Why won't my fish grow?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

snowangeltae

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Mar 26, 2005
Messages
46
Location
San Antonio, TX
I have an 80g freshwater tank. I have 2 African Leaf Fish and 2 Silver Dollars and they haven't grown much. The leaf fish are only about an inch in length and the silver dollars are about an inch and an inch and a half. I also have a chinese algae eater that is also only about an inch in length or longer. I have had the algae eater and the leaf fish about a year or longer and the silver dollars, I have had a little more than 6 months or so. The grew a little when I first got them, but they seem to have stopped. A friend of mine has a chinese algae eater and the thing about about 4 or 5 inches long. That thing is huge for a chinese algae eater. Never have I seen one this big and he only has about a 40g aquarium. Why won't the grow?
 
-frequency of pwc's
-food (quality and frequency of feeding)
 
I knew the question of water change was going to come up. It's been awhile. I have been really slacking w/ that I am ashamed to admit. Food wise, right now I am just feeding some Tetra flake food. Sometimes I will feed them some frozen blood worms or brine shrimp. I used to feed them the bloodworms and shrimp all the time, but it just seems like too much for 4 fish.
 
LOL posting at the same time with the same Q's. GMTA. With irregular water changes nitrates get high and stunt the fish's growth. Do more regular pwc's, I do 50% a week on all my tanks.

Also in addition to flake and blood worms or shrimp, add some veggies. Variety is the spice of life, even for fish. Zucchini and cukes are great for fish.
 
Yes, that's my Bogart! My first parrot. She's a quaker parrot. I found out she was a girl after I named her Bogart. She already says her name, so I decided not to change it. Is that your African Gray on your avatar? Beautiful bird!
 
Let me know how your fish make out with more pwc's and more variety in their diet. I suspect you will see more growth in them.
 
I had 2 BGKs in 2 tanks, one was by itself, and the other was in a community tank. Both were fed the same amount, but the one that lived in the community tank had to compete with loaches and a big pleco. Even though the Ghost in the community tank was 2 months older, the one living by himself outgrew him within five months.

Feeding directly influences your fish's growth, most people here would tell you only to feed them once a day, or every other day. Due to high metabolisms, tropical fish (especially plecos and gouramis) have rocketing metabolsims, and can eat several meals a day (which is only fatal if your excessively overfeeding every meal)
 
I did a pwc tonight and will try to wait no more than 2 wks in between them. I need to go to the grocery store to pick up some zucchini. Thanks for your help. I'll post any progress I see.
 
hello

it could be that the tank is too crowded and needs more free space to let them grow
 
it might be because the tank is overcrowded and the fish dont have much space to grow
 
I get good growth in all the fish in my community by weekly 30%PWC and 3 meals a day of a variety of frsh , flake and frozen foods . Angels went from dime size to 5 inch bodies in 8 months , Balas went fro 2 inch to 5 inch and BGK went from 3 to 9 inch in that time . Silver dollars went from dollar size to 4 inch bodies in 5 months .
 
Back
Top Bottom