View Full Version : Confused
saltymight
12/08/2007, 10:14 PM
Ok so it sounds like bull crap but i know some fish dont grow as big as they should, but i was at my lfs and they were trying to sell me some file fish that grows to about 12 inches and i have a 30 gallon tank. They tryed to tell me that the fish would only grow to its surroundings is this true. But then why is there all these fish that have a min gallon size
Andrew
12/08/2007, 10:27 PM
Many fish do grow as large as a tank will let them but this aslo very much effects the health of the fish, which is why it's best to keep them in a tank that will allow them to fully grow and develop.
Find a new LFS. These people are selling product and don't care about the health of your fish.
saltymight
12/08/2007, 11:58 PM
well the next one is a petco or petland than a actuall salt tank place is 30 miles away
Swanwillow
12/09/2007, 12:05 AM
I have a LFS near me that does the same thing, but only better.
They got in a dozen file fish or so. The owner of the store picked out 3 to bring home to her tank... A 75 or 90 gallon. Kay, I mentioned how big they get..
'then I'll just bring it back to sell it again'
grrr, I'd rather have a petco in town!
I am a big online shopper, I have boughten half my livestock, if not more, online. on the sponsor page are some very good dealers in livestock... maybe I'll be cursed for saying it, but they don't try to sell you an extra fish, and sometimes its better than keeping these bad LFS' in business.
saltymight
12/09/2007, 12:26 AM
well online can get expensive with the shipping charges usually its cheaper to go with lfs if you know what your doing and know that fish that grow 12 inches dont belond in a 30 gallon...oh yea besides this girl needed a refrence book to even know what the business was selling....sad
Lotus99
12/09/2007, 12:40 AM
It's never a good idea to rely on information about specific fish at a store. If you don't know what it is and what its needs are, come home and research it before you buy it. I think it's a mistake many have made, and most learn from it. Or, ask the store if they have a reference book you can look in to find info on the fish.
I don't like to fault LFS employees. It's a very lucky LFS owner that can hire someone with perfect knowledge of fish at minimum wage (or thereabouts).
kathainbowen
12/09/2007, 07:45 AM
Alright, here's the deal on the age-old mythos about "fish grow to the size of their tank." It's true..... sort of. Studies have shown that fish will not grow as large when kept in a smaller tank but suffer from deformities or a poor health; however, fish kept in the same small tank grow at their normal rate or better when given huge water changes daily to every few days. Jack Wattley experimented with this with his discus, while there have also been studies with oscars using similar techniques. Both experiments showed that the growth and health of the fish was determined LESS by the size of the tank and more by the polluted water caused by overcrowding.
So.... you *could* do it, but it is REALLY irresponsible and just poor animal husbandry in general, to be polite. To be more brutally honest, I would have to say it's neglectful at best and downright abusive at worst.
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