# Fish growth discussion for everyone.



## breeze905 (Feb 1, 2009)

Alright... so I been doing alot of internet browsing looking for cheap lighting options and other aquarium and fish stuff when i started looking into other things about fish themselevs... It seems there is a largely uncertain area of argument about how fish grow. This I thought was a pretty interesting subject mainly because i have a fish that can grow ridiculously big... i didn't realize it when i bought it but now i know and it makes me wonder if he/she is gonna be alright. So here it is... 

It all started when i joined a forum.. i don't know if it was this one or the bc aquaria one... but i wrote something about my tank and the fish i have in it. the tank i have is just a 20g and in it right now are two danios and an iridecent shark. so y'all know which one of my fish can grow big now.  anyway... a while back i learned he can get big... but no specific measurements were given to me... now i look online and see that they grow around 4'! So i'm thinking to myself... damn... i may have to give this guy away to someone who's got a huge tank. So i started researching about how they grow and so on.... The old saying "they grow depending on the tank..." Many say it's not true.. others have their own explanations behind why it's not true.. and others say it's true because of the hormone thing... i'm sure you've heard this all before...

An interesting thing i read from a fish hobbyist was that the outside of the fish doesn't grow when in a tank concentrated with the hormone but the insides won't stop... thus resulting in crushing organs or heart attacks and so on... 

first of all.. i'm no fish expert... but i don't think that this statement is true at all.

the same article i read had another hobbyist say that her iridecent shark was 2" when she bought him.. just a baby... brought home and grew to 5" in a matter of a month...

I have had my iridecent shark for two years... he was about 2" when i bought him.. he's only about 3.5" - 4" now... And to tell you the truth.. i think he's acually doing alright. He swims around and even "plays" with the danios... he follows them around and stuff... they chase him but he don't run... but when he turns around they scurry off and he chases them and so on... seems pretty happy... eats regualrly when i feed... and considering he was the scared-ist fish i ever seen, playing dead and all of that... he's really getting used to seeing my ugly mug and haven't seen him play dead in over 4 months no matter what i'm doing like water chages... moving the furniture in there and so on...

Another interesting point is that gold fish sometimes are bought in a plastic tupperware looking fish tank... no filter and so-forth... They're usually bought small... Well i know more than 10 examples of these fish growing huge... almost to the point they are the same size as the container they're in! I also know of at least 4 of these fish being around 10 years old and older... the mystery continues...

So here it is... if my iri shark's insides are growing... i think he'd be dead by now.. or even exploded open considering what some hobbyist's tells me. Now I do beleive that if a fish is supposed to be growing bigger but isn't, that they probably do feel some stress but is it life threatening? Probably not. I want to keep my iri shark as he is the sleekest and most majestic looking of all the fish i own so far... (colombian tetra, marigold wag swordtail, zebra danios, and the iridecent shark) and has great attitude... it's like he says hello to me every morning by swimming in the front of the tank for me to see, sparkling his stripe and moving slow for me to really see. he always hangs out on the side of the tank i'm standing at. So I'm keeping him no matter what but is that cruel?

Anyone with any information on this topic please share and discuss this as i have not found any truly concrete answers on any of this.. just speculation and accusation. I would like to hear the input of everyone and anyone that has ideas or facts about this...

Thanks for taking the time to read this, please share your story.


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## Jackson (Jan 30, 2009)

They dont grow to 4' it is more like 5'+

Are you sure your fish is a Iridescent Shark? If it is the fish is stunted really bad. They should reach 12''+ in a year or so or even bigger in that time frame. In 2 years your has only grown 2'' max. I dont get it even in a 20gal the fish should be at least 8''-10'' by now still being stunted.

They need lots of space to swim and these fish are known for being suicidal. Is it's body under stress or will it be MAYBE. I trully think it is stunted so that is a sign that the fish is not doing well. If it was doing well the fish would be growing at normal pace. 

You cant compare a carp to a catfish they are not even close in terms of needs and so on. Plus your catfish is not a Otto or cory they are monsters. They are power houses. 

I think they should not be sold in LFS they are abussed really badly. You go into Petsmart their chart say's 12'' max. That is just sad. They are bought by people who have no idea what they are getting into and then you see them traded in to the LFS being kept in tanks that are not even close to what they need. They end up with damaged eyes from rubbing on the galss or decor. They stop eating and die.

I bet 1 out of 100,000 live a proper life that are part of the pet trade.

Your fish is in the same category as redtailed catfish, tiger shovel nose catfish, paroon sharks and so on. They are not as agressive but they have the same potential in terms of growth. They should not be kept by most hobbiest because the space they require is unrealistic to the average hobbiest. They are ment for huge ponds or the wild. I lean more towards the wild.

This is not speculation this is fact. If you need to hear from true experts ( I dont consider myself one at all ) go over to planetcatfish.com and see what they have to say.


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## xxprudencexx (Sep 3, 2008)

Read about fish stunting, that should clear some things up.


