# All my fish are Not growing!



## BaoBeiZhu

I ve always had this problem, everyone talks about how big their monsters gets!
but for some reason, my fish just dont grow.. 
my frontosa didnt grow, then i gave it to my uncle it went from 2inches to 4 inches in 1 month
and my fahaka i just bought 3 months ago, didnt grow at all!
its in a 210 by itself!
and yes i do feed them everyday, i feed them krill/bloodworms

someone help me out here.. =(


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## fan4guppy

3 keys i find to fishkeeping, Nutrition, Water Chemistry (with proper filtration, etc.) and area.


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## BaoBeiZhu

whats up running right now is a 210 with fx5 filtration, is that enough filtration?
or should i add another pump?


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## fan4guppy

The Fx5 filtration system is good for tanks up to 400 gallons. 

You should be good there ... 

How often do you feed your fish, and what you feed are most important I do believe the fish you have is a puffer they really like crab and other types of food...

The puffers have beaks to crush crab, and lobster shells perhaps they eat but the need more nutrition and variety in their diet.


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## Pamelajo

How often do you do water changes? I try to do at least 2 water changes a week on fry tanks but I miss the extra one then make sure to do at least 50 - 75%. Most of my fish are okay with big water changes as I don't alter the ph. with the exception of my snail tank, they don't like big water changes.


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## Mferko

i think other fahaka keepers setup a small tank to breed marble crayfish to feed the puffers, helps keep their beak worn down


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## fan4guppy

Care and feeding:
The Fahaka Puffer or Globe Fish are carnivores. Their natural diet consists of insects, mollusks, and crustaceans; so snails, crabs, crayfish and shrimp would be good choices as food. In an aquarium they will also eat small fish and can sometimes be trained to eat freeze dried krill. This puffer should be fed every other day while small, decreasing this to just two or three times per week as an adult.
Puffers have strong teeth that grow throughout their lives. They need to be offered hard shelled live food often to keep their teeth worn down. Acceptable foods include shellfish, crustaceans and hard shelled foods such as snails will help wear down the teeth. If the teeth get too long, they will be unable to eat, requiring the owner to clip the teeth.
Since puffers do not have gill covers or scales, they are thought to be more susceptible to diseases, nitrite, nitrate and ammonia levels. Consequently they are not a good fish to cycle an aquarium with. Also because they usually don't eat all of their food (messy eaters!), these fish will usually put more load on the aquarium filtration requiring more frequent water changes and better maintenance in general. A generous weekly water change of 30% to 50% is the standard recommendation for a puffer aquarium. 
They are not particularly fast growing so smaller specimens can be kept for some time in a relatively small tank. Eventually you'll need a minimum of a 30 to 40 gallon tank to house an adult, but preferably a 100+ gallon to give your pet the best. This pufferfish is predominantly a freshwater species, though it can be kept in lightly brackish conditions.


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## darb

water changes are important, not only to keep nitrates down but it also removes hormones secreted by the fish and other "stuff" and replenishments lost elements in the water.

filtration only really manages physical matter, ammonia and nitrates and possibly a little more depending on other media such as carbon, purigen, NP biomedia, etc.


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## hgi

Yea I find that water changes are the main key to growing out a fish cause it's removing the "hormones secreted by the fish". I had a member/friend tell me that fish also release a hormone that slows their growing rate and the only way to remove this is by water changes, I've also heard(a member on here) that they do 50% water changes every day on their grow out tanks and they get noticeable results by doing so. I personally wouldn't recommend doing that much water every day on a 200g+ tank though, not to add you'd have to be vary careful not to throw your tank back into a cycle as well.... I haven't been able to find any truth facts about the whole hormones thing so it's a myth to me, I just do 50%ish w/c on my tanks weekly and I've noticed my piranha's and my fahaka getting bigger every month.


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## Nanokid

only two things that you need to know about growing out fish

water changes, and lots of food. if you feed 4 times a day, with 50% water changes every day or next day, your set.


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## Adz1

water changes 2 to 3 times a week at a rate of 40% and a good diet are keys to quick growth rate IMO....


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## BaoBeiZhu

water changes it is!
i ll try to do more, but can anyone with BIG tanks tell me how you guys do your water changes?
as it needs to be sit for 24 hours, where do you guys keep such big amount of water?


