Fahaka puffer temp tank

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SandNukka15

SandNukka15

Goliath Tigerfish
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Nov 18, 2010
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Towanda PA
So I'll be getting a fahaka for my gf in the next few days.....I'll have to keep him in a 20 long for 1-2 months..until the growout fish in the 75 can be moved ....he will be 5 inches.....will his growth be stunted in that time frame ?....or do you think he will be fine for 1-2 months max?
 
I personally would be pretty worried about stunting in that size tank, but I am curious what others have to say with more experience. I have my 120 fahaka tank progress in this forum, and in two and a half months he grew from 2" to 6". He now eats 2 crayfish a day or 1 crayfish and a bunch of snails. The bioload even at just 6 inches is really high.

Maybe if you don't feed him much and do some crazy waterchanges he will be fine. I would be nervous about it after having mine though. Although a couple of months isn't very long.
 
Than what is the concern? Poor water quality - various organics - is the primary reason for stunting. If you are able to feed well and maintain water quality in that 20g just as well as if it was in a 200g than you are fine.

My point is that you are not great at keeping water quality, but a 5" fahaka in two months in a 20 will become 7-8" plus. That amount of food and waste IMO would be very hard to keep pristine water quality for maximum growth. As I said my 6" guy now eats 2 crayfish a day. If you do discus level waterchanges - 90% daily plus - then you're golden.
 
yes water quality is the main concern when stunting a fish but so is the tank size.....especially for a puffer that grows so fast.....that is why I asked if the 20 long will be an issue due to size not due to water quality
Majority of the fish I keep have high bioloads so nothing I'm not use to.

Like I said before water is not an issue I just don't want to stunt it's growth due to him being in a smaller tank for temporary
 
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I fear we must simply disagree. I am sorry you didn't find my advise helpful. Tank size is only a consideration for stunting when it comes to water quality. The fish does not see how long the tank is and the biological processes begin the stunting process. The reason people often associate small tank with stunting is because a large fish degrades the quality so fast in a small tank. At least within reason, physical damage will occur if a fish is pressed against the sides constantly.

May I ask the process that a small tank stunts a fish? So a 20 gallon tank connected to a 500g sump will still stunt a fish and it will not physically begin to damage itself as it outgrows the footprint of the tank because the footprint somehow determines stunting?

"Clearly u don't know what your talking about" seems a bit harsh! That is why I am curious with my questions.

If you can keep that quality good, then no, IMO the tank size shouldn't provide any reason for him to stunt.
 
So your saying if I keep a red tail catfish in a 75 gallon tank with pristine water conditions that I will never stunt it's growth ?.....you have to be kidding me....you Cleary don't know what u are talking about....

Tank sizes can also stunt fish growth rate as well as water quality

Please refrain from commenting on my posts when u are trying to give advice about something u clearly are wrong about.
 
How? How does it stunt it then based only on tank size besides physical damage? You have not addressed that issue.

Is it possible to keep a redtail in a 75g tank with pristine quality? How are you defining pristine water quality? Ammonia, nitrates, testing for other organics like metabolic byproducts? Let's say that RTC is 3ft long in a 75. It eats pounds of food every day. You can keep that water pristine? Well I know YOU can, but I mean other people.

Take that fish, put in a 75, plumb it to 1000 gallons with great filtration, that fish will literally grow to the physical boundary of the tank. It's very cruel and I sure hope no one would do it, but eventually that fish would be so large it would probably crack the glass and break the tank when startled.

I am the one that doesn't know what I am talking about? haha, you crack me up mate!

Anywho good luck with your puffer.
 
Mods please close thread .....done debating with this English bastard.....**** off mate

He has one fahaka puffer and thinks he is king of all water quality and knows all....
 
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