BGK isnt growing i dont think ?

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rob1984

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
May 9, 2012
1,418
1
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ontario canada
i have a 140ish gal long tank and i got a bgk awhile back he was around 8" when i got him, and he hasnt grown since and ive had him for a while now.... he eats bloodworms here and there but there messy tof eed due to the bloody water, lately ive been feeding him tetra carnivore sticks broek in half he seeems to like them so far but dont eat much of em, and he wont touch the NLS sinking pellets i have for my other fish...

what can i do to make and help him grow ? do they have a slow rate of growth ?
 
BGKs tend to slow down in growth after around 7" They tend to have the reputation of being a slow grower. Varied diet, clean water, and plenty of swimming room.
 
You are not alone. I got my bgk at 3.5", after 18 months only grew to 6". He is in a 55 and well taken care of.
 
I bought 2 of them about a year ago. They were about 4-5". One is now 9" and the other is 13-14". If your worms are bloody you might need to rinse them more often. Mine started out eating black worms and once they were comfortable began to eat everything that was 1/4" or smaller. They now eat black worms, small pieces of nightcrawlers, shrimp, pellets and even flake foods that fall to the bottom. Of all those things the nightcrawlers are the hands down favorite and they make them grow the fastest. Hope this helps.


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I bought 2 of them about a year ago. They were about 4-5". One is now 9" and the other is 13-14". If your worms are bloody you might need to rinse them more often. Mine started out eating black worms and once they were comfortable began to eat everything that was 1/4" or smaller. They now eat black worms, small pieces of nightcrawlers, shrimp, pellets and even flake foods that fall to the bottom. Of all those things the nightcrawlers are the hands down favorite and they make them grow the fastest. Hope this helps.

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only thing is if i have such tiny little fry in there for him to eat more then likely the oscar or others will eat the little tiny fish lol... he wont come up to eat he only scury's across the bottom and around his cave/tube and log he likes.... he doesnt venture out much he seems like a home body hahaha
 
We also have a BGK that is growing very slowly. We got him at around 1.5" last November, and he's now around 3-4". Another peculiar thing about this one is that his tail has always been curled, like really curled. I feel like it's just hit or miss with these guys. I have also read that the way most people keep them aren't really the ideal conditions, i.e. they come from cooler, fast moving waters, and most people have them on the higher side of tropical temps, and not enough flow in the tank.
 
from my experience, once the female gets to around 20cm, it's growth rate slows down.
male is around 25cm.
 
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