Fish Growth

[markandhisfish]

coud you clear something up for me please. i often hear it said that a fish will grow to the size of the tank ie if you get a potentially large fish in a relatively small tank it wont reach its full size. whilst i can see a certain ammount of logic to this idea i dont really subscribe to it because surely if this was the case you wouldnt read that certain fish have minimum tank size requirements, could somebody please clear ths matter up for me . i have been asking loads of questions on here since i found it and probably will bore you all to tears before long lol. at the end of the day i am very new to the hobby and am totally addicted already and you guys on here all seem so knowledgeable i intend to soak up all your knowledge so i can not only keep my fish better but also in time learn enough so that i can help others too many thanks

 

[big-george91]

it depends on the fish but mainly the fish wont reach their full size but they become deformed due to the lack of space.

hope this helps

 

[three-fingers]

Basically, in some cases with some species of fish, it does appear to be true that they will only grow to a certain size for a given tank volume. This is usually referred to as 'stunting', and the general consensus is that it is bad for the fish (for many possible reasons).

With some other species, it would seem to be the case that they will just keep growing regardless of the volume of water as long as they are fed enough and the water stats are acceptable.

There's so many variables when it comes to maintaining aquariums, and so many different species of fish with potentially different growth mechanisms that it doesn't appear to be an area that there's any solid facts on right now, we're just going have to keep waiting for papers dealing with the subject to come out.

I've always really liked this post (the quote) from nmonks on the subject (still can't find the original post) .

 

[markandhisfish]

Basically, in some cases with some species of fish, it does appear to be true that they will only grow to a certain size for a given tank volume. This is usually referred to as 'stunting', and the general consensus is that it is bad for the fish (for many possible reasons).

With some other species, it would seem to be the case that they will just keep growing regardless of the volume of water as long as they are fed enough and the water stats are acceptable.

There's so many variables when it comes to maintaining aquariums, and so many different species of fish with potentially different growth mechanisms that it doesn't appear to be an area that there's any solid facts on right now, we're just going have to keep waiting for papers dealing with the subject to come out.

I've always really liked this post (the quote) from nmonks on the subject (still can't find the original post) .

thanks both of you for your replies. whilst i am not intending to put anything with the potential to grow very big in my tank it is a debate that interests me. i am basicly just trying to learn as much as possible so i can make sure i keep my fish as content as they can be because i am a firm believer that the fish didnt choose to be in my tank i decided they would be there so i have an obligation to make sure they are as happy as they can possibly be and any help/advice is allways greatly appreciated

 

[OldMan47]

Mark, the reason you will find suggested tank sizes for a particular kind of fish is that it is a size that people expect to see healthy growth in the fish. It is sometimes an educated guess on fish that we don't know much about. On well established fish that have been in the hobby for a while, it is usually based on the experiences of lots of people about what works and what doesn't. The size given seldom has anything to do with the optimum tank size for a fish, fish will grow faster and larger if they are given lots more space than is usually recommended. The trouble is , who has room for that much water just to get a platy or some such up to its full potential. When I see a suggestion of 5 gallons minimum for a guppy, I think that I can probably do well getting them up to full potential with maybe a 20 or bigger although I am sure there are plenty of healthy guppies in 5s. But if I see a 10 gallon minimum for a platy, I won't even consider putting one in a 5 for more than a typical QT time.

 

[markandhisfish]

Mark, the reason you will find suggested tank sizes for a particular kind of fish is that it is a size that people expect to see healthy growth in the fish. It is sometimes an educated guess on fish that we don't know much about. On well established fish that have been in the hobby for a while, it is usually based on the experiences of lots of people about what works and what doesn't. The size given seldom has anything to do with the optimum tank size for a fish, fish will grow faster and larger if they are given lots more space than is usually recommended. The trouble is , who has room for that much water just to get a platy or some such up to its full potential. When I see a suggestion of 5 gallons minimum for a guppy, I think that I can probably do well getting them up to full potential with maybe a 20 or bigger although I am sure there are plenty of healthy guppies in 5s. But if I see a 10 gallon minimum for a platy, I won't even consider putting one in a 5 for more than a typical QT time.

thanks for your reply its great that i have found this forum because as i said this is my 1st tank and when i 1st set it up i made a lot of basic silly mistakes i have since got all problems with water quality etc sorted and just want to make sure i learn from my mistakes and have a happy healthy tank for years to come

 

[markandhisfish]

Mark, the reason you will find suggested tank sizes for a particular kind of fish is that it is a size that people expect to see healthy growth in the fish. It is sometimes an educated guess on fish that we don't know much about. On well established fish that have been in the hobby for a while, it is usually based on the experiences of lots of people about what works and what doesn't. The size given seldom has anything to do with the optimum tank size for a fish, fish will grow faster and larger if they are given lots more space than is usually recommended. The trouble is , who has room for that much water just to get a platy or some such up to its full potential. When I see a suggestion of 5 gallons minimum for a guppy, I think that I can probably do well getting them up to full potential with maybe a 20 or bigger although I am sure there are plenty of healthy guppies in 5s. But if I see a 10 gallon minimum for a platy, I won't even consider putting one in a 5 for more than a typical QT time.

thanks for your reply its great that i have found this forum because as i said this is my 1st tank and when i 1st set it up i made a lot of basic silly mistakes i have since got all problems with water quality etc sorted and just want to make sure i learn from my mistakes and have a happy healthy tank for years to come