I have a question...for instance you buy a 2inch baby fish that can grow to 30 inches and you put it in a 10 gallon. The water conditions are perfect & the fish seems happy. How can keeping it in a small aquarium stunt its growth? Does the fish sence the tanks size & decides to grow slowly? and when you switch it to a larger tank it will decide to grow bigger? I just don't understand this.
keeping big fish in small tanks
- Thread starter sofia
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Devilishturtles
Aquarium Advice Addict
There are a few reasons why a fish will not grow as much or as quickly in a smaller tank. For one, fish waste builds up more readily in a smaller tank, which leads to high levels of nitrates. High nitrates will stunt the growth of a fish.
Also, I'm not all that positive of this, but many fish have growth supression horomones (I think they are horomones). When the fish starts to get too large for it's tank, the horomones kick in and stunt their growth. Not all fish are able to control this effect on their bodies and will continue to grow until they can't turn around in the tank. Smaller confines will also stress a fish. They have no place to hide, to "stretch" and swim around, and this can end up killing them too.
Best thing to do is to reasearch. Find out what species you want and how large it will grow. If you can't care for it as a full sized adult, then you really should'nt get it. HTH, and that the majority of my info is correct!
Also, I'm not all that positive of this, but many fish have growth supression horomones (I think they are horomones). When the fish starts to get too large for it's tank, the horomones kick in and stunt their growth. Not all fish are able to control this effect on their bodies and will continue to grow until they can't turn around in the tank. Smaller confines will also stress a fish. They have no place to hide, to "stretch" and swim around, and this can end up killing them too.
Best thing to do is to reasearch. Find out what species you want and how large it will grow. If you can't care for it as a full sized adult, then you really should'nt get it. HTH, and that the majority of my info is correct!
Christmasfish
Aquarium Advice Addict
Actually I think the growth stunting hormones don't effect the fish secreting it...it usually affects same species fish in the area with it (like with clown loaches).
More often it is just growth stunting through poor conditions..but the same thing affecting size will affect internal organs, sexual development, coloration....
a too large specie cannot really be housed very long in small confines.There would be less houses and more 500 sq ft studios otherwise
). Not to mention the stress will cause them to use up thier resources quiker and cause more need for frequent full water changes. Bleh!
Growth suppression is in very few species anyway..and by the way; no member of the carp family applies to this for long...it is more like a slow down than a stop. I hear that theory about koi and goldies often..it is bogus in their case. Hope that adds a side dish to this course....
I don't know what those few rare fish that the theory applies to is other than loaches.
My main clown is now about 9 inches. They were all around three inches when I bought them this year. They step stool down in size though they all started near the same. And they are in a grossly overstocked 40gal tank at that (I do a 50 every third day)
More often it is just growth stunting through poor conditions..but the same thing affecting size will affect internal organs, sexual development, coloration....
a too large specie cannot really be housed very long in small confines.There would be less houses and more 500 sq ft studios otherwise
). Not to mention the stress will cause them to use up thier resources quiker and cause more need for frequent full water changes. Bleh!Growth suppression is in very few species anyway..and by the way; no member of the carp family applies to this for long...it is more like a slow down than a stop. I hear that theory about koi and goldies often..it is bogus in their case. Hope that adds a side dish to this course....
I don't know what those few rare fish that the theory applies to is other than loaches.
My main clown is now about 9 inches. They were all around three inches when I bought them this year. They step stool down in size though they all started near the same. And they are in a grossly overstocked 40gal tank at that (I do a 50 every third day)
