question about growth stunting

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
I'd rather do experiments myself than buy into someone else's theories. I just proved to you that tank size has a more to do with it than nitrate level, yet you ignore that. You're propagating bad information. I didn't say nitrate levels had NOTHING to do with it. It is a contributing factor. Saying that tank size has NOTHING to do with it is wrong.

FYI, an oscar will grow based on what it's fed not based on water quality. I knew someone that grew an oscar from 1" to 18" in a 29 and that tank was always filthy by our nitrate level standards. Once a month 25% water changes and an undergravel filter powered by air stones.
 
6in JD @ 6mo, 4" GT @ 4mo, 7" pleco in 7 mo, - does sound stunted to me. IMO a 125 long might be a better option than the 90 but I seriously doudt the JD,RT,RD would have growth issues in a 90. Territorial aggressive might be a problem. The convict in the 37 would be fine - could even get her/him a mate. As for the pleco - without knowing exactly what it is there is no way of knowing it's mature size.

I've read about high nitrate stunting both in the wild and in an aquarium and seen 1st hand stunting caused by confined space. In the OP's case if he keeps the stock in the tanks they are in now -Stunting is a real possibility.
 
the fish store in the city my grandma lives in is having a huge sale on boxing day im going to get a 90 gallon, or bigger if it will fit in the vehicle, i can get a 90 gallon for 150$ canadian, i need sugestions on a filter i could pick one up for cheap. should i get a canisster filter? . are fluval canister filters any good and what size would i need for the 4 fish, or would 2 aquaclear 110's work, theyre gonna be on sale for 30 bucks. and thats a good idea leaving the convict in the 37 gallon, i have a male convict that lives alone in a 20 gallon i could put him in their to, if i could get a 110-125 gallon would that be "sufficient" for the the RT,JD,GT, and pleco? could i get a divider in that size of tank if the RD gets really aggresive when it gets bigger? I think he will cause when i picked him out he was the most dominant in the tank with flawless fins all the others were ripped up bad. but thats why i got him i wanted a mean fish. do you think keeping it in the 5 gallon for a month screwed it up? i only have a small flower pot and gravel in it so he had more swimming room. he is still growing noticebley
 
The red devil will kill the rest of the fish even in the 125, as he matures. They should be kept alone.
 
I suggested a 125 long because if it's length - 6' - IMO this will give your stock decent running room and larger territories than a 4' long tank. Any one of the large cichlids could turn out to be a serial killer, it all depends on the cichlids individual personality - they all differ. As for a divider - I don't know. I have noticed that people on this site make their own alot of times. How or what they use I don't know, I'd suggest using the DIY(Do It Yourself) forum for those answers. As for the Pleco, being still yet unidentified, it's impossible to say if the tank is large enuff. @-7" in 8 months it sounds to me like one of the larger plecostomus varities like a Trinadad. Large Plecs' can reach lengths close to 2'. They also get very broad/wide. They are eating machines that leave large amounts of stringy waste laying all over the tank daily - a real strain on bioloads. They also require large amounts of algae for digestive health, too much protien, like the foods the cichlids require, may eventually kill them. I'm not really sure if a 125 long can create enuff micro and macro algaes to sustain a large pleco. The fish would have to be supplimented with algae waffers. Lots of driftwood would be appreciated by the pleco as these algaes grow on it. as for filtration - the more the better, I've read alot of posts were ppl target 2x over-filtration for new world cichlids. If it's hung on back(HOB) or cannister or sump or whatever - it's your choice. The undergravel filtration can be a real bugger to keep clean. Last but not least - Yes, a growing 3" Red Devil in 5 gals of water for 1 month can get screwed up. I'm not saying it will happen just that it can happen. The sooner you upgrade the RD outta there the better.
 
i would give it a shoot, i have seen a 125 (6') with all full grown fish that were a green terror, jack dempsey, oscar, convict, firemouth, and a red devil. They person never had a problem with it. You could give it a shoot, you don't know until you try. Personality of fish will determine if you can or can't.

Also they use egg crate for the divider.
 
A long time ago the LFS had about 30 blackbelts in a 29 gallon. The fish were all about 3" long and had been in the store for a year or so (BB are unattractive at 3" so no one bought them). I bought one and put in my 125. Within 6 months the fish had grown to about 9" while his sibblings were still 3" in the 29 gallon. Long story short water quality is the major determining factor in fish growth and when give proper water qualtiy fish will continue to grow even after being restricted for long periods of time. Fish are one of the few animals that grow until they die. I would say your fish are fine so long as you don't have any hole in the head or other diseases, they just need "more" water (larger tank) so you can maintain the quality to where it needs to be.

As far as size of tank the golden rule is the tank length should be 6x the adult body length of the fish and width should be 1.5x the adult body length (these are minimums). Wider/longer is always better than deeper as well.
 
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