size and livespan.

 

[Crazycat lady]

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

I must be a blind old man. I did not see one word about a gibbiceps or sailfin in your original post.

Oh and this from loaches.com

Gyrinocheilus aymonieri is commonly know within the aquatic trade as the "Sucking Loach" or "Chinese Algae Eater". It is not actually a loach at all, but a Cyprinid.

Can get complicated when talking about a general species when there are hundreds of different types of them. I'm just learning about plecos at the mo. all of my friends think I'm crazy because i think they are gorgeous.

 

[holidayinn]

Stunting can also be caused by bad genes....With plecs I'd think it's important that they tank is maintained well, substrate is regularly cleaned...but when buying any fish, its important to research, buy the right size tank for the fish you want..imagine our organs overlapping, in places they shouldnt be, not nice to think about.