carp in a tank

[strider]

need some advice please on the two carp i have in my tank , i have a 4ft x 18" x 18" tank, i brought the carp four years ago , they were the size of my thumb but now they are growing , the biggest is approx 11" and quite plump and now looking at getting a bigger tank , what i would like to know is do they only grow to the size of the tank or will they keep getting bigger cause tanks aint cheep . thanks

[MrWiggly]

Fish growth is limited by the conditions they live in. If you put a large fish in a tank, it will usually stay the same size. Put a small fish in a tank and, depending on the growth genetics of the fish, it will grow to the maximum size that the tank will allow. Then stay that size.

 

I have a Pacu. A south American fish from the amazon region, which in its natural enviroment is capable of growing to 80lb plus. It has been housed in a six-foot tank for the last three years, and has not grown any bigger. Restricted space = restricted fish.

 

It seems a shame to keep your carp, which is quite a large-growing fish, in such a confined space. The best place for it is in a large garden pond. I would certainly consider rehousing the fish to another tank. The larger the better.

 

Besides .. bigger fish are far more impressive than smaller ones.

 

[ 12. January 2003, 08:21 PM: Message edited by: MrWiggly ]

[strider]

thanks for that mr wiggly much appreciated , i will be getting a bigger tank looking at a 5ft x 2 x 2 should bring them on a bit more

[Guest Ferret1959]

If you are getting a tank that size make sure your base is up to holding it.

If you have it on floor boards put something under the legs of the stand to reinforce the boards.

I had a tank set up once and worked out the total weight and I couldn't beleive it, just over half a ton.

 

You don't want to wake up one morning and find you set up all over the floor do you?

[strider]

no i don't but its alright i have concrete floors and anyway the wife's got a good mop

[Bradford Angler]

It's like the bloke that wanted to do something different, bought an old GPO "red telephone box", cleaned it, got it all welded up and sealed off. Then started filling it up, managed to get 3/4 full before it dissapeared through the floor

 

yes, water is heavy . . .

 

I got two stunted carp around 11" earlier this year from a tank owner. Put them in my pond and they have started growing again, the largest carp has grown another inch or so in length and both have put on weight . . .

 

They seem much happier in the pond, they can now turn around

 

The original keeper then decked the tank out with tropicals . . it looks much better

[craig mason]

i have kept some koi at home in a tank like you but when they got to big i built an indoor pool in my conservatory for them witch they lived in for about five years before finally moving into a 20ft by 20ft koi pool last year

[chesters1]

i was surprised on revisiting (this was many years ago) a childhood friends parents ,on seeing their goldfish i remarked that they looked the same ones as they had some 15 years before ,i was astonished to learn they WERE the same ones ,fish kept in tanks grow only to the size the tank allows ,a combination of light air water temp and movement determins the size ,if the fish were moved to a larger tank they would grow larger untill they stopped again only in ideal conditions of a lake etc would they grow fully over in the uk even lakes arnt ideal compare foreign carp sizes with ours a lake is just a big fishtank after all ,the food aspect on growth hardly enters the equation you just get fat fish or skinny ones the lenght is hardly affected ,overcrowding is the biggest factor more fish less air ,more stress etc the only fish as far as i know that benefit from overcrowding are lake malawi cichlids they are terribly terratorial and fight anything invading their "patch" the more fish the smaller the patch to fight over the less fighting goes on

 

[ 15. January 2003, 07:54 PM: Message edited by: chesters1 ]

[peter mccue]

We must of course remember that fish have a set growing period like most animals. Once they have lived beyond that period, then no matter how big a tank you put them in they will not grow any more...they may well get fatter but will not grow any longer.

 

I remember reading a report on stunted fish, which suggested that there was a natural automatic chemical control that was provided by the fish themselves.

 

What they felt happened, was that a certain amount of fish in a given body of water would produce an overall level of chemicals through bodily functions. When the number of fish increased in the lake to a point where it was unsustainable, these now high chemical levels slowed or halted the growth of the fish.

 

To be honest I've seen lots of fish outgrow their tank,& if the above theory has any merit, then it could be explained by regular water changes, filtration etc all take chemicals out of the water.

 

Chesters, nice to see you back on the forum.

 

Incidentally Goldfish can live - in good conditions - up to 25 years!

[strider]

so far so good, big thanks to you all for your valued opinions please keep them coming in, as not only does it help me to decide but others can gain the useful information. BIG THANKS