Looking for opinions or preferably personal experience on this topic. If a fish is seriously growth stunted from space, bad water quality, improper diet or whatever, can it still reach its full potential after the issues have been corrected.
Stunted fish recovery
- Thread starter dragonfish
- Start date
thats is a tough question to answer. It depends on so many things....
if the organs have been physically impacted by the growth stunt, the animal may never reach full size or live long for that matter...
i cant even realy scratch the surface on this
Anyone???
if the organs have been physically impacted by the growth stunt, the animal may never reach full size or live long for that matter...
i cant even realy scratch the surface on this
Anyone???
I'd say depends. Probably not very likely unless it can be corrected soon.
When I was a teen I had a job, several tanks, & reptiles. Then my mom moved out of state & I went with her. Things got bad, I could only set up one tank suddenly and it was a 20g. Life was rough, mom got sick, nearly homeless, my new job couldn't pay my rent, stuck in the middle of no where with a barley running car. Over time I lost all my fish except my fire eel. Which was subject to heavy overcrowding, went from carefully feeding live tubifex worms to occasionally getting frozen bloodworms. As you can imagine my eel wound up stunted. Later things got better but the damage was done and too much time had passed. I got a 55g for the eel, was able to feed more often and provide better water quality. I had that fire eel for over 10 years. Was close to 3 inches when I got him, around 6-8 when things got bad, and only reached a total of approx. 12-14 inches. Largest fire eel I have seen personally, was approx. 3 feet long. We'd been through a lot together, and when things were bad he became very friendly begging for food when approaching the tank. It pained me that I could not provide better care. Hindsight I should have sold everything I could before the move, or not left, but there was not time and I didn't think it was needed until it was too late. An old roommate commented that he was like a dog. I miss my old eel. About a year ago I got another baby fire eel. I promised myself I'd take better care of this one, and try to make sure it doesnt become stunted. It's not quite the same but I'm hopeful. This help at all?
When I was a teen I had a job, several tanks, & reptiles. Then my mom moved out of state & I went with her. Things got bad, I could only set up one tank suddenly and it was a 20g. Life was rough, mom got sick, nearly homeless, my new job couldn't pay my rent, stuck in the middle of no where with a barley running car. Over time I lost all my fish except my fire eel. Which was subject to heavy overcrowding, went from carefully feeding live tubifex worms to occasionally getting frozen bloodworms. As you can imagine my eel wound up stunted. Later things got better but the damage was done and too much time had passed. I got a 55g for the eel, was able to feed more often and provide better water quality. I had that fire eel for over 10 years. Was close to 3 inches when I got him, around 6-8 when things got bad, and only reached a total of approx. 12-14 inches. Largest fire eel I have seen personally, was approx. 3 feet long. We'd been through a lot together, and when things were bad he became very friendly begging for food when approaching the tank. It pained me that I could not provide better care. Hindsight I should have sold everything I could before the move, or not left, but there was not time and I didn't think it was needed until it was too late. An old roommate commented that he was like a dog. I miss my old eel. About a year ago I got another baby fire eel. I promised myself I'd take better care of this one, and try to make sure it doesnt become stunted. It's not quite the same but I'm hopeful. This help at all?
I had a gf in a 5g tank before I knew better... poor water conditions, cramped, etc.
1.5 years later, and the thing is still 2.5" long. It was in a 55g for 8 months, but never grew, because it is a poor swimmer and was outcompeted for food. Now it is in a 20g on its own, and I'm feeding it like mad and it is in pristine water.
I hope it'll start growing! I'm hoping that a stunted fish can turn around with time too...
1.5 years later, and the thing is still 2.5" long. It was in a 55g for 8 months, but never grew, because it is a poor swimmer and was outcompeted for food. Now it is in a 20g on its own, and I'm feeding it like mad and it is in pristine water.
I hope it'll start growing! I'm hoping that a stunted fish can turn around with time too...
ive often wondered the same thing.
i rescued a pacu a while back, which got me into monster fish. he was 10 inches and living in a 30g tank that hadda be around 1/2 full and funky. sad part was HE WAS OVER 2 YEARS OLD. a 2 year old, 10" pacu....theres something MAJORLY wrong with that pictire.
he put on 6-8 or so inches within the first few months here, but hasent grown it dont seem in months. so id fair to guess in extreme situations, the answer is no.
i rescued a pacu a while back, which got me into monster fish. he was 10 inches and living in a 30g tank that hadda be around 1/2 full and funky. sad part was HE WAS OVER 2 YEARS OLD. a 2 year old, 10" pacu....theres something MAJORLY wrong with that pictire.
he put on 6-8 or so inches within the first few months here, but hasent grown it dont seem in months. so id fair to guess in extreme situations, the answer is no.
I would think that for sure things can improve but if it was in real bad shape the immune system might always be weak and some other mental and physical damage may never go away.
However sometimes these fish become favorites as they are survivers whish is a whole other type of monster fish!
However sometimes these fish become favorites as they are survivers whish is a whole other type of monster fish!
In general no.
They may grow further when taken out of that situation, but they are not going to reach maximum size.
They may grow further when taken out of that situation, but they are not going to reach maximum size.