Now that's very interesting as I kept all those fish and more (no corals) in a 70g tank and they did just fine. I typically got 2-3 years from each and they never really grew much. Why would this change so dramatically?
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Getting back in the hobby after 10 years, who makes a good tank/stand these days?
- Thread starter Mskvarenina
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Now that's very interesting as I kept all those fish and more (no corals) in a 70g tank and they did just fine. I typically got 2-3 years from each and they never really grew much. Why would this change so dramatically?
Believe me, I know how you feel, I was out from 2000 to 2006, and that was a big learning curve for me too.
If they are housed in larger tanks, with good water quality, their lifespan increases dramatically. French Angels and Emperors have been kept in captivity successfully in large tanks for upwards of a decade now.
As to why the fish didn't grow too much, I can make a few guesses but I can't give an exact answer, I just don't know enough about how you ran your system. Some people believe certain fish will not grow to their full size if their tank is too small. Some people believe the heavy water in a tank of insufficient size in the tank will stunt the growth of the fish.
Others believe that the fish will continue to grow up to a point, but will eventually die from stress. This is my opinion, but that is all it is, an opinion.
I am not saying that if you were to put these fish in a 90g, they would all die on day one or after year two. That is not the case. But it is unlikely that you would have them for the 10+ years they can live in a 90g system. Could your fish have died at 2-3 years from collection issues? Absolutely. But it is also possible that it was due to stress from being housed in a system that could not support them. Believe me, all of us who have been in the hobby for this long have had the same types of experiences. Can you keep the fish on your list in a 90g? Yes. Likely for some time. The question is really with the information that is available now about how the fish do in a smaller vs. larger tank, whether or not you choose to. I have wanted another butterfly since my last one died in 2000, but I have not bought one because I have not had a large enough system until very recently, and it is not mature enough yet.
If they are housed in larger tanks, with good water quality, their lifespan increases dramatically. French Angels and Emperors have been kept in captivity successfully in large tanks for upwards of a decade now.
As to why the fish didn't grow too much, I can make a few guesses but I can't give an exact answer, I just don't know enough about how you ran your system. Some people believe certain fish will not grow to their full size if their tank is too small. Some people believe the heavy water in a tank of insufficient size in the tank will stunt the growth of the fish.
Others believe that the fish will continue to grow up to a point, but will eventually die from stress. This is my opinion, but that is all it is, an opinion.
I am not saying that if you were to put these fish in a 90g, they would all die on day one or after year two. That is not the case. But it is unlikely that you would have them for the 10+ years they can live in a 90g system. Could your fish have died at 2-3 years from collection issues? Absolutely. But it is also possible that it was due to stress from being housed in a system that could not support them. Believe me, all of us who have been in the hobby for this long have had the same types of experiences. Can you keep the fish on your list in a 90g? Yes. Likely for some time. The question is really with the information that is available now about how the fish do in a smaller vs. larger tank, whether or not you choose to. I have wanted another butterfly since my last one died in 2000, but I have not bought one because I have not had a large enough system until very recently, and it is not mature enough yet.