Quick question about growth.

Plastic Mac · Post by **Plastic Mac** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 11:39 am

I was wondering how quick fry grow? I've been chatting to someone who says theirs grow 4.5-5 cm in the first 4-5 months which seems awfully quick considering what I have read about them. Could someone let me know whether this is possible or not?

Thanks

Plastic Mac

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 3:22 pm

Hi Plastic

This obviously open to debate, but from my experience.

1 month - 10mm
2 month - 15mm
3 month - 25mm
4 month - 30mm
5 month - 35 mm
Between 6 - 8 months you are probably looking at about max of 40mm

1 year about 40 - 45mm

1.5 years 45- 55mm

2 years - 60 - 70mm

Maybe this one would be a good one for statistical analysis!!!!

rob

Tariq · Post by **Tariq** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 4:31 pm

hi guys,
mine 10 youngsters are born from march to june 2005 and they are between 4 and 5 cm the biggest almost 5 or maybe 5 cm maybe 1 or 2 mm less.
i think this has to do that each zebra grows as fast as he is geneticaly programmed just like humans and like discus,some discus are only 12 cm when they are a year ,but i have also seen discus that aint a year yet and are allready 18 cm.
so every zebra grows as his body wants to.
maybe someone else has other opinions aswell.
i read on www.l46.de about one female that spawned when she was only about 19 months old.
here is the topic:
http://www.l46-forum.de/viewtopic.php?t=156

its only in german,
cheers

Tariq · Post by **Tariq** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 4:33 pm

Rob ,maybe its better to move this topic to General Care and Breeding??

Tariq · Post by **Tariq** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 7:28 pm

Mindy · Post by **Mindy** » Wed Feb 01, 2006 8:13 am

I am by no means an expert. I know that my fry grew very quickly for the first couple months and then slowed down - they seem quite static, in terms of growth, at the moment. But interestingly, I read on Planetcatfish that high nitrates can slow down growth. I wonder if it's worth trying to work this into everyone's "studies" and see what sort of data comes from it...

Make a note of nitrate levels and compare to growth, etc... What do you think?

Tariq · Post by **Tariq** » Wed Feb 01, 2006 11:47 am

sounds great.
i have also bred discus, and indeed the nitrates did slow down their growth.
i think if you have a good sized tank enoung waterchanges and good rich feeding they grow alot faster. a breeder here in holland said the same and his zebras grow very fast they are in a 2 meter tank.
i will try to check my nitrates as soon as possible.

Raul-7 · Post by **Raul-7** » Wed Feb 01, 2006 9:12 pm

Discus have also been known to secrete allopathic hormones (only the alpha male does) to slow down the growth of his competitors. That is why Discus breeders/keepers must keep up with regular water changes. Maybe the alpha Zebra pleco does the same?

Nitrates over 20ppm are the only cause for concern; the maximum is actually 50ppm. But some fish (ie. Discus, Chocolate Gouramis) are more sensitive than others.