Cichlid Growth & Evolution Discussion

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Its simple.

1. Genetics and sp. Not all are created equal in aquarium or wild. No matter what an oscar will grow faster then a grammodes. Not every oscar will grow as fast as the next, because of genetics.
2. Enviroment-right temps, water params, hardness, ph, and oxygen %.
3. Correct diet. Every sp. has different requirements in what they eat. Some fish are herbavors, some carnivors, and some omnivores. Vitamin content is always important and is why pellets are good.
4. Stress-stress from anything above or tankmates will slow growth IMO. This is mostly because disease will be more likely since the immune system is weaker. Also the body will spend more energy repairing rather then growing.

Have all 4 and your fish will grow as fast as possible IMO ;)
 
Well I just think Texas cichlids are fast growers,cause I have a firemouth,salvini,black convict who have not gone past the 4 inch mark yet and I had 2 out of 3 for close to a year.Is this for any pellets that has too much fat?I actually feed them a variety of food,instead of just cichlid pellets.
 
cichlidfish said:
Its simple.

1. Genetics and sp. Not all are created equal in aquarium or wild. No matter what an oscar will grow faster then a grammodes. Not every oscar will grow as fast as the next, because of genetics.
2. Enviroment-right temps, water params, hardness, ph, and oxygen %.
3. Correct diet. Every sp. has different requirements in what they eat. Some fish are herbavors, some carnivors, and some omnivores. Vitamin content is always important and is why pellets are good.
4. Stress-stress from anything above or tankmates will slow growth IMO. This is mostly because disease will be more likely since the immune system is weaker. Also the body will spend more energy repairing rather then growing.

Have all 4 and your fish will grow as fast as possible IMO ;)
Click to expand...

Yes I agree it's simple if you're not answering the question that was asked. Btw, thanks for the reply and all, I'm sure that will be helpful info to some. But....

The topic of discussion is: What part of the evolution process affected the genetics of a paticular species to make it a fast or slow grower? :):):)

If someone followed all your instructions, an Oscar will still grow faster than a Festae. Why?
 
balton777 said:
Yes I agree it's simple if you're not answering the question that was asked. Btw, thanks for the reply and all, I'm sure that will be helpful info to some. But....

The topic of discussion is: What part of the evolution process affected the genetics of a paticular species to make it a fast or slow grower? :):):)

If someone followed all your instructions, an Oscar will still grow faster than a Festae. Why?
Click to expand...

Ok, I see what you are saying. Some of what I said does apply, and what i was getting at is that different sp. evolve in different ways. I know African cichlids all evolved from one fish, but each sp. evolved in different ways to addapt to their enviroment. Maybe it is the same for CA/SA, but I can't be sure. African cichlid evolution has been studied a lot more, and there is still a lot to be learn about all CA/SA fishes.
Maybe an oscar evolved to grow faster then a festae, because it is a weaker fish that needs to grow fast to avoid being eaten. It could be that festae are much faster swimmers then oscars when young. I'm just speculating though. I haven't found much info on the subject, but it is very interesting and would like to learn more about the evolution on CA/SA cichlids.
 
The part about African's all evolving from one species is mind blowing to think about. It must be the same way with CA/SA too. What was it in their enviroments that made one fish laterally compressed while another tubular? Or some have big eyes and basket mouths while others have tiny mouths or huge lips? Or one to max out at 2" and another at 3'. Really cool stuff. Maybe I should have titled the thread Cichlid Evolution Discussion.
 
Good read:

"Darwin's dream: The Evolution of African Cichlids"
en.ird.fr/content/download/4377/85784/version/3/file/fas315-en.pdf
 
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