stunting

[Danyal]

what are the health effects of stunting, i've yet to see a clear explanation.

 

[Danyal]

c'mon, anybody? the only thing i've heard is that while the growth of the body of the fish slows down the organs will continue to grow at a normal rate and begin to get compressed. this seems to make sense because many of the stunted fish i've seen look oddly proportioned.

 

[thefishguy7]

I think that stunted fish generally die earlier...

I'm no pro though.

 

[ewurm]

Fish that are stunted have been kept in tanks where bio-waste levels are too high, swimming space is too low, and the fish should not have been bought in the first place. Grow-out tanks are fine, but if you don't have the financial means to care for the fish in the future, don't buy it. Effects of stunting include organ damage and spinal deformities, and that's just the beginning.

 

[Danyal]

Grow-out tanks are fine, but if you don't have the financial means to care for the fish in the future, don't buy it.

something i agree with very much, it bugs me when i see people that buy monster fish and have no real plan to upgrade.

Effects of stunting include organ damage and spinal deformities, and that's just the beginning.

any more, i'd like to get a good grasp of what exactly stunting does to the fish which will make it a lot easier to explain it to the customers i keep getting who don't understand why fish don't grow to the size of their enviroment.

 

[Danyal]

bump

 

[groovitudedude]

My mom is under the "environment size" theory. I disagree with it, of course.

 

[---XR---]

something i agree with very much, it bugs me when i see people that buy monster fish and have no real plan to upgrade.

any more, i'd like to get a good grasp of what exactly stunting does to the fish which will make it a lot easier to explain it to the customers i keep getting who don't understand why fish don't grow to the size of their enviroment.

well if that's not enough, a worsened swimming ability, which with the other combined factors leads to a short life.

 

[Danyal]

ok, so the organs get compacted, the spine curves unnaturally and the fish doesn't have enough room to move, but i'm looking for more information. just like when i'm explaining a cycle to people, it's a lot simpler to just say that it harms the fish and could kill them but it's more effective to explain that the ammonia burns the gills and the nitrites prevent the already damaged gills from absorbing oxygen in the water into the blood stream.

My mom is under the "environment size" theory. I disagree with it, of course.

duh, if the enviroment size theory was true then why would i bother with larger tanks, why not just have a bunch of 10g tanks with schools of pacus, IR sharks, SA cichlids, rays, red tailed cats? i bring this up whenever i get someone saying that fish grow to the size of their tanks, i usually get the response that they're just fish, or that i'm wrong or the people just shut up and walk away, same thing when i get the inch per gallon theory.

 

[msl4]

Generally in smaller systems waste builds up to harmful levels before it is removed. This will cause the organs and other parts of the fish to suffer damage. Without organs functioning properly the body can't deliver nutrients and process waste correctly. This in turn will slow the fishes growth. Which leads to shorter life of the fish.

Hope this helps.