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## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

Iam wondering the same thing do you have a pic. If he is what you think he is then theres something wrong thats for sure I have a leporinus that some guy had in a 20 gal he was 7 ins when I got him hes now a foot and in a 90. soon I hope he will be in 200.


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## Katalyst (Jul 29, 2007)

breeze905 said:


> Another interesting point is that gold fish sometimes are bought in a plastic tupperware looking fish tank... no filter and so-forth... They're usually bought small... Well i know more than 10 examples of these fish growing huge... almost to the point they are the same size as the container they're in! I also know of at least 4 of these fish being around 10 years old and older... the mystery continues...


 With all due respect there's nothing interesting about watching a goldfish _survive_ being stuck in terrible waterconditions/inadequate housing and I'm sure that's not what you meant. I keep several goldfish that are close to the 12" mark and are kept in a 150 gallon that I still feel is too small for them.

Goldfish are sold as tiny little things, several types have the capacity to reach the sizes and larger that I keep. There's no mystery there, its misinformation and those horrid bowl contraptions as well as photo's that depict goldfish in 4 gallon tanks on the boxes some of these fish tank kits come in.


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## breeze905 (Feb 1, 2009)

i don't own goldfish but i agree that it's not nice... same with them betta's. and i guess id o feel the same way about my id shark... he's anice looking lil guy. his eye is scratched... i set up a bigger tank and am just waiting for it to cycle but i guess he's still just not the right type of fish for the tank size i have. He's been with me now for 2 years... I gotta find him a home i think...


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## newbiefishfanatic (Dec 11, 2008)

i suggest you buy a bigger tank and watch him grow. i have a tri colour (bala) shark. he started out in a 38 gallon tank at about 3 inches long. when i moved him to the 75 gallon, he exploded in size, and he is now 5-6 inches long. i bought him last december. I also have a red tail black shark, and he/she is doing the same, they just explode when put in bigger tanks. i knew what i was getting into when i bought my sharks, and i plan to eventually have a 300+ gallon tank for the both of them. fun thing is ive got to upgrade from my 75. so my next tank will be a 90, ten a 110, then a 200...LoL ill have so many tanks when done! but anyways, yeah, id get a bigger tank for him/her. youll be shocked at how fast he grows when given the space.


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## Jackson (Jan 30, 2009)

I suggest you sell or give away the fish. You will not have the space for it to grow properly. In the end you will just be spedning money on a fish you will have to give up. Trying to keep up with it's growth is not the way to do things. You should have the space for the fish to grow into. 

It was hard for me to give up my RTC and TSN's when I did. They were huge and only about 1.5 years old. All 3 were about 24''+ when they left my home. Whe they came in they were only about 2'' MAX. I could not even sell them for $30 each. Close to what I paid for them. I had to donate my fish. I would never buy another monster catfish again. I learned my lesson the first time it was exspensive and I felt like I wasted a lot of time and effort for nothing. I did enjoy them when I had them but giving them away made me very sad. That was my only option and it was the right one for the fish.

I dont blame the people who buy these fish I blame the people who sell them.


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## xxprudencexx (Sep 3, 2008)

Jackson said:


> I suggest you sell or give away the fish. You will not have the space for it to grow properly. In the end you will just be spedning money on a fish you will have to give up. Trying to keep up with it's growth is not the way to do things. You should have the space for the fish to grow into.
> 
> It was hard for me to give up my RTC and TSN's when I did. They were huge and only about 1.5 years old. All 3 were about 24''+ when they left my home. Whe they came in they were only about 2'' MAX. I could not even sell them for $30 each. Close to what I paid for them when. I had to donate my fish. I would never buy another monster catfish again. I learned my lesson the first time it was expsensive and I felt like I wasted a lot of time and effort for nothing. I did enjoy them when I had them but giving them away made me very sad. That was my only option and it was the right one for the fish.
> 
> I dont blame the people who buy these fish I blame te people who sell them.


LOL yep RTC and TSN are huge monster fish in this hobby. I was going to buy one but decided not to due to their huge size. Maybe i will get one when i build an indoor pond .


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

There are lots of fish sold into the hobby that grow very large and shouldn't even be sold as far as I'm concerned. A few examples are common plecos, Pacus, and ID sharks.
Now, as far as fish growth goes, the size of the tank is less a factor than the water quality. Clean water is at least as important (probably more) as quality food. Fish can grow quickly to fill their container if the water is clean enough. 
When I have large quantities of daphnia in the spring I keep them in front of the fish 24/7, young fish large enough to eat them will double their size in 2 weeks. This kind of heavy feeding requires large frequant water changes. Raising fry in growout tanks is usually done under what would be considered crowded condition, but it is negated with large water changes. My first spawn of angels, I raised 269 to nickle to quarter size in 8 weeks in a 30 gallon tank. Large feedings of BBS and 60% to 70% daily water changes resulted in the fast growth and no deformities.
Bootom line is if you want to grow fish quickly, feed lots of quality food and do lots of water changes.


