Dozey

They grow up so quick, or do they? Having raised dogs I know that despite what their expected life span most breeds reach their adult size in about 18 months. Does this stand true for fish? Will most fish reach their adult size in a common length of time?

Trying to figure out how to stock my tank is difficult not knowing just how big my fishies will get. My RTS has a life span of 4 to 10 years and my clown pleco could live between 10 and 30 years. The RTS could grow to between 3 and 5 inches where the pleco could be as small as 2” and as much as 6”.

Can I expect both of these fish and others to reach adulthood in a given period of time or a certain percentage of their life expectancy?

Thanks for your input!

kieley

it all depends.. for instance ive heard an oscar can grow a inch a month for the first year or 2 but in my opinion it would depend on the particular fish, its living conditions, how much you feed it blah blah..
in reality there arent many studies to see the growth rate of common aquarium fish and if your worried about space i would just try and find the max size of each fish and go with that

Red1313

The trick with fish is that they secrete a hormone into the tank water which will limit final size, I'd have to say that given the right set up most fish would max they're size in about a year (excluding the longer lived fish, they'd likely take longer and would probably keep growing, though again would depend on tank size)
However that's my opinion, I'm no expert but I believe that cold water fish don't really stop growing (there's a 5' Koi) not sure if the same is true for tropicals or not.

kieley

yeah ive heard that about koi never stopping growing and have seen some huge ones but that cant be true can it? wouldnt someone have a 100 ton koi somwhere as big as a blue whale if it were true?

Dozey

That is currently my plan. Just thought it would be nice to know in a year’s time that my RTS is fully grown and only 3” allowing me to possibly add another little guy.

A 35 gallon tank sure gets small quick when you are starting with potentially large fish.

DOH!!! I’m getting MTS already.

kieley

you cant really add another RTS if thats what you ment because they are very agressive to each other. other then that the 1 inch of fish per gallon rule is more a guidline then a truth.. 3 inches of fish extra wont really matter is what im saying as long as you keep up with water changes!
i had a rainbow shark thats sposed to get 6 inches and he quickly grew to 4 inches, became the meanest fish i ever saw and never grew anymore? i didnt get it either and had to give him away to a friend of mine with a red devil.. the 2 fish live comfortably together now(yes a 4 inch rainbow and a 9 inch midas)

Dozey

Thanks Kieley

I’ve been doing my research and know that RTSs hate other RTSs. Kind of amazing we have any. And I do know that the 1” per gallon rule is just a guideline but it’s really all I have to base my decisions on.

MTS = Multiple Tank Syndrome... I'm thinking 35 gallons just isn't going to cut it.

shih-tzu mom

Dozey- The aquarist that told me my fish had anchor worms said that heat has a lot to do with the growth rate of fish interesting to know, it is suppose to make them grow more as oppossed to cooler water-how true i don't know, anyone elase heard of that? bella

jgon_

Warmer tempratures would increase metabolic rate/demand, so its possible they would grow faster compared to the same fish grown at a lower temp.