Exodon growth rate?
- Thread starter Abubakar
- Start date
I have never heard of anyone concerned with getting them to grow or how fast they grow. Mostly I hear people concerned with keeping them from killing each other!
I've kept 2 different shoals over the years and I can tell you that they are fairly slow growers. It is said that they can reach 6", but I haven't found that to be the case. Most of the ones I've kept haven't grown much over 4".
Could you estimate the monthly growth in inches? I've had some around 3-4", but this is my first time with a school that is at or less than 1"
Haha! The secret is have a lot of them together! Multiple bullies together are just a bunch of shy guys lol
That's a difficult question to answer. All the ones I've kept started out around 1.5 to 2 inches I'd guess. I would say that they took a couple of years to reach 4 inches or so. As B Belly up stated, growth rate really isn't the first concern generally. I would advise getting at least 10 and keep in mind that they really need more room then you would think for such a small fish. A 75 gallon would be a good place to start. Make sure there are plenty of sight breaks, wether it be lots of wood or plants and such. The key is keeping them well fed, and giving the smaller or weaker ones a place to escape when things get rough. I've had success keeping corys and plecos with them, as well as pictus cats but haven't tried much else. Remember that they are lepidophagy feeders in the wild. With that in mind, they will target other species much larger then themselves. While this doesn't mean instant death for their targets, eventually they will wear them down, possibly keep them from feeding, and typically keep them cowering in the corner of the tank.
While I find them very interesting, it's because of the reasons above that I don't keep them anymore.
Going back to your original question, may I ask why you are so concerned with their growth rate? Please don't take this the wrong way, but it makes me think that you possibly aren't in a position to house them properly.
I have also had a school of 40 in my old 125 that I set up with a nice aquascape that mimicked the amazon. Lots of branches and hiding spots that I got from aquadecor. Now that I've moved and have been able to recreate some of my old tanks, I am looking to start anew with my exo's, but the little guys I ordered ended up being really little. I am keeping 20 in my established 75 with a sump that I set up a while ago (kept gourami in the tank for a while but wanted something cooler in the living room). The tank already has some nice plants and hiding areas that I made with some rocks from my OG exo tank. I am not in the market to give them away and look for bigger ones, so I thought i'd see if anyone had any info about them hitting the 3" mark that im used to.
