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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

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

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

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

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?

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.

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.