Size of tank affects size of Clownfish??

[Aquacrazed]

Who cares how fast they grow if 90% are deformed as hell? Maybe "œprofessional breeders" should pay attention to conformation, and not to growth speed.

Sigh... this question has nothing to do with deformed fish or breeders breeding practices. This question is about how we grow the fish that we buy from the fish store. This is what breeders have told me when I have asked them the growth question.

 

[MarinaP]

ok stupid question...lol...what do you look for in a clown fish to tell if they are deformed?? I can see the obvious. swimming wrong, visual deformations, but I have seen some that people say are deformed and I cant tell why

Now look at pictures of wild caught fish in this thread.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2685437

What differences do you see?

 

[bullock111]

fin size is different, deformed are smaller, eyes and mouth appear really different. does the color make a big difference? I have been looking around online and some seem much bolder and brighter with the colors. the ones that appear like that tend to have a fuller look to them (bigger fins, Mouth almost looks like a frown instead of just a flat line and the eyes just look better)

 

[MarinaP]

fin size is different, deformed are smaller, eyes and mouth appear really different. does the color make a big difference? I have been looking around online and some seem much bolder and brighter with the colors. the ones that appear like that tend to have a fuller look to them (bigger fins, Mouth almost looks like a frown instead of just a flat line and the eyes just look better)

All of the above + deformed gill plates, missing vertebrae (hunchbacks) in extreme cases, overbite/underbite/sidebite, flat faces, wrong slope of head, etc. This is what "œprofessional" breeders brought to this hobby. Do you think that a fish with deformed mouth cares about pristine water or tank size when they cannot eat properly? Now how are they going to tend to the nest, if their mouth is sideways and fins are half the size?
Color is more or less quick fix, but that puts an additional expense on a breeder. Hence bland, washout orange and pale black.

 

[Aquacrazed]

MarinaP, stick to the topic, we are not talking about deformed fish here.

 

[MarinaP]

This topic is 7 years old. Unfortunately, lately deformed fish has become a huge problem. As I mentioned above, a fish with deformed mouth will not grow the way it is supposed to grow, even if you provide it with ideal conditions in your tank. Start your own thread, if you do not want to engage in this discussion.

 

[Planetmacro]

Marina P. Those are really ugly clowns you posted. When I breed fish, I cull any fish that's not perfect. Just like nature.
Fish never really stop growing until they die of old age. A small tank will not stunt their growth. They will probably die of stress are some other issue. As an experiment, a baby trout was placed in a plastic cylinder with water flow and normal feeding. The trout grew normally until it barely fit in the tube. True story.

 

[MarinaP]

Marina P. Those are really ugly clowns you posted.

Thanks, I did not have to look hard. I have a folder with really ugly ones on another computer. I can definitely post more :lolspin:

 

[Aquacrazed]

Marina P. Those are really ugly clowns you posted. When I breed fish, I cull any fish that's not perfect. Just like nature.
Fish never really stop growing until they die of old age. A small tank will not stunt their growth. They will probably die of stress are some other issue. As an experiment, a baby trout was placed in a plastic cylinder with water flow and normal feeding. The trout grew normally until it barely fit in the tube. True story.

Agreed. The growth based on tank size is an old wives' tale.