malawi sand diver Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 If you buy a large malawi hap thats been in a small tank for 1-2 years (and is stunted due to this) e.g. when fully grown it is 30cm but has only reached 12cm over the 1-2 years in the small tank. When you put it in a big tank (10ft) will it grow much more or still be stunted?Just wondering if anyone has experienced the growth of such a fish.Cheers, Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martb Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 I have experienced it before but not with a hap but American cichlid and it did not grow any larger .. but it may be different with africans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malawi sand diver Posted April 9, 2014 Author Share Posted April 9, 2014 Interesting, thanks for that. I often wonder what are the side effects of fish kept in a small tank in their early years, & how this would affects their breeding/growth.Guess it depends on lots of parameters and in the case you mention, it didn't "catch up" to what size it should have normally been. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LithoMan Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 i have seen many fish like that and get deformitysquashed looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
intangcity Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 ive never experienced it but ive heard it shouldnt matter if they are in a small tank then a bigger one or the opposite.mayb uve seen to many inbred or not looked after fish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malawi sand diver Posted April 9, 2014 Author Share Posted April 9, 2014 It seems to be only in the larger growing species. The ones I have seen in some shops (e.g. ones that don't sell for a very long time in a small tank) have been slightly "squashed" looking as in horizontally compressed. Its as if their heads grow but the spine doesn't extend as quickly.e.g. they could be slow moving fish in a fish store (e.g. large growing fish) that stay in a small tank for a long time since they are hard to sell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ducksta Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 It can be a gamble. I've seen fish almost instantly explode in growth when they hit better conditions. But I've also seen fish that are beyond help.Obviously sometimes you don't know fish are stunted. They just appear for sale at a size and look ok, you take them on and realise they don't grow "right", and start to look deformed even though now they have all the space they should need.Personally once I think I can see outward signs of stunting I would not pay money for the fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malawi sand diver Posted April 10, 2014 Author Share Posted April 10, 2014 Yeah true, I guess a fish grows most in the first 3-4 years of its life, the larger growing species are the most rapidly growing. If it is confined to a small aquarium for the first 1-2 years, it may make up for it over the next 2 but if it stays in a small tank for over that time, perhaps the deformity exaggerates.Then I guess impact on breeding would suffer aswell, as the eggs of the larger species are quite large and even though the fish would be mature, would not physically be able to produce the eggs. All depends on how long it has stayed in the tank at the shop, the more recent the better I guess if you want the largest, healthiest breeders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FullyYellow Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Hey Rob,Did you purchase this hap from a LFS? what species is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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