Parrot an GT not growing

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EdPo21

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Apr 10, 2012
98
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6
USA
I am a novice and just got into keeping fish a little over 4 months ago. I made my first big mistake after I set up my 55 gallon b/c I let it run for a week and then went and bought a green terror and a red parrot. While they were in there I did frequent water changes to keep ammonia down and then realized by reading online that my tank was not cycled and I was basically killing them! I ended up buying a used 29 gallon with a filter that was already cycled an put them in that. All in all it has been about 4 months and I see no change in size. Is it possible they are not growing b/c of ammonia damage to their gills? And will they ever recover. I now do 50% water changes at least twice a week and they are both eating hikari pellets and flake food with occasional blood worms and krill. I try to vary the diet, but nothing seems to work.


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Fish will release hormones and as they build up in the tank it tells the body to stop growing. It builds up faster in smaller tank. One of the main reasons we do water changes is to remove the hormones and the nitrates. So if you aren't doing proper water changes it stunts their growth. I can't speak for Green Terrors but Parrots are slow growers but its very possible they are stunted a bit since the GT isn't growing. Hikari is a good staple by its self. What were your typical water change schedule for the last 4 months?
 
I almost always do a 50% wc 2 times a week. Bare minimum once a week. As far as a schedule goes, usually a mon/tues and fri/sat depending on the work schedule.


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EdPo21 said:
2 x 4" gt
1 x 5" red oscar
1 x 7" jack dempsey male
1 x 4" jack dempsey
2 x 3" parrots
2 x 7" kissing gouramis


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Just saw you posted this is your stock in another thread...

Is it only the parrot and the GT in the 29, or is it only them not growing?
 
It's only those two that aren't growing. The others are all getting bigger, that's how I know it's those two. Those are the first two fish I started off with and thats why I think it has to do with the ammonia....


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EdPo21 said:
It's only those two that aren't growing. The others are all getting bigger, that's how I know it's those two. Those are the first two fish I started off with and thats why I think it has to do with the ammonia....


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Its because you have all of those fish in the same tank. Read above about hormones, also dominance and aggression will play its part too, the less dominant ones will grow slower. From the sizes listed above they are smaller than the rest meaning they are less dominant. I doubt its linked to ammonia, personally.

I hate to preach, but you need a much larger tank for all the stock. 150g at a push, larger would be better though...
 
The parrot isn't getting beat up or chased so I don't see it being stressed. Maybe the gt because the Oscar will chase him every now an again(not all the time). And I do plan on getting a much bigger tank after I buy a house which I will be doing in about 6 months. I am getting 180 or larger. they"ll be in a bigger tank soon and I'm only hosting the kissing gouramis until my friend gets her new tank in a couple months.


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And btw, those fish are not all in the same tank. I have a 55, 29, an 46 bow front. There really isn't a lot of aggression in any one tank.


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So what size tank are the GT and the BP in? And what tankmates?

Even though there may be no signs of aggression, the smaller fish is usually less dominant and therefore less likely to grow.
 
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