Ok Heres A Question....

[Sp00ky]

Fish ( i assume) are bread in cramped conditons. Thus there growth is restricted. So when you get an adult fish, and place it a large tank, will it resume growing, or has it reached its maximum size?

 

[SandMan8388]

It will definately resume in growth. When I was in 6th grade, I didn't know much about Oscars. I bought a Red Tiger Oscar for my 20g tank and didn't understand how large he would get. He ended up living in there for close 7 months. Then I realized in shock how much more large he would become. So I bought a 75g tank for him. And within 4 months he out grew it.

 

[fishing4exotics]

I would be wary about getting stunted fish. They seem to never look quite right. The eyes look too big in proportion to their body. The body looks compressed, like the tail is too close to the head. They seem to look too tall and short in length. This all depends upon the severity of course.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Fish that have been significantly stunted in their growth, especially while they were very young, can grow once in a suitable sized tank although the chances of them ever reaching their normal max size are very slim- this is especially true for many plecs out there.
On the other hand though, another factor to take into consideration with fish that have been brough up in tanks too small for them, may find issues with suddenly being moved to a suitable sized tank- for example, many people raise guppy fry in 2gal tanks, but these puny sized tanks have effects on the growth of the muscle in the tail while the fish are growing, and many guppys which are raised in puny tanks and are then moved to much larger tanks, can die of exhustion after a couple of weeks etc..

 

[Dwarfs]

Fish may be bred in small tanks, but they are still young when they are shipped to stores, and will not be sold to you stunted unless the fish has lived in the shop for a very long period of time. Most fish that are bred in captivity are often small, and usually bred in 10 or 20g tanks. The tank that a fish spawns in is usually large enough for that fish to live comfortably (or it would not be spawning) and for it's fry to grow to a sellable size in

 

[Inchworm]

Fish ( i assume) are bread in cramped conditons. Thus there growth is restricted. So when you get an adult fish, and place it a large tank, will it resume growing, or has it reached its maximum size?

Hi Sp00ky

I think that you have a false assumption there. Many tropical fish are wild caught and arrive at your lfs as full sized adults. Most of the others are tank raised or farm raised and, while being smaller, are in good health and a normal size for their age when they are shipped from the breeder.

It doesn't make much sense for a breeder to overcrowd his/her tanks and raise stunted, sickly or small fish. Instead, the idea is to keep the water conditions right and feed them well enough so that they grow big as fast as possible. Then they can be sold and the breeder can raise another batch of fish in his tanks.

 

[dwarfgourami]

A whole range of diverse answers here- mainly I think because different posters are thinking of different fish, and fish are a very diverse kind of animal. Fish breeders are also quite a diverse breed and depending on what fish they breed/sell, the most economical approach will differ. Some fish, like guppies and neons, are massbred in small containers (sadly with those fish it does pay to sell sickly fish as long as they are pretty), others have to bred with more care, yet others are wildcaught.

Some fish, such as goldfish, are known for their tendency to restrict growth in small spaces and then have sudden growth spurts when you put them out in the pond. Others (?certain plecos) may grow deformed instead. Yet others (like guppies) may grow but fail to develop their natural strength and once they get beyond a certain age there is little you can do about it. If this sounds odd, remember that fish have very different growth patterns: some reach their full size after a few months, others keep on growing all their lives. I think we tend to forget that what we call fish is actually a very diverse group of creatures, more so (I believe) than mammals.

 

[funkybodal]

I think that many fish actually grow faster in shop conditions where the constant replenishment of water means that growth is not restricted by the growth restricting hormones that many fish produce. It varies from fish to fish though - in some fish the limited tank space will have a large impact on growth but others will keep on growing quickly.

 

[Fella]

I never imagine fish being bred in cramped conditions, I always assume they're bred in giant ponds if they're bred and then imported.