2006-12-13 08:16:53 · 6 answers · asked by Taiesha E 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
Actually, I think your project would be more accurate if you demonstrated that fish grow no matter what size tank you put them in.
It is a common myth that fish won't outgrow their tank, and if you put them in a huge tank, they will not necessarily grow huge.
Take a neon tetra, for example. I have neon tetras in my 100 gallon tank, and they are pretty old - but they are only about an inch long.
On the other side of the coin, if you put a goldfish into a tiny cup, it will still grow. The reason they don't grow to their normal size is because they die first.
Fish grow just like other animals grow - they eat food, their bodies converts this food into energy and extracts the nutrients needed (calcium for bones, protein for muscle etc). The cell count increases and the fish gets bigger. There is no magic that controls the size of a fish, except their DNA.
Same goes with people. If you keep a kid in a small closet and feed him crappy food, he won't grow very big, even if his parents are both 6'5. If he lives to adult hood, he will be stunted. However, the same child, kept in a good, healthy environment and fed properly, will reach his potential height. But he won't grow any bigger. Same goes for fish.
2006-12-13 08:26:13 · answer #1 · answered by Zoe 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A lot of fish actually release a hormone and if not taken out of the water, like during a water change, it can actually stunt a fish. That is why when a fish that is kept in something too small the fish doesn't always grow to it's full potential since it builds up faster and if someone can not provide a fish with what it needs as far as a proper size tank they usually don't keep up water changes and other things that need to be done when you have a tank. Having a fish that stays smaller may sound good but the insides of the fish don't stop like the outside does and as the fish gets older the organs become more and more crammed together and can eventually cause the fish to die.
2006-12-13 17:49:11 · answer #2 · answered by Nunya Biznis 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
As a matter of fact yes but....it depends on the kind of fish and the environment in which they live. for example some fish grow to a certain size maybe an inch long, they could have the biggest tank, perfect water temp and everything else controled. but over the years this fish stays the same. its becuase of genetics. maybe you have two or more fish in the tank if one of them dies the other may grow larger because it i has more room to grow. this is more common with gold fish, during the summers we put gold fish in the stock tanks to keep the water clean. during the course of a couple months these fish grow to be big enough to eat, when one of the other fish in the tank died the one that was left nearly doubled in size!!
2006-12-13 17:04:44 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Unfortunately I do not know how fish grow but I do know that certain species, like catfish, will only get as big as their environment will allow. A ten gallon tank: you have a very small catfish. A lake: you have huge catfish. Good luck on your research.
2006-12-13 16:31:21 · answer #4 · answered by tinar92 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would listen to Zoe she knows a lot about fish
2006-12-13 16:35:06 · answer #5 · answered by Shaebee27 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
how do you grow?
from the food you eat and the environment you live in...
simple.
2006-12-13 17:18:49 · answer #6 · answered by professorminh 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