Stunted poly?

[koliveira]

lots of water changes... Some if not all fish put off a pheromone, and when the pheromone levels reach too high a point, they stop growing. By changing water, you're reducing the pheromone's and triggering growth.When I was younger, and didn't understand the water change thing, I had a pleco that just about trippled in size when I started changing water 2x a week.
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I now discus secrete a hormone that will slow or stop the growth of juvenile Discus but as far as I know Polys do not do this.

Phulltank57 is on to something about it possibly being internal parasites. Also I agree that when they are young growth is explosive. Mine slowed down at about 10" but a couple of ornates have been dominating the food supply.

Do you know if he was wild caught? If not the store you purchased him from may have kept him with other species of bichirs or other fish that may have been harboring parasite.

 

[jconley]

He most likely is wild caught knowing my supplier and when they first got to my store (I'm a manager of a LFS) they were COVERED in external worms. One dose of Prazipro eliminated that problem. All of my other Bichirs are from the same place and with the exception of the Senegals, they all had the same external parasites. Other than that, they've been the picture of health!