True Or False?

[Frank77]

I am a little confused on the issue of stunted growth of fish in too small an aquarium.
 
Some have told me it's true, others have said it's a myth.
 
Thoughts?
 
EDIT: Oops! or, not of,lol.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Its most definitely true am afraid, not a myth at all. I personally have seen stunted fish in LFS and its not a very pretty sight
 
There are a fair few articles out there about this, but one that is from a dependable site is this -
 
http/www.seriouslyfish.com/stunted-growth-means-stunted-lives/
 
Well worth having a read of. Am sure other members will give out different articles but all say the same thing, fish can and will have stunted growth if placed in an inappropriate tank for their size.

 

[Jeremy180]

If you want my opinion on the matter, you need look no further than my signature.

 

[Frank77]

That was a good read, thanks!
 
I agree with the authors statement that it seems a lot of people are causing harm to their fish, they would never accept upon our furry friends.
 
Jeremy, I like your sig.
 
The more I learn about this hobby, the more I am seeing how some large chain pet stores care nothing about their animals. I was aware of the puppy mill issue, but had no idea about the abuses in the pet fish industry.

 

[Jeremy180]

That was a good read, thanks!
 
I agree with the authors statement that it seems a lot of people are causing harm to their fish, they would never accept upon our furry friends.
 
Jeremy, I like your sig.
 
The more I learn about this hobby, the more I am seeing how some large chain pet stores care nothing about their animals. I was aware of the puppy mill issue, but had no idea about the abuses in the pet fish industry.

Oh, I've heard stories You wouldn't believe!

 

[NickAu]

Yes its true.
 
I have 2 baby BN's 1 in a 6 foot tank and one in a 2 foot tank, The one in the 6 foot tank is over twice the size of the one in the 2 foot, Both are male, from the same batch and eat the same food.

 

[Blough]

I'm afraid fish's growth can be stunted, and then the fish dies. I used to have goldfish when I was little, and they lived in a ten-gallon tank. They only lived a few months, and I believed the myth that goldfish have a very short lifespan.
In one of my classrooms at school the teacher mistreats two goldfish by keeping them in a ten gallon tank, and I think they're overfed. I also have reason to believe the teacher does not own a testing kit. Each one is about eight inches long, so I assume they where raised elsewhere and then moved to the ten-gallon when they where older.

 

[Gruntle]

I read this article over the Christmas break. Those who have sensitivities need not click, but it's the story of working in a LFS that don't often get told.
 
 
http/www.cracked.com/personal-experiences-1850-we-breed-monsters-6-realities-commercial-aquarim.html

 

[Frank77]

Wow....that's just awful.

 

[Efishent]

I would say it was true. When I was about three years old, I had a goldfish. We kept the goldfish in a ten gallon tank, unfortunately not knowing how big he would grow. He never reached a full goldfish length after six years in the tank, so I would say it exists.

 

[fluttermoth]

Ah, the old 'fish only grow to the size of the tank' chestnut...
 
It is true, in that fish will be stunted if kept in too small a tank. The myth part is that this is perfectly acceptable, and that it's okay to have fish that are potentially too big for your tank, as they won't grow out of it.
 
In reality, stunted fish suffer all sorts of deformities and health issues; they might not outgrow your tank (that depends a lot on water quality and water changes; you can, to a certain extent, prevent stunting by doing very large, very frequent water changes), but they will suffer, and not live the long, healthy or happy life that as we, as responsible fishkeepers, should be striving for for our fishy friends.
 
So, both true and false

 

[OldMan47]

Want the real story? Try asking the owner of Goliad Farms.He uses a recycle water system in his breeding areas and the water ends up ultimately in a small, about 6 feet long and not very large in other dimensions, sump. From the sump the water is pushed through a planted are where water plants deal with the ammonia build and the water is returned, using some large pumps, to his main breeding area. Now for the fun part. Because he loses some of his fish constantly due to miscellaneous issues there is always some food in that waste water stream so he keeps some large catfish in that 6 foot sump. The catfish have grown so large in that sump that they simply have no place to swim so they have become more or less stationary garbage disposals in his recycling system. Those fish get tons of water flow and abundant food but have trouble moving past each other because they are packed so tight together. The situation is not at all like a stagnant 6 foot long pond would be but the fish are thriving in that confined space.
Size does not really matter but water quality, oxygen in the water, food supply each do matter.