I know I have posted alot but bear with me.
I am concerned that the fish in my future aquarium will grow to be to large when they mature therefore exceding the tank limit, 55 gallons. Is there a way to keep fish from growing to there full capacity without starving or damaging thier health. I will stock my tank to the full capacity when I start out just to let you know. I also dont really want to get rid of them if they get to big.
unfortunately - -genetics are genetics....now im sure there is something to be said for environment but .....if a fish is supposed to grow to 3 inches at maturity and only reaches 1 1/2 inches....something is wrong with his diet, care,or environment..................so to answer your question in my opinion...... a fish is a fish is a fish and they should and will grow to their predetermined size or they probably are not "happy fish" - - it goes the other way as well.........oversized due to over feeding and such is just as bad.........good luck, good question, Snowboss
there is no way of stunting a fish without having negative reactions to thier health... unless you get a dwarf kind of a species, but that's like snowboss said is all in thier genetics...
I would play it safe and stock to the adult size of your fish, so that you aren't overcrowded later... plus, i'm sure you will notice a much more positive personality from your fish when the tank isn't fully stocked and they have room to swim around. I had a stocked tank until I thinned it out, and my fish are completelty different (in a good way)... the way they act, the way they eat, the way they treat each other... take this into consideration as well :)
well see i feed my fish mon wed and sat and i have hade this yellow lab for 1 year and hes hasent gorwn mutch at all it seems he wants to stay small hes only "1 1/2to 2" inbetween that and i make sure he eats and the pellets arnt to big , all thoe he dose have a full tummy dunno why he stays so small. and i have a 8 or 9' jackdempys thunder she never goes after him but now i have the oscare will see.
i would say since you pointed out that he has a "funny tummy" that although he is healthy and swimming around that there is probably something not right about him........nothing to make him sick or anything but maybe something ....................well .....................genetic.....lol - maybe you have the worlds first dwarf tellow lab eh? .................Boss
yellow labs are a dwarf species... some of my females are 2.5" long (without tail), they allready breed, and are about two years old now... all of my males and other dominant females are all 3-4" w/o tail...
also... you said that you just got an oscar...??? man that's a bad move... oscars need at least a 100 gallon tank... 150g if you want to keep them healthy and happy by themselves...
As spongebob said, the fish will have a different personality when not overstocked. Since I upgraded to larger aquarium and got the herd of platies out of the tank, all my tetras joined their schools and have class all day now. Before then, it was a free-for-all in the tank, everyone would swim together and couldn't tell heads or tails of the different fish. The plecos only got as big as the area they were in, stayed 4 and 6 inches in the 10 gallon tank, grew to 10 and 12 inches in the 30 gallon tank, and one is already at almost 14 inches now in the larger tank.
