newbie2 Posted March 11, 2008 Report Share Posted March 11, 2008 Hello all, Im just wondering about the normal growth rate of angelfish(Pterophyllum scalare). Most sources say they grow to be 4-6" in size but I guess I'm just wondering if it takes ten years to get there or does most of the growth happen in the first year or so. I know Its kind of a dumb question but I am a newbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
werner Posted March 11, 2008 Report Share Posted March 11, 2008 I'm guessing that the 4-6" measurement includes the tail? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie2 Posted March 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2008 I would guess it includes the tail. Im just wondering what some actual growth rates/sizes are compared to what they say on the internet. I ahve had my angels for about 3 months now and while one has grown to about 3 inches (doubled since put in tank), the others have grown just a small amount- if at all. Could it just be a dominant fish thing?. I also read that water changes have a lot more to do with growth than food. I know they eat well (perhaps a little too well). Is one 25% water change weekly enough? they are in a 90g planted tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Chicklets Posted March 12, 2008 Report Share Posted March 12, 2008 Most of their growth ocurs in the first year to year and a half after that they slow down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie2 Posted March 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2008 thanks Nick. When I got the angels I was hoping they would grow up quite a bit more but it seems after the initial growth spurt, they slowed down quite a bit. I guess patience is a virtue - just not one of mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Chicklets Posted March 12, 2008 Report Share Posted March 12, 2008 4 to 6 inches is pretty general, and not entirely acurate either. I've seen them full grown at 3". I've also seen a monster of a black angel over a foot tall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie2 Posted March 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2008 Yeah, I had a friend who swears he had angels that were "as big as his head", living in an aquarium built from three deep freezes overflowing into each other and packed with plants :boxed: haha. Now that would be quite the youtube video. haha Thanks again for the help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted March 12, 2008 Report Share Posted March 12, 2008 Since angelfish are so tall and flat bodied its sometimes hard to estimate size properly, especially since most people like to over estimate. Also since their fins are so long that can add a lot of extra inches. Most of my angelfish ended up having a body(nose to base of tail) the size of my palm(about 4" in diameter) but I've also had some smaller ones that topped out around 3". Top to bottom they are about 8"+. It took a few years to get them that size but it was worth the wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finbert Posted March 12, 2008 Report Share Posted March 12, 2008 I've had my angels for about six months now. They all started out about the same - bodies somewhere between quarter and loonie size, not counting tails. Two of them have paired up and become the dominant couple, and they have at least doubled, maybe tripled in size. They chase the others and get to eat more, so the other two have increased in size by 50% and maybe 10%. I'm distracting the big ones and then hand-feeding the little ones NLS floating pellets, hoping they'll catch up in growth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie2 Posted March 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2008 In my case, there was a dominant one as soon as I put them in the tank. I had six to start and the best looking one (which was also the biggest) started pushing the others around right from the get go. Oddly enough, after a couple days the other five started ganging up on him at feeding time - not letting him up to eat near the surface. I had to feed him on the other side of the tank. The tank was getting pretty hostile. After a couple weeks he just died one night. It was crazy. Now the next biggest fish is the dominant one. Kind of a - The King is dead/Long live the King type of thing. :boxed: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted March 12, 2008 Report Share Posted March 12, 2008 As fish grow, they release a hormone that regulates their body size... kind of a way to make sure they don't outgrow their home. If you do more WCs (50%/wk is not too much), you will dillute the hormone. The more often you do, and the bigger the WC, the less of this hormone is in the water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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