Vallisneria Posted July 10, 2004 Report Share Posted July 10, 2004 HOw slow do they guys grow? MIne down seem to be growing at all. They are 5 months old and still only 1cm. Rahim from this site said that his L. ocellatus fry is ready to sell in 6 weeks. This is the schedual i have them on I feed 4-6 times a day. I have been feeding them cyclops, crushed flakes( veggie flakes, color flakes, staple flakes and earthworm flakes, all of them are mixed together except the veggies flakes) I also feed them brine shrimp on occasion. I do water changes 2 times a week. Right now there is about 30 fry in a 20g. I was jsut wondering why they aren't growing? In that same 20g i also have a rusty fry that was smaller when i added him but is now twice as big as the L.ocellatus. Why is he growing but not the rest?I was hoping that they woudl be big enough to sell already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer9821 Posted September 14, 2004 Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 To be blunt you need a larger tank. I was haveing the same problem with some of my fry (different species) but as soon as i put them into a larger tank they started to grow quite fast. that many fish in a 20gal is to much. good at first when striped or just taken but you do need to move them now if you want them to grow faster. Just my 2 cents. IMO. Jennifer PS best of luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted September 14, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 Well unfortunately my heater got stuck and raised the temp to 90* and all my occelatus fry died. I wish i had a larger tank for grow out but i don't have the room at the moment. I have grown many generations of rusty fry in 10g and this 20g. They seemed to grow fine in these tanks. I have one group that is only 2 months old and is already 1"+. How come these guys grow so well in 10 and 20gs but the ocellatus would need a bigger tank? I'm not doubting that bigger is better, just wondering if soemthing happened and my ocellatus got stunted or if that slow growth is natural. Thanks for answering my question Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted September 15, 2004 Report Share Posted September 15, 2004 As someone who's grown fry out in fairly cramped conditions(with very good results) I'd have to politely disagree about the tank size...If you saw the stocking levels in commercial breeding operations, you'd be appalled...IMO It's more a water condition thing than tank size...I change the water on my fry tanks EVERY day...One of the things I've found that will put on growth fast like nothing else is live baby brine shrimp...I've tried several different things, and live bbs wins hands down every time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted September 16, 2004 Report Share Posted September 16, 2004 As someone who's grown fry out in fairly cramped conditions(with very good results) I'd have to politely disagree about the tank size...If you saw the stocking levels in commercial breeding operations, you'd be appalled...IMO It's more a water condition thing than tank size...I change the water on my fry tanks EVERY day...One of the things I've found that will put on growth fast like nothing else is live baby brine shrimp...I've tried several different things, and live bbs wins hands down every time... I agree 100%. No need for a bigger tank, but up the water changes to 4 times a week & you'll see some major improvements in growth. Stocking densities can affect the overall growth of your fry, but usually this isn't a problem unless you attempt to cram 100's of fry/juvies in a very small tank. BBS are a great starter food, and once the fry get a bit bigger try some Cyclop-Eeze. Jack Whattley (the Discus guru) did an experiment where he used a very small tank but performed large daily water changes, and a larger tank with fewer water changes. The fry in the smaller tank grew faster than the ones in the bigger tank. Most likely this is related to the pheromone/hormone build up in the water, as well as nitrate levels. I've also read where smaller tanks help reduce expended energy (which could be used for growth) by limiting the amount of space the fry have to swim in search of food. Here's a comment posted by someone on another forum that I know (and respect), about a friend of his who was having a difficult time with growth rates (as well as survival) of his fry: But, he looked at what Jack Wattley was doing with Discus. Then went in a completely unexpected direction. - Four - 200 gallon, plastic reservoirs. Two - 40 gallon, clear, fry 'tubs'. With each baby grow out tank, supported by a constant feed, balanced water flow system. A small diameter grate panel on the floor of each fry tank, permits passage of waste and uneaten food. But, keeps baby fish from draining out of the tank. He 'dials-in' 100 gallons plus of water for feed into/thru each 40 gallon tub - DAILY. And, get this: There Is NO Filtration! Just a 24 hour, continuous, constant flow of carefully treated and heated water through each 'tub'. - He doesn't lose any more baby fish - and those slow growers? Reach juvenile size faster than just about anyone I've heard of, that raises these comparatively delicate fish. Water changes WORK man. You can do without ANY filtration in an aquarium - but you can NEVER do without those Water Changes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted September 16, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2004 Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishmanCalgary Posted October 19, 2004 Report Share Posted October 19, 2004 Size of tank should not make much diff. I have found that water movement wil increase growthrate. The less a fish has to swim the slower it builds up body mass. Just like a body builder. Make them work and they will grow faster. Oh, as well. water change. water change. water change. water change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rahim101 Posted October 25, 2004 Report Share Posted October 25, 2004 I have to agree with FishmanCalgary. I had mine growing out in a 20 gallon with an aqua clear 300 and water changes very couple of days. Also, I have had very good results feeding juvies with "SUPER BITS" fish food made by HAIFENG.... Too bad about you loosing them...they are fun little fish.... I kinda wish I still had my w/c trio. Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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