Fish Growth Rate

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saltguy21

Shmuck
Joined
Mar 28, 2004
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70
Location
Kent, Ohio
I have a question that I have never seen posted. How long should it take until a fish is full grown? My fish don't seem to grow very fast. I have a maroon clown who is almost 3 years old and he has only grown about an inch and my foxface has been about the same over 2 years.
 
Lot would have to do with that tank size for them to swim in, food conditions etc. I'm sure in larger systems yo would see faster growth!
 
Yea, may be how & what you feed also, I'm sure in the wild they grow way faster but also die quicker.
 
Most saltwater fishes never stop growing. In captivity they can easily outsize their wild relatives. In the wild, predators, resources, afflictions, etc. take their toll and wean the population.

Although the size of the space is constraining, it has been shown that the size of the aquarium isn't as significant as we once thought. The 'small-tank-stunts-their-growth' concept is not true.

What usually happens is the bigger fish dies in the smaller space from space stress that goes unseen by the hobbyist. The space stress doesn't stunt their growth as it takes a toll on their lifespan. The hobbyist thinks the fish just got old and died. Not.

Without stress, for instance, the Copperband Butterflyfish I've seen in captivity have grown to over 15 inches. If an aquarist manages to keep a 3" Rabbitfish, for instance, for over 5 years, it will be not only just 10 inches long, but incredibly wide.
 
The foods being fed seem to explain at least why the Foxface is not growing. Most Rabbitfish grow quickly and get very large, even if the tank is small. The foods being fed don't provide all the nutritional needs of this fish.
 
These posts have the fundamentals for good fish nutrition:
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15720
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15719

If you want a handy table (or chart) that sums it up, see here:
http://www.reefland.com/forum/marin...18767-feeding-marine-fish-fish-nutrition.html

Essentially the Rabbitfishes are herbivores. They start out like most young tangs as being omnivores, eating some pods and benthic creatures. As they mature, their need for vegetable matter increases significantly until they are essentially herbivores.

Avoid non-sea products. You need to get into reading ingredient labels. Mysis can be freshwater so check what you're feeding. Flake and pellets may contain land plant foods to help in the binding process. No land farmer to my knowledge has ever complained that their crops are being raided by 'those pesky coral fishes.'

Offer a high percentage of herbivore foods and keep the whole sea pod and sea animals (krill, plankton, etc.) at a minimum percentage (given in the above references). :)
 

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