Does size really matter?

[Komodo]

I’m sometimes told that the book size for aquarium fish are only for fish in the lakes they come from and they never get that big in a home aquarium.

For example, Electric Yellow get up to 5” and Livingstoni can get up to 3”.

But do they really get that size in a home aquarium, presuming that the aquarium is the perfect aquarium for them?

 

[mikem691]

With proper care and space I would say yes and possibly larger if you are willing to go the extra mile with daily water changes and high quality food.

 

[treemanone2003]

With proper care and space I would say yes and possibly larger if you are willing to go the extra mile with daily water changes and high quality food.

Absolutely correct !!!


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[Delapool]

If it is perfect then yes, otherwise my experience is they don't reach maximum size (or they are very slow growing beyond a certain point ).

For example my yo yo loaches I have a reference that they can get to 5 inches but mine have been 4 inches for several years in a 150 gal tank.

But when working out tank stocking I always assume maximum size. The difference I get is not that great and gives me a bit of stocking leeway since I tend to fully stock (or if I'm honest, slightly overstock).

 

[bettaowner]

From my experience, the two best factors in terms of affecting a fish's size are food and tank size.

 

[Fishfur]

I know of at least one small experiment done regarding fish growth and tank size. In the experiment, fish given the largest tank grew much larger and faster than fish given less space. All were the same size when the experiment began. Granted, only one experiment, but space is very important to most fish species. Lack of it causes more issues than those with growth alone. General health and vigour are affected too.

 

[jim532]

Many years ago i had a girlfriend that had a goldfish in a 10 gallon tank she won at a carnival 10 years prior. The sad part of the story is that he was too big to turn around in the tank

 

[Delapool]

I had a comet goldfish in maybe a 20 or 30 gal which eventually got too big. Released it into a closed off park pond and it grew very rapidly (much faster than before) into an absolute monster.

 

[Mebbid]

I know of at least one small experiment done regarding fish growth and tank size. In the experiment, fish given the largest tank grew much larger and faster than fish given less space. All were the same size when the experiment began. Granted, only one experiment, but space is very important to most fish species. Lack of it causes more issues than those with growth alone. General health and vigour are affected too.

The discus keepers have tested this more, they found out that water quality has more to do with fish growth than the tank size. They kept discus in a smaller tank approx 20g and changed huge amounts of water grew more when compared to the discus kept in a larger tank and had fewer water changes.

My own personal experiences with guppies seems to agreet with that finding.

 

[Caliban07]

The discus keepers have tested this more, they found out that water quality has more to do with fish growth than the tank size. They kept discus in a smaller tank approx 20g and changed huge amounts of water grew more when compared to the discus kept in a larger tank and had fewer water changes.

My own personal experiences with guppies seems to agreet with that finding.

Perhaps it is not 'quality' that constitutes better growth but rather the constant addition of something that is present in tap water? Whilst it is a logical notion of course, is rapid growth an accurate measure of fish health? Not that you said it was but I think we have to have very very open minded here.

If a fish's growth is rapidly accelerated by constant water changes does this mean that this fish has been subjected to water of a higher quality?

We can only 'go off' what we see and do in this hobby and it is obviously clear that faster growth is something that results from constant water changes however, we can only really speculate as to why this is and assume that the fish is healthier as a result.


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[Mebbid]

Perhaps it is not 'quality' that constitutes better growth but rather the constant addition of something that is present in tap water? Whilst it is a logical notion of course, is rapid growth an accurate measure of fish health? Not that you said it was but I think we have to have very very open minded here.

If a fish's growth is rapidly accelerated by constant water changes does this mean that this fish has been subjected to water of a higher quality?

We can only 'go off' what we see and do in this hobby and it is obviously clear that faster growth is something that results from constant water changes however, we can only really speculate as to why this is and assume that the fish is healthier as a result.


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Thas a good point, but the end result is still the same whether or not it's reduced nitrate levels, growth restricting hormones, or increased levels of essential nutrients. The tank size is less of a factor than the water for the growth of fish.

In my experience with this issue, my roommate had a large number of baby guppies in a 10g tank that was fed quite often. The problem was, these were tiny, about half the size they should have been. I suggested that they were overcrowded in that tank and she moved a handfull into a hob breeding box that was attached to a 29g tank. The ones in the bred in box grew much bigger than the ones in the 10g who never really reached their full size.


Its obviously much easier to do in a larger tank, but isn't necessary.

 

[Caliban07]

Thas a good point, but the end result is still the same whether or not it's reduced nitrate levels, growth restricting hormones, or increased levels of essential nutrients. The tank size is less of a factor than the water for the growth of fish.

It would appear that way. No disputes there.

Out of curiosity, how did you come to the conclusion that the guppies in your mates tank were not as big as they should have been?







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[Mebbid]

It would appear that way. No disputes there.

Out of curiosity, how did you come to the conclusion that the guppies in your mates tank were not as big as they should have been?







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Back then I had a school of some fairly nicely bred guppies and ended up with too many fry. I gave a bunch to my roomie because I just had too many to deal with.