is it a myth about growth in bigger tanks?
- Thread starter timdam
- Start date
jubjub
New member
omg sorry but no foxface should ever be in a 29gallon...wow!!! either way i do believe in that small tanks will stunt their growth, not from the tank size but more or less the conditions for a fish to thrive isnt there... usually water quality, not feeding enough, cause if you fed them enough the tank would probably crash fast....etc just lots of factors that the fish probably isnt healthy..just my .02
not that its the best resource but its not horrible on liveaquaria find the fish and the tank size requried
not that its the best resource but its not horrible on liveaquaria find the fish and the tank size requried
AquaticFins
Premium Member
In my opinion, water quality and nutrition are more influential in slowing growth than purely the stress of being in a smaller tank.
What else is different between the two aquariums and your maintainance routines?
What else is different between the two aquariums and your maintainance routines?
Each fish grows at that fishes regular growth rate regardless of aquarium size if fed exactly the same. Tank size has nothing to do with size. Diet does.
IMO (I still need to find some sources to back this up for marine fish) size does matter, but for a few reasons. I believe fish release hormones that inhibit their growth (I know this happens in freshwater fish, but need to look it up for marine fish) and also water quality, like the build up of waste in the water.
In a larger tank all of these things are diluted resulting in faster growth, your dad may be doing more water changes or his water changes are a larger percentage of the total tank volume compared to yours, resulting in more growth. (He better be doing water changes with a foxface in a 29!)
So if you take two fish and feed them the same diet and they start at the same size, but one is in a tank with new water constantly being pumped in and one is in a tank with little to no water change, I think the one in the tank with constant freshwater will get much bigger faster.
I don't think it is the confines of the tank itself, but more so the products of being in a small tank.
In a larger tank all of these things are diluted resulting in faster growth, your dad may be doing more water changes or his water changes are a larger percentage of the total tank volume compared to yours, resulting in more growth. (He better be doing water changes with a foxface in a 29!)
So if you take two fish and feed them the same diet and they start at the same size, but one is in a tank with new water constantly being pumped in and one is in a tank with little to no water change, I think the one in the tank with constant freshwater will get much bigger faster.
I don't think it is the confines of the tank itself, but more so the products of being in a small tank.
stunreefer
Reef Hugger
As you said the build up of the hormone released slows them down - I always figured it happened in SW fish as well, but maybe not...
well, not that i'm arguing or anything.... but my water quality is alot better than my dad's. i do bi-weekly water changes, and i have a skimmer. while he doesn't. i know people may be mad that he's got a foxface in a 29 gallon, but that what isn't what this tread is intended to be about.
thanks for the input, guys. keep going.
thanks for the input, guys. keep going.
TampaReefer79
Premium Member
No offense but whether the thread was intended for it or not, once you post saying that your dad has a foxface in a 29, you're going to get responses about it. That's just the nature of the beast.
I'm by no means an expert, but a friend and I added the same fish of the same size to 2 different aquariums a few years ago and mine outgrew his by a landslide. My tank was a 180, his tank was a 92 bowfront. The fish was a vlamingii tang. (I tried talking him out of the fish, but you know how that goes) We fed pretty much the same amount and bought our Nori from the same store. We both had good skimmers with mixed reefs and tons of water movement via Tunze 6100's. We had pretty much the same tanks except mine was twice the size. After a few months of enjoying our fish in our homes, he finally got to come over and check mine out. When seeing my 180, he asked me where the little vlamingii was. lol It was right in front of his face but was at least twice the size of his. It's coloration had already started to change and his forehead started to get the hump.
I honestly THINK (but have no scientific proof other than my own experience) that fish grow faster in proper aquariums than they do when housed in tanks that are too small for them.
As a sidenote, we bought our vlamingii tangs from a store that had them returned by their original purchaser. They were sold under the name 'Lopezi Tang' and was told they would not grow more than 4" when fully grown. So he bought 2. And put them in a BioCube. :eek2::eek2: Once he found out that they were going to get HUGE, he caught them and returned them and my friend and I just happened to be there. So they were sort of a rescue project. My buddy ended up upgrading his 92 just because of the vlamingii to a 210. :wavehand:
TampaReefer79
Premium Member
P.S. If you added them at the same time but your dad's was 7" and yours was 2", his will be bigger even though in a smaller tank. LOL
I think something might be missing from your description or the facts presented.
If you dad is changing 3 gallons once a mouth I very highly doubt the fish would thrive, let alone survive. He would have to be pounding it with food for it to grow (sense he is not removing the growth hormone from the tank via water changes to trick it). This increase in food and less then 10% water change once a mouth, along with the lack of a skimmer, would surely lead to a total tank collaspe.
I also highly doubt it is the only animal in the tank, thus we dont have a full picture of the waste being accumilated in the tank.
Small seldom water changes + Lack of proper skimming + potential over feeding + small size tank = Tank failure.
Generally all the successful small or overloaded tanks I have seen were successful due to proper skimming, excellent biological filtration, proper feeding, and many regular med - large water changes.
If you dad is changing 3 gallons once a mouth I very highly doubt the fish would thrive, let alone survive. He would have to be pounding it with food for it to grow (sense he is not removing the growth hormone from the tank via water changes to trick it). This increase in food and less then 10% water change once a mouth, along with the lack of a skimmer, would surely lead to a total tank collaspe.
I also highly doubt it is the only animal in the tank, thus we dont have a full picture of the waste being accumilated in the tank.
Small seldom water changes + Lack of proper skimming + potential over feeding + small size tank = Tank failure.
Generally all the successful small or overloaded tanks I have seen were successful due to proper skimming, excellent biological filtration, proper feeding, and many regular med - large water changes.
MikeandNicole
New member
I will never forget when we went to a fish store and an older woman was returning a blue hippo tang saying it was too big for her tank. The fish was about 8 inches or so and she was keeping it in a 6 gallon bio cube. The owner was trying to be really nice, and traded her the fish for nano fish. She said she bought it small, so I think there are a lot of factors in there with fish growth.
TampaReefer79
Premium Member
:eek1::eek1::eek1::eek1::eek1::eek1:
Speaking of which: http://glassbox-design.com/2009/the-remarkable-pico-reef-of-marcello/
That is crazy!
I realize the importance of providing proper tank for your fish. I have a 380 gallon system. But when did it become cool to be a member of the tang police? I mean, an avatar that says it??? LOL.
I realize the importance of providing proper tank for your fish. I have a 380 gallon system. But when did it become cool to be a member of the tang police? I mean, an avatar that says it??? LOL.
TampaReefer79
Premium Member
:crazy1::thumbsup::lol2:
LobsterOfJustice
Recovering Detritophobe
It has been my experience/observations that tank size does stunt growth. Don't know why. But how often do you see 4,5, and 6" tangs in 4' tanks? That seems to be about their max size where they stop growing. I know I had a rabbit, tang, and angel and they all stopped about that size in my 75. You never see 14" tangs in 4' tanks.
TampaReefer79
Premium Member
That's funny that you mention that (in an ironic way, not a haha way)...the thread that earned me the TANG POLICE avatar
hammer was the one in which the individual had 12 6" tangs in a 4' 120 gallon tank. 3 of them were vlamingii tangs...and each one was only 6". I wonder if there really is like a cut off with growth around 6" if the tank is too small. ?I told him he was irresponsible for having 25+ fish (half of them being 6" tangs) in such a small tank...and I was labeled the 'tang police'. Hey, I don't hide from it, I run with it...or swim with it as it were. lol :fish1:
