Do Fish grow to there habitat?

[tpk212]

i have decided to finally to test a theory that has been coming up in the aquarium trade for awhile! do you really need a huge tank to keep your tank mates happy? or will they grow to the size you give them? or will they eventually grow out in due time???

i have been keeping an oscar, a green terror and a convict in a 4ft tank for about a year now and they all seem happy, get along and have not grown much at all in the time i have had them! they have maybe doubled in size!
is this due to the tank being small or just them adapting?

now before you go of your rocker and tell me i'am a heartless bastard i will remind you i no you should have bigger tanks for fish that are going to grow! i do have extra tanks in case i need to move them or if they grow to big!
this is just an experiment to see if they will grow to the tank and be able to live in harmony with each other!

i do weekly water changes of about 30% keep the temp to about 25C and feed them blood worm, brine shrip and a pellet or flake once or twice a day!

there is lots of hiding places and caves in my aquarium and alot of room to swim should they feel the need at the top of the tank!

i have a few pots and a river rock base which they seem to love! i also have ornamental plants in there so people that come and visit dont tell me my tank looks bare! haha i hate that! haha

anyways i would love to hear from you and i will post some picks soon!

Thanx
tpk212

 

[tpk212]

oh! haha filtration! i knew i forgot something! i run a 204 fluval canister and a medium sized rio! this seem sufficient at the moment but iam sure i will need to upgrade it soon or even through in a pleco or something to deal with some of the mess!
as for the lighting! i just use a regular 4ft globe on top of the tank!

 

[DaveK]

It was thought for many years that the size of a fish will be limited by the size tank it's kept in. This may have been true in the days of limited filtration and water circulation, because you stunted the fishes growth.

Today, with much better filtration, and more knowledge generally available, it now seems that fish will keep growing, and in time easily outgrow the tank.

IMHO, you should give up this "experiment" and move the fish to the size tank they need, oe give them away. It's been done before, and there is no need to make your fish suffer.

 

[tpk212]

thanks for the history lesson it makes sence that the fish may have been stunned into not growing but how would new filtration make a difference?

my fish will be moved to larger aquariums as i said before when i feel they are unhappy with there current arangement! they are not poor sickly or unhappy at the moment! and have room to move!
if it is getting to the point when i see they are sad i will move them!

 

[BigAl07]

thanks for the history lesson it makes sence that the fish may have been stunned into not growing but how would new filtration make a difference?

With new "understanding" and new technology our filtration is much more "efficient" and we are removing more from the water than ever before. I'm no biology major but my understanding is the "stunted growth" comes from a growth limiting hormone that each particular fish has and releases/creates. The more confined the more exposure to this hormone (Dilution is the Solution to Pollution). Better filtration and husbandry practices (more and larger water changes, etc) are believed to have helped in this issue. One other point to consider is that this experiment has been done over the years and it's not ideal for the fish's over-all health of the fish because of the induced stress over-crowding creates. Granted it may not "kill them dead" quickly like ICH or poisoning would but it will have a profound affect on their long-term well being and health.

Although this is a VERY supportive community I'm fairly confident you won't get much "positive reinforcement" from the masses here. We tend to take the moral responsibility of the well being for the fish to a personal (if not even passionate) level and this "experiment" flies in the face of that. It's not that "experimentation" is always bad (please don't think that I'm against valid experimentation because I'm not) but recreating an experiment that's already been done and documented MANY many times and known to potentially harm the animal really isn't very appealing.

That's just my 2 cents so take it for what it's worth

 

[tpk212]

thats all good and well! but if a fish is happy and healthy whats the point in wasting space? i do have other tanks that these fish can go in and grow as big as they want! but i want to find out for myself if they will be cool just chillin in a smaller tank! im not an arse and i love fish! so dont think im out just to cause harm and piss everyone on this forum off!
but thank you for a bit more indepth info on the filtration! it makes a bit more sence now!

 

[TylerHaworth]

+1 to BigAl, don't be ridiculous please.

 

[sneaks03]

+2 to Big Al, would you like it if someone put you in a 6'x 4' cell knowing the outcome of an experiment?

 

[PEMfish]

+3 Al.

And a note to all; If you cant take care of a fish in its adult sate with the tank you have now, dont get it!

 

[tpk212]

i have moved the convict in a larger tank! but my oscar and green terror are both around the 8cm mark! so no need to move them just yet!
stop your winging also! i mean having an aquarium is crewl to you guys when you think about it! i mean where do your fish actually live in the wild? ##########im sure you guys dont own a huge like which you keep all your fish! so please! think before you speak!






*** removed language and replaced with ########## ***

 

[BigAl07]

I can assure you there is a LARGE degree of "thinking before speaking" here.

Watch your language and play nice!!

 

[StirCrayzy]

Well, two things id like to address.
I assume, since not specified exactly, that this " 4' tank" is at least 50 gal.
FIRST
If at least 45g then there is no crime yet as i see under 30" of adult fish.
Convict = 6-8 inches
Green Terror = 8 inches
Oscar aka. Poo Machine = 12"

If filtration, and water changes are kept up, all should go well.
I am very overzealous with WCs on my 65g FW, and i run a Magnum350, 100g Whisper, and undergravel with powerheads.
I take some interest in this, because i have the exact stocking choices as TPK, plus a Pleco.

SECOND :soap:
TPK if it werent for the ability to learn from mistakes made, whether calculated or not, we would be an uncivilized herd of monkeys, scratching our rears with tree branches.:bluemad:
I mean, wow i hate to feel the way i do about chastising you, but i just hope this mentality doesnt extend to other areas of your existence.
Because otherwise youll learn alot of things the hard way, like ...
Dont drink the water in mexico, :dead: :dead:
You dont drive better when drunk,
You cant strap feathers to your arms and fly,
Filling an airship with Hydrogen is a bad idea,:explode:
and most importantly...
No means No :hammerhea :hammerhea :hammerhea

But seriously,
Learn to search, it is much less work, and much safer than your current method.Heres some good reading for ya
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/fish-diseases-treatments/24702-marine-fish-stocking-limit.html

 

[l3fty999]

+2 to Big Al, would you like it if someone put you in a 6'x 4' cell knowing the outcome of an experiment?

The outcome of that is usually insanity if you're left there long enough. Anyway, I myself always try to use the biggest tank I have, simply because as we all know, you have a little more time to correct problems.

Aaron

 

[sneaks03]

The outcome of that is usually insanity if you're left there long enough. Anyway, I myself always try to use the biggest tank I have, simply because as we all know, you have a little more time to correct problems.

Aaron

Exactly my point! It is torture and cruel.