Stunting Fish Growth

[PineHill]

Ive read several articles that a fish will only grow to the size of the tank.  All that made perfect sense to me.  However I have also read a few articles that state it is not the actually tank size that limits the fish's growth, it is however the pollutants in the water that are in higher concentration due to the growing fish that stunt the fish and induce health problems.  Both made sense to me.  So if anyone has any more facts or knowledge on this I'd love to hear it.  Thanks.

Chris

P.S.  Thanks for the previous info that anyone has given me on this topic in aother post

[Kats]

I had also read that at some point but.... I'm moving my angels to a 46g because they have outgrown the 10g....  Very good topic, I'm very interested in this subject!!!

[Nerine]

Things like plecos will just keep growing even if the tank is too small!

Dirty water leads to disease and other health problems and lack of proper nutrition will also stunt their growth. but fish who's growth has been stunted by tanks are normally not very healthy. (depending on the severity of stunted growth etc)

[beowulf]

Stunting Fish

"But don't fish grow only to the size of their aquarium?"

We hear this question on a seemingly daily basis, as we tell customers that certain fish are likely to outgrow their home aquarium. In a common scenario, a customer with a 10 or 20 gallon aquarium just can't live without a couple of those cute little baby Oscars or Jack Dempseys. And to a certain extent, this old bit of aquarium lore is true: fish growth is limited by their environment.

But the story doesn't end there. Fish growth is not limited so much by the dimensions it is confined to as it is the buildup of waste products in the water it must reside in. A six-inch oscar has about the same mass (and thus waste output) as 216 one-inch oscars, so it's hardly a surprise that waste would accumulate quickly in a small aquarium.

In the case of less hardy fish, waste accumulation leads to disease and death, but a few of the toughest specimens may survive indefinitely even in very poor water conditions. However, there is still a toll taken: these fish most often become stunted, deformed runts - mere shadows of their properly-cared-for cousins. Leaving aside the ethics of such treatment, it goes without saying that the value of such fish is greatly diminished.

Plan ahead! If you like fish that are capable of reaching large sizes, be prepared to either purchase a larger aquarium or find them new homes elsewhere.

Submitted by: Jim Kostich

Found this here http://www.bestfish.com/tips/020598.html

[PineHill]

Awesome thanks a lot Beowulf.  Everything written there is what I believed to be true and makes a lot of sense.  I will read the full article and site to follow up.  Take care.

[dan2x38]

I thought I'd read that there is a hormone that some fish leave in the water to grow to the size of there enviroment. Is there any turth to this? As anyone else heard of this?

[PineHill]

Kennyman mentioned something about it in my other topic, first I've heard of it but that doesn't by any means make it untrue.

[kennyman]

The same guy who explained diatoms and silica to me told me about growth hormones and the Silica thing was just refuted by Tom Barr so take it with a grain of Sodium 

But you can find a few sites about the hormones being used for growth competion between fish (fish to fish chemical warfare!) on the net.

(edit)
Like this one http://www.aquariumpros.com/articles/stockguide.shtml 

Each fish also limits the growth of the other fish by secreting growth-limiting hormones (GLH) into the water, which explains why some fish grow more rapidly than others.

[succinctfish]

I've been trying to find an article I saw once somewhere on the internet about an experiment with a fish that is placed in a pipe to determine whether it will stay small, in order to fit in the pipe comfortably, or if it will keep growing.  The answer in the end, was that it kept growing until it filled the pipe.  Poor thing.  Does that article ring a bell for anyone else? I've given up looking for it for the moment. 
The way I look at it is that as a species we've done the same sorts of things to ourselves, look at the Chinese tradition of foot binding for example: you control the size and shape of the foot by  restricting the amount of space the foot has to grow naturally.  The foot will still grow, but it ceases to be a normal, healthy foot.  You can argue tradition and history and perception of beauty as much as you want, but the physical reality remains that the foot can no longer function properly.  The parallel I'm drawing here is that it is better to run than to be hobbled, better to swim freely and grow naturally, than to be twisted and stunted.
Even assuming that for some reason in 10 years they find out we're wrong, and that fish can adjust to a tiny tank, what is the harm in providing more space for your fish than less?  The fish have room to swim and interact in a more natural healthy way. 

[Crumpet]

Once while I was working at the store, someone brought in a fish (large S.A cichlid) that they were planning to upgrade into a larger tank, but never were able to for whatever reason (funds, room, lack of interest-- who can say?)  In the bucket he came in, he looked okay -- nice colours, a little stressed, but nothing too obvious.  He goes into one of the large tanks on the back wall after being acclimatized -- for the time he has the entire 120 gals to himself.  We soon saw that he was moved from his too-small-tank too late.  The poor thing couldn't swim properly.  I came to call him "Flippy" as he would spiral as he swam.  His fins, now that we could see them out, were curled upwards towards the top of his body, and were fairly useless.  While he was with us, anyone who ever asked me this very question about growth stunting, I would take them to see poor Flippy, because apparently only seeing was believing to some who were dead set on having a particular fish regardless of their tank size.

[mseguin]

I talked to my developmental biology professor about the hormone release theory and we both agreed thati t doesn't make much sense, for a variety of reasons. It seemed more likely to us that a variety of pollutants could have a limitng effect on groth, in a variety of ways.

[Kats]

Just to add on to this.   I just discovered (from looking at the box my daughter tank came in) that the tank we have is a 5g not a 10G   

That makes me feel more guilty because I now have 5 angels, 3 white clouds and a chines algea eater in a 5g.... and yes, the angels have outgrown the tank....  they were as small as dimes when I purchased them early January but they are the size of a big silver dollar now!!!!

no growth stunting for them....   

[dan2x38]

I know fish are different then kids but they still grow... try putting your kid in small box when they are a baby and watch them soon bust the sides on it... LOL Big fish are big fish tank busters for sure... they need the space no if ands or butts!