fry grow out

[fishgeek]

what would be the considerd average time for grow out of young apisto's and rams
primarily aggies and bolivians at this point

any tips on increasing speed of fry growth, small more frequent feedings more important?
water changes make a difference or just to the water quaity with increased feedings?

any tips greatly appreciated , im getting crowded and i cant have anymore tanks

andrew

 

[Mike Wise]

Continuous food availability & continuous water exchange - although not very feasable - would be best. Raise the temperature will theoretically increase their metabolism & encourage growth, but this has disadvantages, too. For apistos higher temps will skew sex ratio in the first 6 - 8 weeks. It has also been found that in fish raised at higher temps they reach sexual maturity faster, but this seems to slow down their rate of growth (this has been studied in food fish & some marine fish, but not in apistos). These faster growing fish don't seem to live as long either. Also realize that each species seems to grow at different rates. Most substrate spawners like your Bolivian Rams start small (more, smaller eggs & fry) and then put on a faster growth spurt when compared with apistos (smaller fish that have fewer, but larger eggs/fry).

I guess if you're interested in getting fish to marketable size as soon a possible, then feed them a little as often as possible, do water changes every day, & keep the temp as near 79ºF/26ºC possible or slightly above.

If you want to raise a show quality fish (usually a male), start out with small frequent feedings & frequent water changes. Keep the tank at a higher temp for the first month or 2, then lower the temp to about 72ºF/22ºC while growing it slowly (It will probably take 2 years). The initial high temps will produce mostly males & the lower grow out temps will allow the fish to mature more slowly & give it time grow larger. I did this once with some A. "wickleri" (a domestic A. steindachneri). Back in the early 80s I was producing males that were over 4"/10cm long (TL) with incredible finnage & color.

 

[Neil]

Space is also a consideration, which seems like a problem for us all. Many professional breeders will start with very small containers for new fry to increase the availability of food to the fish, then continue to move the young to increasingly larger quarters as they grow. I am also "hurting" for grow-out space all the time. But, if I want to maximize the growth, I use the larger tanks for grow-out and the smaller for breeding. I would rather breed in a 10g. (and just deal with the elements of aggression, etc)and grow out in a 30g. (where a spawn of 40 fish will grow much faster, given Mike's suggestions are followed as well.) But I usually leave the fry with their parent for quite awhile.

Smaller water change seem to be much safer and very productive, but I tend to use larger water changes (carefully) to compensate for my lack of continuously available time. This seems to work for me. The key is to reduce the residual waste products of the increased feedings.

Neil