Fish Growth Rate Thread.

[Blue Lobster]

In order to make this a useful thread let's take some things into account for the sake of simplicity. Tank and fish are what we consider "Good" ie. grow out room, water conditions, tank mate cohabitation is ok. Basically, how fast do different fish grow, give a start and current measure. Also please give common names so when people look they say "Wow, A yellow labrador Cichlid will get so and so big in just 2 years" or "I am definatly gonna need a bigger tank in 3 years"

So from my experience I can offer this(All fish in my sig)

In 6 months my Balas have grown an inch in length, from 3 inches to 4 inches and my 2 inch pleco is now 5 inches.

In the same 6 months my angelfish's fins have grown up and down about 2.5 inches from top fin to barbels, with appropriate body length increase. Tail fins filled out and the tails alone are 1/2 inch longer. They are breeding too.

In 3 months some my tetras have grown 1/4 inch to a full one inch long, some are smaller but all have grown about 1/8-1/4 inch.

2.5 year old cory cats have grown from 1 inch to 2 inches and body diameter is up.

My old tanks were all overcrowded but I did have two balas go from 3 inches to 10 inches in 7 years and a 2 inch pleco of the same age hit about 10 inches.

In 4 months the blue lobster has moulted twice and has grown about 1/2 inch longer with bigger claws and MUCH longer antennas.(Due for another molt)

Feel free to add yours, It will help with tank planning and timeline for everyone when stocking and upgrading their tanks.

 

[Tolak]

This is a good idea, it will help people to plan ahead, as well as keep people from buying fish that will grow to be too large for their current tank, or don't have the time or resources for a larger tank.

A dime size (3/4") angel at the lfs is about 2 months old. At 3 months, it will be quarter (1") size, 6 months around half dollar (1 3/8") size. By 1 year they are around dollar size. This refers to body size. They start to pair up around 8 months old, so it is good to plan ahead if you have a group of maturing angels, due to possible aggression issues.

From what I've seen this is the standard rate for all types except for blacks, and to some extent koi. They tend to grow a little slower, especially blacks.


This is a growth rate I've noticed from my spawns. In every spawn you will have 5% to 10% that will grow faster than the rest, and 5% to 10% that will grow slower.

Tolak

 

[Fiori]

Yikes - I tink I must have a mutant angel then. I bought an angel about 3 months ago and he was about the size of a 50 pence piece. 3 months later he is about 2 inches. So he ahs doubled in size in 3 months. Is that normal?

 

[Tolak]

I've had some out of a spawn that grow really fast, So fast that they need to be put in with a spawn 8 weeks older than them, so they don't out compete the smaller siblings for food. These are the first to go to the lfs, as they reach a sellable size first. Some do tend to get big faster, some slower. If you put a few small ones in a tank with a lot of room, say 3 in a 55, do lots of wc's, & feed them good, they will tend to grow faster. I'd say it's normal.

Tolak

 

[freddyk]

Lots of variables affect the growth of fish, and we can get them to grow as fast or slow as we like. Overfeed them, they grow faster. Under feed them, they will barely grow at all. Keep them in warmer water, they grow faster. Keep them in cooler water, they grow slower.

Because fish growth is so directly affected by their environment and care, everyone will experience different results.

The question is, are we looking at fast growth as a good or bad thing? Fish tend to grow much faster in aquariums because the amount of food they get is much, much more then they'd get in the wild, and also because 80 is a common tank temperature, which is warmer then necessary for the average fish.

Fast growth actually decreases the lifespan of the fish. The healthiest thing to do is take it easy and slow it down.

Perhaps this was a bit off topic, but I feel it's good to know.

 

[Danny - the lost soul---]

Very well put freddyk
You covered many good points. I have seen many, many fish that due to habitat changes ( more food, warmer water, room to roam) grow to twice in some cases 3 times there size. Thus not good for the fishies health and most know. A healthy fish is a well kept fish not a fat fish. This with most species of fish shortens there life span dramaticly.
danny

 

[Paul_MTS]

In order to make this a useful thread let's take some things into account for the sake of simplicity. Tank and fish are what we consider "Good" ie. grow out room, water conditions, tank mate cohabitation is ok. Basically, how fast do different fish grow, give a start and current measure. Also please give common names so when people look they say "Wow, A yellow labrador Cichlid will get so and so big in just 2 years" or "I am definatly gonna need a bigger tank in 3 years"

i think the point of the first paragraph covers what you have said freddy. yes there are a hell of alot of factors to consider but for a rule of thumb this is a good idea.

for my contributions...

in about 4 months I grew a Tiger Shovel Catfish from 3" to 15".
in around 5 months my tyre track eel grew from a worm like 2" to a stunning 12"
in 3 months my asian arowana (Dragon fish- see sig!) has grown from 8-9" to just under 12"
in 5 months my oscar grew from a weeny 1.5" to a chunky 7"
in 5 months 1 of my striped doras has grown from 2.5" to 5" 2 others follow closely behind.
in 4 months my 4" ornate bichir has grown to fantastically chunky 12"

thats all i can think of for now.

 

[OohFeeshy]

In about 3 1/2 months my bettas got from 2 inches to 3 inches.

 

[hellohefalump]

Yikes - I tink I must have a mutant angel then. I bought an angel about 3 months ago and he was about the size of a 50 pence piece. 3 months later he is about 2 inches. So he ahs doubled in size in 3 months. Is that normal?

yep! mine did that in only two months!