Datnoid growth? Heard they grow slow?

michael

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How old are these 10" or so that people have? I have 2 thin bars that are about 4" and was wondering how long it takes!?
 

krndude610

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i would also like to know the answer to this i have a NGT datnoid at 5inches and been feeding him constantly, whats the growth rate on these fish?
 

Pangong_ilong

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I want to know too, cuz i got 2 thin bar dats and about the same size 4"
 

downset21

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i bought mine at 2 inches... it's been about 8 months and they are at 4 or 5 inches... everybody says they grow REAL slow
 

twk1

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I would also like to know about their growth rate. And how long is their life span??? I saw a 13" at a LFS... What is the biggest that anyone has seen in person??
 

michael

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Shark aquarium has some like 10"-12" and wonder how old those fish are?? Also very expensive as they get bigger!? Mine were $20 each and a 10" goes for $250-$500 depending! Big jump!
 

unknownuza13

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michael said:
Shark aquarium has some like 10"-12" and wonder how old those fish are?? Also very expensive as they get bigger!? Mine were $20 each and a 10" goes for $250-$500 depending! Big jump!

There are also different types of dats. Those 10" for 400 dollars are wide bar dats. I believe its Datnoid Pulcher. I think you can get a 10" thin bar for 75-100 bucks.
 

Jesse

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unknownuza13 said:
There are also different types of dats. Those 10" for 400 dollars are wide bar dats. I believe its Datnoid Pulcher. I think you can get a 10" thin bar for 75-100 bucks.
True, there are five recognized species of datnoids:
1) Datnioides pulcher -- widebar datnoid, also known in Asia as Siamese tiger (ST) or Cambodian tiger (CT), depending on locale.
2) Datnioides microlepis -- Indonesian datnoid, aka Indonesian tiger (IT).
3) Datnioides undecimradiatus -- thinbar datnoid, aka North Thailand tiger (NTT).
4) Datnioides campbelli -- New Guinea datnoid, aka New Guinea tiger (NGT).
5) Datnioides quadrifasciatus -- silver datnoid, known in Asia as American tiger (AT) even though they come from southeast Asia, possibly because only Americans will actually buy them.

BTW, I'd buy a 10" thinbar dat for $100 in a heartbeat. I've never seen one larger than 8" in person, although I believe Ivan (alfon76) has a 12"+ thinbar. I've seen many Indo dats at that size for that price range though.

Regarding datnoid growth rates, some of the Asian enthusiasts who rely exclusively on feeders have achieved decent growth rates of up to 3/4 inch per month. Most of the rest of us who feed a combination of frozen foods get growth rates of about half that. I feed my young dats frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp, then frozen krill as they get larger, eventually switching to market shrimp when they get 8" or larger.
 

unknownuza13

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Yes I believe I was thinking of Indo Dats.... Any reason you can think of that you don't see any thin bar that are big..?
 

Vince

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Actually, larger thinbars are alot rarer in the U.S. than the pulchers. Large thinbars might push a higher price in the U.S.

As for growth rate, I bought a silver dat about four months ago at 4", and now he is pushing around 8-9 inches. Thats a silver dat. I bought around the same time a thinbar, about the same size, and right now the thinbar is only about 5-6 inches. The silver dat eats alot, and pretty much anything and everything, sometimes I see it eat pellets, while the thinbar only eats krill and the occasional raw shrimp. I never see it with a full stomach, while the silver is always fat. The Indo that I have is about 10" when I bought it about 3 months ago, and looks to be the same size still, and it is a big eater also. The widebars (pulcher) I have four. Two I bought at the same time around 4inches, same time being about 4 months ago, and they are about 6-8 inches. The 10" I bought about 4 months ago, still looks like 10" but is much rounder, fatter, than I got it. When I got that 10", the color was dark, almost black, but now it is bright yellow, it seems to be from thailand, not vietnam. The 12" I bought about 2 months ago, still looks like 12 inches. They eat alot, except the thinbar. I am selling them, but I need to get at least the same price that I paid for them, or they can stay with me :) I bought a 2" Indo about 3 months ago, and now it is 4".

I guess the growth rate depends on the size of tank you have them in, how much food you feed them, and how often you feed them. They are also sensitive to water quality, so a periodic water change is good for them. I trained my pulchers to eat beefheart. They love it, but the thinbar wont touch it. Hope this helps.
 
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