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## Diztrbd1

might want to get a python for a tank that size. Here's a thread on pythons with a video showing how to use it http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/freshwater-chat-9/python-question-dos-donts-12172/


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## 2wheelsx2

Use a dechlorinator and blend your hot and cold.


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## April

what they all said. wcs. use a python or a magdrive pond pump on the end of a hose. pump out..i use a hose from the laundry tub with the right temp to do wcs. add prime. done..


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## BaoBeiZhu

will be picking up a python tomorrow !
but still dont really understand the python, might need to play with it a bit more and get some floor wet before i can understand it haha
and what do you guys add? the prime?
and i m getting a group of mobas comming in on wednesday, so what do you guys use for the hardness of the water?

thanks!


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## hgi

If you don't understand a python how do you gravel vac????

Prime is good but pricey, there's lots of products out there so just look around they all do the same thing, if you going to be doing a water changer every other day you might want to pick up one of those big jugs of dechlorinator since you'll fly threw a bottle in no time.


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## fan4guppy

BaoBeiZhu said:


> so what do you guys use for the hardness of the water?
> 
> thanks!


Can you explain this quote to me better? Hardness of water in Burnaby BC 

Now for frontosa you do need harder water but the nature of your puffer has different water chemistry that is similar to Burnaby water..

Please explain your intentions with your above statement


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## Sandy Landau

I used to have a big tank but I never let the water sit for 24 hours. No place to do that. I would do twenty percent water changes every 3 days and everything was fine.

This is a longshot but if none of your fish are growing in a tank you could treat for parasites.


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## joker1535

I change 50% of the water in my 75 and 150 every week. And i feed a variety of foods with lots of proteins. I feed my fronts ones a day and my Oscar 2 times a day. My water is always mint! I think water quality is the biggest key for a good growth rate.


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## Adz1

BaoBeiZhu said:


> water changes it is!
> i ll try to do more, but can anyone with BIG tanks tell me how you guys do your water changes?
> as it needs to be sit for 24 hours, where do you guys keep such big amount of water?


i do my water changes with a python and straight from the tap with prime....


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## BaoBeiZhu

fan4guppy said:


> Can you explain this quote to me better? Hardness of water in Burnaby BC
> 
> Now for frontosa you do need harder water but the nature of your puffer has different water chemistry that is similar to Burnaby water..
> 
> Please explain your intentions with your above statement


sorry about the misunderstanding, i m replacing my fahaka with fronts

and i m going to kings ed right now to pick up these equipments!

thanks


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## JUICE

Adz1 said:


> i do my water changes with a python and straight from the tap with prime....


x2 i do big water changes , once a week [email protected]!


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## fan4guppy

BaoBeiZhu said:


> sorry about the misunderstanding, i m replacing my fahaka with fronts
> 
> and i m going to kings ed right now to pick up these equipments!
> 
> thanks


So you are replacing the puffers with Frontosa. That opens up the chemical change of your water now!

There are chemicals on the market that help change the water chemsitry to the water in supplying proper Minerals ...

Also the use of several different substrates is needed to harden the water and to keep the proper PH for the Tanganikan cichlids.


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## BaoBeiZhu

k, so i got all my equipments i hope!
i got the python, intead of of prime K told me to get stablizer and this other water conditioner
and i got my GH/KH powder 
and also my test kit 
and my 6'ft light fixture 
alot of money spent.. well spent? HAH

also selling the fahaka if anyone want it its only 2 inches big


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## BaoBeiZhu

also picked up a korlia 2 for the tank, should i have gotten a bigger one?
also, K was telling me to get crush coral so i dont have to worry about my PH, BUT i already got my silica sand.. can i stick with my sand? if so, everytime i change water my PH drops, what do i do?
or do i Have to use crush coral..? i do see people use silica sand for fronts though..

thanks


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## fan4guppy

There is many ways that you can try to adjust your ph higher for Tanganikan Cichlids 

There are chemicals that are produced by certain companies that aid in the water chemistry for keeping them. Check at your local pet shop for these products I am sure some of the sponsors of this site may have these chemicals also. 

You can also put Substrate in your filter that you are using to help with the water chemistry for the frontosa. Coral Shells are one type of substrate along with other shells in Tanganikan tanks as several species of the lake are shell dwellers.