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## breeze905 (Feb 1, 2009)

well looks like i'm gonna be giving away my iridecent to hope he has a better life in someone elses large tank.. i'll be putting up an ad in the buy/sell section of this forum.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

If all else fails, eat him. Pangasius are tasty fish.

But seriously, do your research before you buy anything, especially a living thing. It's irresponsible to go out there knowing nothing about a fish and then figuring out that you're not going to be able to keep it.


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## breeze905 (Feb 1, 2009)

yeah i definitly am doing alot more research for my newer tank... i was a rookie (and maybe still am) when i bought him way back 2 years ago. This time around i plan on stocking my tank properly with fish that won't out grow it.


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## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

Good for you, I am glad that some one like you have join the fish hobby and are being responsible as well.
It's very tough giving up a fish you really like.

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## Jackson (Jan 30, 2009)

Well good luck with finind the Iri a new home 

FYI- fish kept in the hobby are known to carry carcinogens. This is because of the chems used when being shipped or farmed. So dont ever eat any fish farmed or cuaght for the pet trade.


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## breeze905 (Feb 1, 2009)

LOL!!!! I Definitly wasn't planning on eating him...


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## Jackson (Jan 30, 2009)

breeze905 said:


> LOL!!!! I Definitly wasn't planning on eating him...


I knew that 

So how is finding the guy a new home going?


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## breeze905 (Feb 1, 2009)

Well i had someone who was interested and wanted him but... we ended up living too far away from each other... The hunt to find him a new home is not going very well... but i haven't posted all over the place seeing as i thought i was giving him away already... I checkout out another site... called Hamilton and district Aquarium Society but it really doesn't look like there's many members on this site at all... I have another tank cycling for now that is 35 gallon ish... it's currently cycling... so if i don't find him a new owner by the time the tank is cycled i am gonna put him in there... but i do want to get him a bigger home so he can grow up to be huge and ferocious one day... LOL ( I highly doubt the ferocious part...) Not having a car is killing me!!! And i been spending all day looking for a job so far today. Troubled times for me...


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## newbiefishfanatic (Dec 11, 2008)

have you tired call restuarants or the zoo for a referal? or monster fish keepers websites? i could maybe take some time and try to help you out. i too have some unwanted time on my hands.


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## aeri (Sep 9, 2007)

Jackson said:


> I suggest you sell or give away the fish. You will not have the space for it to grow properly. In the end you will just be spedning money on a fish you will have to give up. Trying to keep up with it's growth is not the way to do things. You should have the space for the fish to grow into.
> 
> It was hard for me to give up my RTC and TSN's when I did. They were huge and only about 1.5 years old. All 3 were about 24''+ when they left my home. Whe they came in they were only about 2'' MAX. I could not even sell them for $30 each. Close to what I paid for them. I had to donate my fish. I would never buy another monster catfish again. I learned my lesson the first time it was exspensive and I felt like I wasted a lot of time and effort for nothing. I did enjoy them when I had them but giving them away made me very sad. That was my only option and it was the right one for the fish.
> 
> I dont blame the people who buy these fish I blame the people who sell them.


Jackson,

Where did you donate your catfish? I gave all of mine away for free to a few LFS a while back...after I had posted them for months and called zoos and everything. I had some interest in the US but I didn't want to risk shipping them.


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## newbiefishfanatic (Dec 11, 2008)

does anyone know what LFS do with oversized fish they cant keep anymore? i would figure they would euthanize them, like at an animal shelter...


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## aeri (Sep 9, 2007)

fish growth is largely dependent on how often it is fed, what variety of food it is being fed, space constraints, water quality, water temperature, and stress.


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## aeri (Sep 9, 2007)

Not sure. But Big Als scarborough had 3 of my 15" catfish for about 3 months before they were sold.


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## newbiefishfanatic (Dec 11, 2008)

hopefully sold...i was actually thinking about calling them and asking them what they do.


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## Jackson (Jan 30, 2009)

newbiefishfanatic said:


> hopefully sold...i was actually thinking about calling them and asking them what they do.


Most of the time the starve them to death. I am saying this because when I was younger and worked for them this was an on going issue. Plus what big al's has a 265 gal to hold a 15'' or even bigger fish? From what I know none of them. They probably got stuck in a 120 or 150 long 18'' wide tank. a fish that size should have at least 24'' of width to the tank the are in.

I have never seen a fat healthy fish come out of any of their stores.


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## Jackson (Jan 30, 2009)

aeri said:


> Jackson,
> 
> Where did you donate your catfish? I gave all of mine away for free to a few LFS a while back...after I had posted them for months and called zoos and everything. I had some interest in the US but I didn't want to risk shipping them.


Here is a link to the site I was told to go check out. I did just that and was refered to the guy that runs the fish at the Toronto zoo. he took care of all the details all I did was take the fish to him.

http://www.caoac.ca/FramesetMain.html

on the left side it shows the option for fish rescue.


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