fish size in captivity

so i hear every1 saying that u need large tanks to keep game fish. dont they grow to their environment?or was i misinformed
thanks

Welcome to the forum!

I've gone ahead and made your topic more descriptive and ask that you do the same in the future. Also, you're allowed to spell out words here and it is preferred.

About your question... What game fish are you referring to? There is a wide range of them that vary from state to state.

so i hear every1 saying that u need large tanks to keep game fish. dont they grow to their environment?or was i misinformed
thanks

Most fishes are indeterminate growers meaning unlike humans they never actually stop growing. Generally the only thing that keeps a fish from growing is a negative environmental factor. In a healthy, well maintained captive system there should be no reason for a fish not to reach at least the average size for its species.

Edited by sandtiger, 05 November 2008 - 10:31 PM.

Yes, you were misinformed. What actually happens to fish kept in too-small tanks is something called stunting. It's not pretty, and it usually leads to an early death for the fish. Sadly, countless goldfish suffer this fate every year because of this very misconception (and because for some reason, people continue to believe that goldfish are small fish).

But this isn't the place to rant about that...so again, fish will grow as big as their environment allows them too, but that doesn't mean keeping a juvenile bass in a small tank will give you a healthy bass that simply stays small. It'll give you a stunted, unhealthy fish that will die an early death.

i have a 40 gal tank. i have 2 4"channel cats and a large sunfish not longer that the catfish just thicker,a native sucker and 2 tropical algae eaters and some crayfish. i was looking in to getting a small lm bass to put in there as well like the size of the catty. i plan on getting a bigger tank in the future. i was curious i dont want my fish to get that big they cant move in the tank but right now they got lots of room and are happy. thanks for the info guys..

thanks drew for fixing that

The channel cats can get huge pretty quick. I have seen 50 lb channel cat before and I tihnk the world record is 58lbs

Stay away from the bass. You're going to be overstocked as those fish grow already. Even if you manage to stunt the growth of the fish those fish are going to outgrow that tank. They'll likely die from environmental conditions before they get to the point were they can't move, but even if you manage to keep those catfish down to half of their average adult size they'll be too big for the tank. Having 2 of them a sunfish and a LM Bass is just going to add to the problem.

One rule I always preach (but haven't always followed) is to stock according to the tank you already have. Its easy to say "I'll get another tank when they get bigger" but life has a way of working against your plans. The tank is already overstocked, if you add more fish you'll only be creating a bigger hassle for yourself. The channel catfish will eventually reach a size so large that unless you have an outdoor pond you won't be able to keep them, don't add to that.

The channel cats can get huge pretty quick. I have seen 50 lb channel cat before and I tihnk the world record is 58lbs

dafrimpster the fish in your post is a Blue Catfish, (Ictalurus furcatus)
not a Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus

smokin i do agree with the rest you have enough fish in a 30g tank for now.

Through the years I have heard both sides of this from countless people.....fish grow to the size of their environment vs. growth is stunted.

Glad to finally get an answer I can trust.

My personal rule has always been 10 gallons per 1 inch of full-grown fish. So for example, if I had let's say a 55-gallon tank, I would not get a fish that would grow to more than 5 inches. OK, maybe 6 inches.

I'd be interested to see what folks thought about that rule I made up for myself. Overkill? Reaonable? Not "generous" enough? Whatever.

I'd say your rule is pretty safe, as far as room goes, but you can easily keep two or three six-inch fish in a 55, if they are not too aggressive or flighty. But that doesn't mean you could keep one 18-inch fish in the 55; he'd be unable to turn around!

Stocking depends on so many factors it is very hard to peg down a hard-and-fast rule.

Fish that are the same length may have very different bioloads, activity levels, territorial needs, and tolerances for close confinement. The tank's configuration is also important; a twelve-inch sunfish is likely to be more comfortable in a squat 50 gallon than in a narrow 55, and a bottom-hugging catfish may appreciate a broad-floored 40 breeder more than either.

The other issue is water quality. The question is: can the amount of water support a fish that size without poisoning it with its own waste? When there is more water available, the waste products are diluted more and affect the fish less. The water quality will be affected by how often you do water changes. With very large fish in small tanks, it can be very hard to keep the water quality high. If that happens, your fish will not be healthy and you will be sure to be dissapointed because they will not behave normally, not have the best colors they could, be prone to disease, and die early.

dafrimpster the fish in your post is a Blue Catfish, (Ictalurus furcatus)
not a Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus

smokin i do agree with the rest you have enough fish in a 30g tank for now.

