ATTN: Age Old Fish Growth Myth Uncovered.....

[megladonsharky]

Channel Cats

The like 3rd fish I bought was a Blue Channel cat. My LFS swore they got no larger than 6inches. My bad of course for not researching before I bought, a lesson this fish taught me. She is of course an awsome fish, but her growth rate and appetite made her unwelcome in my community after only a couple months (er after she sucked up my GF's school of neons)(er but eating the neons made her colors even more awsome)
Anyways, I ended up having to set her up in her own tank. This fish just makes me sad, she will eventually be too large for me to handle. I have made arrangement for a friend with a large size aquarium to take her once she outgrows my space. But by all accounts, she will be too large for his tank in a couple years... then what? euthanize? I don't see release as an option (raised in an aquarium don't prepare you for life in a river) My kids think that she should be cooked up for dinner... but um, I really don't see that as an option.
All in all, she should have never been at my LFS, and certainly they should have never sold her to me. So I am afraid, that despite being an awsome fish, she is doomed to a sad ending

just off the cuff , try your local fish and game office or aqaurium

 

[Toirtis]

Release is not an option, and may well be illegal. Depending on what part of the country you live in, they make great pond fish....try asking some pond owners.

 

[megladonsharky]

My first betta did out grow... okay i brought him home in a half gallon he was about two inches and I knew nothing aobut fish ... He outgrew it within a few weeks he started folding in half... I gave him a three-4 gallon he grew to 3.5 inches and then the nine gallon and he is nearly four

 

[Billsgate]

Great post!!
It is sad how some people are misinformed on giving animals proper housing, and how some people neglect their animals (If the guy who kept the fish that folded had some brains, he would've seen that it was getting too big allot sooner )

 

[AquaJoe]

My first betta did out grow... okay i brought him home in a half gallon he was about two inches and I knew nothing aobut fish ... He outgrew it within a few weeks he started folding in half... I gave him a three-4 gallon he grew to 3.5 inches and then the nine gallon and he is nearly four

NUTS! According to my research on the net Bettas reach a maximum size of 2.5 inches. All of my Bettas are about that size and have them in a 20 gallon tank. It sure would be neat if they got a bit bigger though

Joe

 

[megladonsharky]

he was in the half gallon for about three weeks , I was told by a guy who breed bettas that was the right size.. I DID have a brain thus he moved into a bigger house

 

[megladonsharky]

My first betta did out grow... okay i brought him home in a half gallon he was about two inches and I knew nothing aobut fish ... He outgrew it within a few weeks he started folding in half... I gave him a three-4 gallon he grew to 3.5 inches and then the nine gallon and he is nearly four

NUTS! According to my research on the net Bettas reach a maximum size of 2.5 inches. All of my Bettas are about that size and have them in a 20 gallon tank. It sure would be neat if they got a bit bigger though

Joe

http://www.betterbettas.com/Gallery1/breedergallery2.html check those babies out...

 

[greenmaji]

I think this really needs a *bump*

 

[krap101]

i was watching national geographic at the begining of the year and they were talking about humans doing this. thus became the "hobbit" these "cro-magnon" people were living on a small island in indonesia. they built a raft and went across this ocean to another island. they probally couldnt get back so they starting looking around the island for some food. there wasnt much so the people slowly shrunk to adapt to that island. on that island were tiny elephands and giant lizards

i do believe that the people might of shrunk but i think national geographic made it alot huger than it was.

 

[greenmaji]

That sounds like something that would take generations to happen.. Interesting story..
I think that if your getting a fish and putting it into a small "island" you might just have problems before "dwarf" fish.. :?
all and all this is more of a bump than a argument..

 

[Guest]

hint hint advisors.. i think this would make a good article.

 

[greenmaji]

I am quite certain that quite a few common pleco's met there early demise in my care
form lack of adequate space to grow when I first started in the hobby.. The smaller the
tank the earlier they died. They seem to live a pretty full life in the 125 gallon we had
though im not sure what would be a good size tank for them.. :?

 

[megladonsharky]

I have heard no less than 55 gallons for a common pleco and I would think that only if the only bottom dweller ...

 

[willowthepoet]

wow, such an eye-opening read! I always thought (and, er, experienced) that fish would die from the stress and fairly-inevitable chemical imbalances that come from being in a too-small tank.

i am so glad i joined this forum. wow.l

 

[DiverDown]

Last months Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine had a great article on myths. This one was covered. The myth probably came about because a lot of people were keeping fish in tanks too small, and the fish lived a couple of years before dying, so they never grew to full size. Oscars are a great example, they will live for years, and get up to 18 inches. But if you keep one in a 20 gallon tank for 2 years and it grows to 6-8 inches before succumbing, people think they just die of old age. The fact that the fish was miserable in that little tank, and died long before it's time, seems pass people by.

The gist of the article was that people started this myth because they were raising unhealthy fish that were dying young.

 

[Blazeherd2306]

There was an article on the oldest goldfish on the interent. It was 40 something years old and kept in a bowl, but it was deformed.

I'll see if I can find the picture.

 

[Blazeherd2306]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/414114.stm

 

[AquaJoe]

See, fish DO lie a long happy life if you take care of them! I KNEW IT.

Joe