Okay so my father has been keeping fish since he was a kid, but he does not always take care of his fish properly. What i mean is that he thinks that you don't need huge tanks to keep fish like gar, redtail cats, etc. He kind of follows the rule that fish don't have to grow so big and forbids or atleast discourages me to get big tanks / ponds to house fish that can potentially grow to monstrous sizes. Basically he thinks that a redtail can be housed in less than 100 gallon tank and expect it to grow to 3 feet. I need to prove him wrong, and btw i tried telling him about the things that can happen if he houses fish that potentially can grow large in a tank size not enough to support the sizes it can grow to. The way he keeps fish is more through experience than research ( he may do some research ). What i mean by this is that he buys fish then learns how to keep it and research is not really that much of a must. I need to prove him wrong, before he potentially flips out when i get a huge tank / pond. Any facts that anyone here can share to prove him wrong?
Stunting
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i think he follow the old fashion thinking of a fish can never outgrow the tank
and who wants the redtail? You or him
and who wants the redtail? You or him
Sadly your dads attitude to fish keeping is shared by a lot of people. Thankfully he has you to keep bending his ear and hopefully your attitude will win through.
If you can't make him see sense lock him in the shed for a couple of weeks and see how he likes cramped living conditions.
If you can't make him see sense lock him in the shed for a couple of weeks and see how he likes cramped living conditions.
Like this idea, except keep him in there a few years, because people this dumb take a long time to learn.
Without proper room fish tend to get health problems such as heart/fat problems from lack of exercise, spinal problems, abrasions, it also increases the likelyhood of hith, lateral erosion, and stunting.
If you really want to challenge him get two baby oscars, let him raise one his way, then raise yours the proper way,compare at the end.
He wants it... Btw he is stubborn and won't listen to me and what the says i am casting out "theories". He thinks that pretty much i shouldn't get a big tank and like a 75 gallon is enough to house those monster fish. He thinks if fish is kept in an indoor environment like an aquarium , fish will take ages to grow compared to in a pond. Lastly he does not believe fish can choke to death despite me showing pictures of fish choking to death on other fish to him.
I know some forums people can go crazy with the tank sizes need for fish , but some fish really do need large tank sizes to fit them comfortably. Fish like red tails , alligator gars , cichla temensis . africans and silver arowanas , etc all need large tanks and really its based on dimensions of the tank some fish keepers build custom tanks or order custom tanks that will provide proper space for fish. I'm not going to tell you to get a 4000 gallon+ tank but the catfish will need a tank lets say 4.5 to 5 feet front to back and 8-10 feet long that would be a good size for the red tail for life.
He ain't stubborn he's stupid, when you relegate fact into theories you are a fool.
I don't think there's a cure for it among earthly realms.
Sadly he thinks that i don't need a tank that size to house those types of fish
I will say all fish will not reach the same size as other fish in their species I mean we don't see all 20+ inch kelberis same with humans we aren't all 6 feet tall , but keeping a fish in a tank that is too small can shorten its life greatly when stunted I would hate to see a red tail catfish die at 1 or 2 years of age because it was severely stunted. Has your dad ever watched river monsters , or seen youtube videos of people with monster tanks?