Dont worry about it catfishtony, hes just make a good example why channel catfish are not good "average" aquariums and really excellent one.

sorry the pic was mislabeled. My point still stands about there fitness as an aquarium fish.

Edited by dafrimpster, 07 November 2008 - 12:26 PM.

sorry the pic was mislabeled. My point still stands about there fitness as an aquarium fish.

And how!

The other issue is water quality. The question is: can the amount of water support a fish that size without poisoning it with its own waste?

I've always heard that Goldfish need at least 4 gallons per inch of fish, minimum.

After getting all my tanks set up the wife wanted a tank with Goldfish. The LFS gave me a 10 gallon unit for free so I bought three 1.5 inch Goldfish. I later added a 2 inch Betta.

The Goldfish are slightly bigger now, 2 to 2.5 inches long. The tank does not appear to be crowded at all. Water quality is always excellent with regards to Nitrites and Ammonia. The filter isn't even that large for the tank; a Whisper sized for a 10 to 20 gallon unit.

These are the short, fat, slow moving Goldies. I can only hope they grow huge.

And BTW, my wife thinks the inch-per-gallon rule applies to fish length without adding the tail. I say count the tail. Who is correct?

Edited by Sombunya, 07 November 2008 - 09:16 PM.

I've always heard that Goldfish need at least 4 gallons per inch of fish, minimum.

After getting all my tanks set up the wife wanted a tank with Goldfish. The LFS gave me a 10 gallon unit for free so I bought three 1.5 inch Goldfish. I later added a 2 inch Betta.

The Goldfish are slightly bigger now, 2 to 2.5 inches long. The tank does not appear to be crowded at all. Water quality is always excellent with regards to Nitrites and Ammonia. The filter isn't even that large for the tank; a Whisper sized for a 10 to 20 gallon unit.

These are the short, fat, slow moving Goldies. I can only hope they grow huge.

And BTW, my wife thinks the inch-per-gallon rule applies to fish length without adding the tail. I say count the tail. Who is correct?

I would say your wife is correct. Measuring with the tail is known as total length, without is standard length. Most aquarists measure the standard length of their fish. This is because the tail doesn't add much additional mass to the fish and its the mass that you really should stock by at least in terms of bio-load.

I've always heard that Goldfish need at least 4 gallons per inch of fish, minimum.

After getting all my tanks set up the wife wanted a tank with Goldfish. The LFS gave me a 10 gallon unit for free so I bought three 1.5 inch Goldfish. I later added a 2 inch Betta.

The Goldfish are slightly bigger now, 2 to 2.5 inches long. The tank does not appear to be crowded at all. Water quality is always excellent with regards to Nitrites and Ammonia. The filter isn't even that large for the tank; a Whisper sized for a 10 to 20 gallon unit.

These are the short, fat, slow moving Goldies. I can only hope they grow huge.

And BTW, my wife thinks the inch-per-gallon rule applies to fish length without adding the tail. I say count the tail. Who is correct?

They need much more than 4 gallons. You're eventually going to need a 40 gallon tank for those goldies if you DO want them to grow to full size; otherwise, keeping them in that small tank will stunt them. For fancies, it's 20 gallons for the first fish, and 10 gallons for every subsequent fish. (Commons/comets need 50 gallons for the first fish, 20 for every added fish--which is why they're much better off in ponds.) And do you ever test for nitrates? I lost half a tank to a nitrate spike before I realized what was happening. Also, bettas + goldfish = HUGE no-no. Goldfish are coldwater, bettas are tropical, so one of them will be suffering if they're both in the same tank. And the goldfish will eventually start picking on the poor betta. He needs a 5 gallon heated, filtered tank to himself.

Sorry if I got off-subject, but this is kind of big issue with me. I also don't mean to be rude in any way, so apologies in advance if that's how I came off.

Oh, and your wife is right. =P

Edited by Runan, 07 November 2008 - 11:48 PM.

They need much more than 4 gallons. You're eventually going to need a 40 gallon tank for those goldies if you DO want them to grow to full size; otherwise, keeping them in that small tank will stunt them.

He said 4g per inch, not 4g per fish. And keeping them in a small tank won't stunt them, fish will continue to grow regardless of tank size. Its the poor water quality brought on by inadequate housing that stunts fish.

Goldfish are coldwater, bettas are tropical, so one of them will be suffering if they're both in the same tank. And the goldfish will eventually start picking on the poor betta. He needs a 5 gallon heated, filtered tank to himself.

Eh, I tend to disagree. While you're right that the two species don't normally make good tank mates goldfish are tolerant of a wide range of water types, I wouldn't consider them coldwater. More like sub-tropical, they do fine at temperatures that work well for most tropicals.