Growth in the wild versus a glass cage!

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shamrock

Piranha
MFK Member
Feb 26, 2006
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Topic has gotten very interesting. What are your thoughts on fish that reach a certain size in the wild and not in tanks. For example CK in the wild are said to attain 40 inches yet in "most" tanks rarely pass the two foot mark. Here are a few other examples:
1. Red Tail Cuda in the wild-24 inches versus tank 10-15 inches
2. Odoe in the wild 27 inches versus tank 12 inches
3. Hujeta Gar in the wild 28 inches in captivity only 10 inches
My buddy has all these fish in big tanks and ponds and these are the sizes they attain.
What do you all think?
 
tlkmdn has a couple 40 inch clown knives in captivity. Most of the time, you'll see size differences because fish stores only feed as much as they need to keep fish alive. That can have a very negative impact on fish. Also, some fish stay small enough to fit in a 55 or a 75 but have the activity and energy of a 5 foot fish. Keeping fish like that in a small tank also has a huge impact. As long as we're responsible in what we're doing then we should be providing a good enough environment to allow fish to get to the proper sizes. I for one do not look at the "captivity size" when buying a fish but the "nature size." That helps me to determine if I have the necessary housing and abilities to care for such fish.
 
When multiple fish are kept in a tank the dominant fish can inhibit the growth of the others.
 
You need to also factor in how old the largest of these species are found at as well. Also need to figure out if those are average sizes or 1 out of _____ many that reached that size.
 
Also need to figure out if those are average sizes or 1 out of _____ many that reached that size.
Awesome point. For example the guy who has the 40 inch CK, how often is that?
David has his CK in a very large pond, his CK have always been the dominant fish and he feeds them really well. But, never had one pass 24 inches.
So while providing a fish with a large tank and giving them a good diet is important, I don't necessarily believe they will get to the same size as they do in the wild. Hujeta Gar are great examples. He had his in a huge set up thinking the fish would reach 28 inches and it never did. I believe the tank was like 12 feet long and 4 feet wide.
 
BTW if anyone has pics of Characins that I have listed bigger than what they are supposed to be in captivity I would love a pic.
 
I would love to see a 28'' hujeta. And i am allmost positive that they do not exesist wild or not. Alot of people get them mixed up with some of the other fish that look the same. Like malcuta and the other one that get larger. And the 24'' cuda as well.
 
Here is the biggest I have seen in a pic. And I do not know the exact size of these. They are not red tails but a simulair species.

acestrorhynchus_falcirostris.jpg
 
channarox;3084906; said:
i will stay out of this for now.
Click to expand...

:ROFL: My thoughts EXACTLY.
 
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