is there any what to tell how old a fish is?
my black moor was a rescue fish so i have no idea how old he could be.
my black moor was a rescue fish so i have no idea how old he could be.
fish age
- Thread starter missyme06
- Start date
in general,i dont think there is. i think there are just too many things to consider...what species is it, max adult length, diet, sex, is it wild or farm-bred, sickly or not, etc.
In your moore's case, you can try showing it to lfs. maybe they can give a rough guess.
maybe you can post pics for the experts too.
In your moore's case, you can try showing it to lfs. maybe they can give a rough guess.
maybe you can post pics for the experts too.
The only way I know of is counting rings on a bony structure called the otolith which is inside the fish's head, some species also develop rings on their scales which can be used to determine age.
Also, the otolith method relies on seasonal variations in water conditions/feed availability that change growth rates in wild fish, so these might not show up in an aquarium fish. As spoofsjsc says, so many factors determine growth rate (but mainly temp and feed) that it's pretty well impossible to tell. I'm sure someone here can give you a good guesstimate though.
I pretty sure that cutting your fish's head open is not going to be very attractive to you,
just thought you might be interested.
Also, the otolith method relies on seasonal variations in water conditions/feed availability that change growth rates in wild fish, so these might not show up in an aquarium fish. As spoofsjsc says, so many factors determine growth rate (but mainly temp and feed) that it's pretty well impossible to tell. I'm sure someone here can give you a good guesstimate though.
I pretty sure that cutting your fish's head open is not going to be very attractive to you,
just thought you might be interested.