Re: Hello
Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 11:14 pm
it can be done, but keeping it simple is the best way to go.
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Re: Hello
Posted: Thu May 31, 2012 12:58 am
My fahaka started out at 1" in a 15g. At 3" he was moved to a 29g, 5" to a 55g & 7" to the 125 he's in now. I wish, wish, wish I had the space for something 2x that for him. I know you aren't sure if it's worth upgrading or wasting an entire 210 on this fish. You won't regret it! Imagine having a fish that acts like a puppy dog, happily greeting you every time you walk into the room, doing a happy dance, spreading it's gorgeous huge yellow tail at you.
Re: Hello
Posted: Thu May 31, 2012 10:10 am
Yes, exactly!
It took me decades to realize that "moving fish up" in tank size guaranties that the final fish size will always be smaller than the maximum size in the wild. This is called "stumting". That is not the death sentence many folks think that it is, there are degrees of damage involved. There are many, many differences between captive fish-keeping and wild survival. Only a tiny percentage of wild fish live to full maturity. There is no reason for captive reared fish not to always live longer and healthier lives than their wild cousins, and to long outlive those wild kin.
But if the best and healthiest life for captives is your goal, the only way that I know to achieve that is to move the fish into its permanent home from its quarantine tank (aka QT), which means setting its lifetime home while while confirming it health in the first weeks of its time in your care.
You mistake, your fallacy, is in thinking of the fish at its current size, not its adult size. I calculate only QT on that basis of current size. Doing that during the fish's juvenile life stage effectively guarantees that the fish will not achieve full adult size, ever. Puffers are relatively long-lived fish, and most are high personality fish. But they do need a lot of room ASAP or they do not ever grow up. Their lives may well be shortened, depending both on tank size, proper feeding, and water quality.
It is personal choice. If you want a wet pet only for a year or two, I cannot offer any advice. That is not any part of the way in which I keep fish.
It took me decades to realize that "moving fish up" in tank size guaranties that the final fish size will always be smaller than the maximum size in the wild. This is called "stumting". That is not the death sentence many folks think that it is, there are degrees of damage involved. There are many, many differences between captive fish-keeping and wild survival. Only a tiny percentage of wild fish live to full maturity. There is no reason for captive reared fish not to always live longer and healthier lives than their wild cousins, and to long outlive those wild kin.
But if the best and healthiest life for captives is your goal, the only way that I know to achieve that is to move the fish into its permanent home from its quarantine tank (aka QT), which means setting its lifetime home while while confirming it health in the first weeks of its time in your care.
You mistake, your fallacy, is in thinking of the fish at its current size, not its adult size. I calculate only QT on that basis of current size. Doing that during the fish's juvenile life stage effectively guarantees that the fish will not achieve full adult size, ever. Puffers are relatively long-lived fish, and most are high personality fish. But they do need a lot of room ASAP or they do not ever grow up. Their lives may well be shortened, depending both on tank size, proper feeding, and water quality.
It is personal choice. If you want a wet pet only for a year or two, I cannot offer any advice. That is not any part of the way in which I keep fish.
Re: Hello
Posted: Thu May 31, 2012 11:00 am
I can only say +1 to pp and +1 to rtr. When I eventually do move my fahaka will have a monster tank, I am aware of how much fish thrive in extra space and aim to give it to all my fish