Severum to stay in 40 Breeder?

[devder1]

I have personally never had a severum once over 4 inches in anything smaller then a 90g and have had several in a 220g for there whole life. Simple fact is that most severums are never going to hit 10 inches. Some of the strains get larger then others, but most of the greens still don't get that big. It has nothing to do with being raised in a small tank. A 55g tank can only stunt a severum if the owner does not keep up with tank maintinance. It has nothing to do with the tank size and everything to do with water quality. Most severums kept in pristine conditions are still not going to get 10+ inches.

You can tell a severum that is stunted or has not been properly cared for from a mile alway. They look like were there tail meets there body is pinched in and they just looked odd shaped. Almost blood parrot like.

do you think my sev is stunted?

 

[japes]

You're all talking about length of Severum, which isn't the main concern of keeping them in such a small tank. Well sized adult Severum are very large fish, they're incredibly bulky and very tall for their height.

I guarantee you that when the Severum is pushing 8" that you'll want a larger tank anyway.

 

[Stump]

You're all talking about length of Severum, which isn't the main concern of keeping them in such a small tank. Well sized adult Severum are very large fish, they're incredibly bulky and very tall for their height.

Absolutely...

I guarantee you that when the Severum is pushing 8" that you'll want a larger tank anyway.

Yeah, I really don't doubt that. My main concern is, out of either tank I have now, I want to know which one would provide the best place for it to live in the longest.

I don't have a planned upgrade, I'll be honest about that, but I do know how quickly this little hobby I picked up has become a passion, and I am almost certain within a year or two I will have at least a 4'x2' tank.


Thanks for the reply.

 

[Jason_S]

I have personally never had a severum once over 4 inches in anything smaller then a 90g and have had several in a 220g for there whole life. Simple fact is that most severums are never going to hit 10 inches. Some of the strains get larger then others, but most of the greens still don't get that big. It has nothing to do with being raised in a small tank. A 55g tank can only stunt a severum if the owner does not keep up with tank maintinance. It has nothing to do with the tank size and everything to do with water quality. Most severums kept in pristine conditions are still not going to get 10+ inches.

You can tell a severum that is stunted or has not been properly cared for from a mile alway. They look like were there tail meets there body is pinched in and they just looked odd shaped. Almost blood parrot like.

My point is that water quality is directly affected by both size of the tank and size of the fish. You grow a severum up in, say, a 29 gallon tank...sure it's going to be just fine while it's small, but the bigger it gets, the more waste it puts out and the more quickly the water quality will go to hell...therefore stunting the fish. These are, typically, the types of large fish that are returned to LFS. They were bought by uneducated <in terms of fishkeeping> people, put in a tank much too small for them and were stunted by being kept in a tank much too small without the number of water changes it would take to keep the water in good condition.

I DO know because I go there every friggin day. Plus I work there too. I saw the Sev when it was itsy bitsy to his current state. He was one in the current for sale stock.

Dude...relax. No need to get defensive. Your post didn't say anything about you going to that lfs everyday or you working there...so how could anyone have known that. Still, I truly believe that severum to be an abberation...severums are large growing, bulky fish. In proper conditions, any severum should reach at least 6" and have the potential to reach 8-10".

Just my $0.02

 

[peathenster]

My point is that water quality is directly affected by both size of the tank and size of the fish. You grow a severum up in, say, a 29 gallon tank...sure it's going to be just fine while it's small, but the bigger it gets, the more waste it puts out and the more quickly the water quality will go to hell...therefore stunting the fish. These are, typically, the types of large fish that are returned to LFS. They were bought by uneducated <in terms of fishkeeping> people, put in a tank much too small for them and were stunted by being kept in a tank much too small without the number of water changes it would take to keep the water in good condition.

Agreed. I think someone mentioned not long ago an experiment where a pike was raised in a pipe, but with constant water flow, and the growth rate was measured. Turned out the pike grew as fast as "free range" pikes, which goes to show that it's mostly the water quality, not the size of the tank, that matters. Not sure if the results can be extrapolated to other fish though.

And then there is the excise issue, but some fish hide all day long anyways...

 

[Jason_S]

Agreed. I think someone mentioned not long ago an experiment where a pike was raised in a pipe, but with constant water flow, and the growth rate was measured. Turned out the pike grew as fast as "free range" pikes, which goes to show that it's mostly the water quality, not the size of the tank, that matters. Not sure if the results can be extrapolated to other fish though.

And then there is the excise issue, but some fish hide all day long anyways...

exactly...you could keep a dovii in a 55 gallon tank on a drip system and it's still going to grow massively...however the odds of the "average" fishkeeper maintaining that type of water quality is very slim. that's what leads to the misconception that fish grow to the size of their surroundings. that's true in a way...only because the fish basically stop growing once the water becomes so polluted and then they die. it's not the size of the tank that did it but the resulting poor water quality from the minimal amount of water the fish is in.