Is there a way to grow a fish to its max potential size in home aquariums?

[Stanzzzz7]

I wont join the nitrate debate but I believe the reason some fish won't reach full size is due to environmental factors.
Take pangasius catfish for example. They live in shoals in the wild in strong flowing highly oxygenated water. They are a strong swimming energetic fish that take comfort in their own kind.
How many fish tanks housing this species can come even close to simulate the natural environment of this fish?
Exercise aids growth, no way do these fish get the chance to get exercise to aid natural growth. I never see these fish kept in shoals so that would also add a degree of stress.
I've chosen these catfish as an example as they seldom, if ever reach full size in captivity and often die prematurely at a fraction of their potential size.
I think this example can be applied to a lesser extent to many aquarium fish due to lack of environmental enrichment and no opportunity for proper exercise.

 

[squint]

I wont join the nitrate debate but I believe the reason some fish won't reach full size is due to environmental factors.
Take pangasius catfish for example. They live in shoals in the wild in strong flowing highly oxygenated water. They are a strong swimming energetic fish that take comfort in their own kind.
How many fish tanks housing this species can come even close to simulate the natural environment of this fish?
Exercise aids growth, no way do these fish get the chance to get exercise to aid natural growth. I never see these fish kept in shoals so that would also add a degree of stress.
I've chosen these catfish as an example as they seldom, if ever reach full size in captivity and often die prematurely at a fraction of their potential size.
I think this example can be applied to a lesser extent to many aquarium fish due to lack of environmental enrichment and no opportunity for proper exercise.

Yes, exercise may be one of them and if I were in a grow out contest one of the things I would do is a deep dive into the papers that discuss feed conversion rate and swimming speed (they apparently make salmonids swim in circles in circular tanks at varying rates).

Here's one already:

Do swimming fish always grow fast? Investigating the magnitude and physiological basis of exercise-induced growth in juvenile New Zealand yellowtail kingfish, Seriola lalandi - Fish Physiology and Biochemistry

There is a wealth of evidence showing that a moderate level of non-stop exercise improves the growth and feed conversion of many active fishes. A diverse number of active fish are currently being farmed, and an optimal level of exercise may feasibly improve the production efficiency of these...

link.springer.com

 

[Hendre]

It is important to simulate more natural environments for fish in my opinion, zoo aquariums are generally a good example (in most cases) of how to simulate natural conditions as far as possible. Heiko Bleher has lots of publications about biotopes if I recall correctly.

 

[Stanzzzz7]

It is important to simulate more natural environments for fish in my opinion, zoo aquariums are generally a good example (in most cases) of how to simulate natural conditions as far as possible. Heiko Bleher has lots of publications about biotopes if I recall correctly.

I agree Hendre and have always believed that a biotope style of aquascaping goes a long way. However a fish tank that looks like a little piece of the amazon is of no use if scale, water temps, chemistry, flow rates and diet are off.
Scale is something that is often overlooked and I believe that if a fish can't reach full swimming speed, then the scale is wrong.

 

[Stanzzzz7]

It's also worth mentioning that some species of fish will actually grow bigger in captivity than they do in the wild.
Some algea grazing species like mbuna for example often grow bigger than wild fish due to a diet that overcompensates the fishes natural requirements and expectations.

 

[FINWIN]

I wont join the nitrate debate but I believe the reason some fish won't reach full size is due to environmental factors.
Take pangasius catfish for example. They live in shoals in the wild in strong flowing highly oxygenated water. They are a strong swimming energetic fish that take comfort in their own kind.
How many fish tanks housing this species can come even close to simulate the natural environment of this fish?
Exercise aids growth, no way do these fish get the chance to get exercise to aid natural growth. I never see these fish kept in shoals so that would also add a degree of stress.
I've chosen these catfish as an example as they seldom, if ever reach full size in captivity and often die prematurely at a fraction of their potential size.
I think this example can be applied to a lesser extent to many aquarium fish due to lack of environmental enrichment and no opportunity for proper exercise.

I've seen some horrible looking "shortbody" fish with deformed spines, abnormally sized heads and crimped, weird porportion bodies. No one is gonna convince me that occurs with prime conditions...fish that don't even reach 70 percent of average size. One of the worst examples was on you tube where some clown was proudly showing off his 'shortbody' redtail cat...in a 100 gallon with other fish. The spine was shaped like a "V" and the head gigantic...the fish had to bend itself just to move. It was so ugly and deformed I changed the channel. Worse, more clowns thought his fish looked 'cool.'

Sometimes people just plain piss me off.

 

[Stanzzzz7]

Sometimes people just plain piss me off.

I'm with you there.

 

[Hendre]

A little personal experience with this; I had two senegal bichirs that grew pretty solidly for the first few months with me until a drought hit. I couldn't change my water more than once a month so I relied on my plants and reducing feeding to keep waste down. It worked for the most part but when the drought subsided a year later they never quite took on to growing strongly despite cleaner water and more food. Consistency is also an important part of keeping your fishes growth chugging along IME

 

[RD.]

I can't recall ever seeing an aquarium with high nitrates, that was low in overall pollution. Ever.

One can huff & puff about nitrate studies until they are blue in the face, it won't change the fact that an aquarium kit nitrate test is a simple easily accessible way that anyone can use as a measuring tool for getting a good general feel on overall pollution levels. I also don't happen to believe that nitrate levels in an aquarium are a concern.

 

[squint]

I can't recall ever seeing an aquarium with high nitrates, that was low in overall pollution. Ever.

One can huff & puff about nitrate studies until they are blue in the face, it won't change the fact that an aquarium kit nitrate test is a simple easily accessible way that anyone can use as a measuring tool for getting a good general feel on overall pollution levels. I also don't happen to believe that nitrate levels in an aquarium are a concern.

What about people with "high" tap water nitrate levels?