Angel fish growth

[Punkymom]

How long does it usually take for angel fish to reach full growth? I've had 2 for just over a year and while I've seen growth, it's not a whole lot, you know? Which is fine, but I was just wondering as I had an oscar before that got to full growth in like 9 months. TIA! BTW, my smaller one is about 1.5 in excluding fins (top to bottom) and the bigger one is about 2 or 3 in (they won't hold still, lol).

 

[bs6749]

It depends on many factors such as the cleanliness of the water i.e. how often and how large the water changes are, the amount of food, the type of food fed, water temperature, etc. I had 15 quarter size angels back in the 2nd week of July when I got them. They were just about fully grown at the end of November (well over dollar sized bodies). They have more filling out to do and will get stockier for sure but their overall size is right there. I'd say they should be fully grown within 12-16 months for sure.

 

[Punkymom]

Oh, ok. I have been easy on the food for a while. I've started feeding them 2 x a day and plan on giving them some veggies too. I do a weekly 50% on the water.

 

[BillD]

As already mentioned, clean water is extremely important to good growth rates with angels (any fish really). As they grow bigger they need a larger portion of food. As an example, I acqyuired a pair of Kois a few years ago that were about 50 cent piece bidy size. I kept daphnia in front of them for 24/7 and they doubled in 3 weeks. Other smaller fish of various varieties have doubled in size in 2 to 3 weeks with the same treatment. With the large feedings, water changes need to be larger and more frequent.
Another consideration is that when fish get to a certain size, flake is not the best food to give them in order to get the volume they need (IMO). Pellets work better at that point in my experience.

 

[joy13]

My angels got adult size within about 9 months they were about nickel and quarter size when I got them. Twice a week PWCs and good food made them grow fast. They don't really eat vegetables but really like things like brine shrimp, fruit flies and other live foods including sword fry.

 

[bs6749]

I have to disagree with you on the flake vs. pellet BillD. It's all about the content of the food and whether or not the fish will eat it. I have some discus that absolutely love the NLS cichlid pellets I give them and others just won't touch it, even after feeding it in conjunction with other foods for about 4 months now. I have also heard of many fish breeders, including several angelfish breeders using flake with tremendous success on their fry. Flake is a great source of protein and vitamins for the fish. One of the better flake foods for fast growth rates as I've been told from numerous breeders is OSI Saltwater Formula flake. I guess it has a higher percentage of quality protein that allows the fry to grow more quickly and put on mass. But, if they won't eat flake and are eating a good quality pellet then there is certainly nothing wrong with that.

 

[kribensis12]

What size tank? About food, pellets are better. Flakes start losing their nutrition the second they hit the water, while pellets do not.

 

[bs6749]

What size tank? About food, pellets are better. Flakes start losing their nutrition the second they hit the water, while pellets do not.

That's inaccurate to say the least. On what are you basing this assumption?

 

[Punkymom]

26 gallon bowfront. They are fed mainly Hikari micro wafers which they love and every couple of days they get Omega One shrimp pellets. I haven't done any frozen or live food for them. Should I? I think they've also been eating the algae wafers that I put in for the pleco. They're such pigs...I will admit that I haven't been as diligent in the past on water changes. That's changed though in the last few months. They started looking kind of iffy and I realized the error of my ways.

 

[BillD]

There is nothing wrong with flake as food. It is just that when fish reach a certain size, pellets become more efficient, assuming equal food value. There is a concern I have seen discussed that feeding super rich foods to speed up growth may have negative long term effects.

 

[bs6749]

I agree with you there BillD. I believe that continual feeding of foods high in protein as is often the case with discus leads to shorter-lived fish because of kidney failure. Their bodies, much like humans, can only absorb a certain amount of protein over a given amount of time. The rest is taken care of by the kidneys. The key is to get the levels where they need to be without excess protein since that is a waste of not only money because the excess food will be wasted, and more water changes will need to be done because of more fecal matter, but it also has negative health effects on the fish. Surely it can be seen that discus for example that are loaded with protein have tremendous growth rates and are extremely "healthy" looking but they don't live as long as wilds or domestics that are fed a more varied diet from what I've seen.

 

[Harry Gross]

"HOW" do you actually "OFFER" pellets ??? ( simply drop them into the tank..??..allowing them to fall to the bottom...risking them becoming overlooked by the fish ??)

 

[bs6749]

If they are hungry they will find the food. If really hungry the pellets won't have time to settle before they are eaten. Some pellets you should soak in water beforehand when given to certain fish so that they don't expand in their stomachs, possibly harming them. Some pellets like New Life Spectrum can be dropped into the tank along with many other good brands. There are also sinking pellets and floating pellets that are designed for different fish. Bottom feeders like plecos, catfish, cories, etc will get "sinking pellets" and other fish like tetras, angels, etc. would go for either floating or sinking pellets.

 

[kribensis12]

That's inaccurate to say the least. On what are you basing this assumption?

I can't give you a exact source ( read it over 2 years ago). But, it has something to do with the fact that Flake's chemical composition deteriates when it hits water. Only the outer shell of a pellet gets wet when first introduced.

 

[bs6749]

Chemical composition deteriorating implies a chemical reaction with the water and though possible, it's highly unlikely since a food company would test for this when making the food to begin with. It isn't going to change into something else when it hits the water. Maybe it will dissolve like sugar does in water but when you evaporate the water away you'd still have sugar and not something else. Slight changing of the physical properties of the food I may believe but a chemical reaction, no. FWIW, even pellets "break apart" like flake but there is less surface area in a sphere. That same fact is why bacteria and single celled microorganisms can only get to a certain size. Diffusion and oxygen exchange becomes much more difficult with a larger sphere than with a smaller sphere. A smaller sphere has a higher surface area : volume ratio making it ideal for cells to stay small.

 

[mitcore]

I breed angels and have found that they grow fairly quickly when a few factors are put in place,
1: water conditions
2: tank mates ( more for food comsumption)
3: Feeding routines ( I feed once every 2nd day)
4: And health of the angels, if their is a water condition problem them they wont grow,
5: Size of tank, Most fish grow to the tank size not to what they should be

 

[BillD]

Have to disagree with a couple of points above. Angels neeed lots of food to grow quickly and reach their full potential. Feeding every other day will not cut it. When doing growouts I feed as many times as possible every day. Daily water changes are a necessity.
The size of the tank isn't really a limiting factor if water is changed enough. This has been proven with trout wherin they grew several in a jar until they could no longer move. The water was changed about 120 times per hour. The picture below shows a tank of Oreochromis esculetum which are around 8" in size. They have grown to that size in that tank because they are kept in very clean conditions with the water being changed 4
times per week. The fish are part of a species preservation program and are absolutely healthy and thriving. The tank is absolutely spotless inspite of what seems to be crowded conditions.

 

[bs6749]

I also believe that frequent water changes are a necessity to the optimal growth of young fish because it removes the hormones that build up in the tank, which tell the fish to stop growing once a certain concentration is reached. Removal of these hormones allows the fish to grow as they would in the wild. Also, keeping food in the tank isn't just a good idea, it's a necessity as well. As many feedings as possible is recommended for young fish to reach their optimal size and healthy. A fish isn't going to grow if it doesn't have the resources (food) to do so. I feed my young (3.5-4") discus 4-8 times per day whenever I can. Some people feed them a dozen times per day and their fish grow extremely fast.

 

[Punkymom]

I have fixed their water quality and have increased their feedings, but lowered the amount per feeding. I'm feeding Hikari micro pellets, Hikari freeze dried blood worms and something else freeze dried. They are looking much better and displaying their fins more than they ever had. Show offs...they are looking so purdy now.