This is all about opinions (most opinions taken from websites which is when i dont listen) and people can say what they think but no one can make you do anything so follow what makes sence to you. To me a 1000g tank makes no sence what so ever but thats just my opinion.
Mbu not growing
- Thread starter knobhill
- Start date
Until I hear otherwise from anyone else that has successfully kept them to adult size (wild or larger) for 15+ years, I will continue to repeat this as fact.
Doesn't matter what you bet, it matters if its true or not. The chance of it living to that age is very unlikley anyway, 99% of fish kept in tanks die prematurely due to hundreds of reasons - water changes, power cuts, diseases, puffing up, infections, etc...
Hobby fish properly maintained, which very definitely does not include matching wild conditions, stay healthy and reach or exceed wild size (common among the rift lakes species) and live far longer than their wild counterparts.
As far as the OP: Most fish grow fastest when young, especial before puberty. Fish never stop growing, but do so very, very slowly when mature to old. So growth rate is inversely related to age. Growth rate is also controlled by the health of the fish and the size of its tank. So you are very likely correct in that you fish is smaller than it should be at a year, and that is possibly likely due to IPs -they no doubt slow it down. Is it thin at all?
But tank size also matters. You will only see very rapid (normal) growth in young fish if they are in a tank that in no way limits their activity and swimming space. The all-but-standard practice of moving fish from one to another, larger, one as they grow is unlikely to achieve maximum growth rate and full adult size. If the fish is housed initially in the tank in which it will live permanently, it will most likely meet the rates and maximum size seen in the wild. But it will also then live to a much greater age in captivity than the average wild fish achieves.
Your fish is still immature, so can essentially 'catch up' with the normal growth rate and size
As far as the OP: Most fish grow fastest when young, especial before puberty. Fish never stop growing, but do so very, very slowly when mature to old. So growth rate is inversely related to age. Growth rate is also controlled by the health of the fish and the size of its tank. So you are very likely correct in that you fish is smaller than it should be at a year, and that is possibly likely due to IPs -they no doubt slow it down. Is it thin at all?
But tank size also matters. You will only see very rapid (normal) growth in young fish if they are in a tank that in no way limits their activity and swimming space. The all-but-standard practice of moving fish from one to another, larger, one as they grow is unlikely to achieve maximum growth rate and full adult size. If the fish is housed initially in the tank in which it will live permanently, it will most likely meet the rates and maximum size seen in the wild. But it will also then live to a much greater age in captivity than the average wild fish achieves.
Your fish is still immature, so can essentially 'catch up' with the normal growth rate and size
And that size difference so often seen in captivity is due to folks not giving their fish the proper size tank from the start. Those who have learned better and do not "move fish up as they 'need' it in tank size" do get mature fish at wild mature sizes. It s called stunting and is pretty standard for most hobbyists. That practice is another of the common hobby myths, and like the other myths (such as the 'benefit' of adding salt to FW tanks chronically) are extremely hard to fight. because they are so wide-spread and almost universal on the web and from fish store misinformation. Much "common knowledge" is only common, it is certainly not real knowledge. This does not apply just to puffers. It applies to all the fish which are too big for common hobby tanks. How many folks have ever even seen full-sized Clown loaches? Or the big cichlids? Or Pacus?
If you want full-sized fish, put them in full-sized tanks from QT and you just might learn something. That is the point of the posts above.
HTH
If you want full-sized fish, put them in full-sized tanks from QT and you just might learn something. That is the point of the posts above.
HTH
