If a fish has not grown much because of being kept in less-than-ideal conditions, can it recover and continue to grow if moved to a cleaner tank? My buddy is trying to get me to take a couple of fish off his hands because he doesn't have the time to maintain them. He has a trio of silver dollars and two cichlids (I think jaguar and dempsey). I already have some SDs in my tank so adding to my school would be nice. I dont know about the cichlids tho. These fish havent grown in about two years, and I am guessing thats because he doesnt do regular maintenance or feeding. If I can make them happy will they ever grow again? Obviously I would quarantine before adding to my main tank.
Can a "stunted" fish ever recover?
- Thread starter lujor
- Start date
This is a difficult question to answer because one does not know the degree at which the growth stunt has occured. There is no way to even calculate or estimate such a number. All that you can do is expose the fish to proper conditions and hope for the best. Only time will tell if the stunted fish truly recovers. I think that there is a certain amount of recovery that will occur. I just don't think that there is 100% recovery.
Aside from growth, I am wondering how disease resistance and internal organs are affected. Even if bones can't continue to grow, will organs repair themselves to a greater or lesser degree?
I am betting there is a lot of variation between species concerning this type of thing. Fish that have evolved in areas where water quality and/or food supply is inconsistant probably have less permanent damage from living in poor conditions for a time.
phillydog1958;4300265; said:
x2 . . . maybe they can get better, but you also might never know if you get a full recovery
barracuda123;4300765; said:
The platties were always intended to be food for something else. The fact that they are prettier than comets and their fry are delicious is a bonus. Also, I am not leannig towards keeping the cichlids. I just wat the SDs. If I did take the two cichlids, I would expect them to eat the platties and be happy they did so.
yes they will recover, as long as it has a good eating appetite...
i have two LMB for over 3 years, barely feed it, only grew like 1 inch in 2 year, this year i feed them like 2-3 times a day, and they are growing really fast. One of them doesn't have a good appetite, splits out food often. The other one eats everything and everytime i feed him, he's fat and growing faster then the other one...
I think Stunted fish is a myth. I think if its eating a lot its going to grow big, barely eating = barely growing...
i have two LMB for over 3 years, barely feed it, only grew like 1 inch in 2 year, this year i feed them like 2-3 times a day, and they are growing really fast. One of them doesn't have a good appetite, splits out food often. The other one eats everything and everytime i feed him, he's fat and growing faster then the other one...
I think Stunted fish is a myth. I think if its eating a lot its going to grow big, barely eating = barely growing...