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## BaoBeiZhu

so far looking so good !
but i just dont think koralia 2 is strong enough yet..
i point it at the undissolved GHpowder and the current barely even reach quarter way through the tank!


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## 2wheelsx2

HK2 is not going to do too much in a 210. I have an HK3 in my 125. You might have to go for an HK4, but IMO, it would be more cost effective to get a Maxijet 600 with the Sureflow mod. You'll get 1600 GPH out of that. The flow would be more directed than an HK though, but the footprint would be smaller and it would be cheaper than an HK4.


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## stingraylord

IMO...Until you get a grasp on better tank maintenance and how to maintain aquariums I would start with a hardier fish and less expensive! First off you need a properly cycled tank. Then the number one thing is water changes at least once a week,proper filtration,proper temperature for the fish you are keeping and food! I have kept and bred fish(even bred frontosa) for over 20yrs and I wouldn't start messing with your ph,hardness etc. All you will end up doing is killing your fish or stressing them out. Just about all fish can adapt to water that comes out the tap. Just use a good water conditioner like prime! People really make this hobby harder then what it really is with non important information!


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## stingraylord

Adz1 said:


> i do my water changes with a python and straight from the tap with prime....


+1 but I drop a pump into my bigger tanks to pull the water out and then use the python to do the gravel and fill it back up.


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## stingraylord

Adz1 said:


> water changes 2 to 3 times a week at a rate of 40% and a good diet are keys to quick growth rate IMO....


Yes! Water changes 2 to 3 times a week are good for nitrite and nitrate sensitive fish!


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## joker1535

stingraylord said:


> IMO...Until you get a grasp on better tank maintenance and how to maintain aquariums I would start with a hardier fish and less expensive! First off you need a properly cycled tank. Then the number one thing is water changes at least once a week,proper filtration,proper temperature for the fish you are keeping and food! I have kept and bred fish(even bred frontosa) for over 20yrs and I wouldn't start messing with your ph,hardness etc. All you will end up doing is killing your fish or stressing them out. Just about all fish can adapt to water that comes out the tap. Just use a good water conditioner like prime! People really make this hobby harder then what it really is with non important information!


Well said! Stability is the key.


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## fan4guppy

stingraylord said:


> IMO...Until you get a grasp on better tank maintenance and how to maintain aquariums I would start with a hardier fish and less expensive! First off you need a properly cycled tank. Then the number one thing is water changes at least once a week,proper filtration,proper temperature for the fish you are keeping and food! I have kept and bred fish(even bred frontosa) for over 20yrs and I wouldn't start messing with your ph,hardness etc. All you will end up doing is killing your fish or stressing them out. Just about all fish can adapt to water that comes out the tap. Just use a good water conditioner like prime! People really make this hobby harder then what it really is with non important information!


I see stingraylord is from Alberta so I can understand the situation in regards to this post  I have to agree the beginning aquarist should think about the fish that are best suited for their aquarium and the tap water that comes out of the tap in regards to fish keeping. And learn the fundamentals of aquarium keeping.

Information and education is there for water chemistry but if the aquarist can not handle the basic fundamentals I agree whole heartedly with Stingray Lord.

Perhaps some cichlids that are more hardy in nature could be put in the aquarium that are more adaptable to this aquarists water parametres that would basically teach them about the general behaviour of the family. Maybe Firemouths or Jack Dempseys?


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## April

go buy aragonite sugar sand. you can mix it with your silica sand wont even show. it will buffer up . our water is like ro but we can get it to 8 with the african buffers..and or by adding aragonite or crushed coral for substrate. 
africans create alot of waste. hence wcs needed . other than that..they are dead easy. hearty fish.


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## BaoBeiZhu

April, but as i do a 50% water change my new water will make it go low to 6.5 or so right?
would the crush coral or aragonite sand buffer it up that fast for the fish not to notice?
cause i dont want to stress out the fish with a PH spike or some sort


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## fan4guppy

BaoBeiZhu just how are you testing your water chemistry? 

Are you using test strips or proper liquid test kits?

Test strips are known to be inaccurate.


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## BaoBeiZhu

the liquid ones 
i have a PH digital that hangs on to the side and just reads off it
for KH GH i have the liquid tests


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