75 with 14" jaguar cichlid

[Rbishop]

when i explained the cause of stunting, i didnt mean that is what i want to do to keep him small, i dont want to keep him small, stunt him, or do anything unhealthy for him. i want him to grow big and healthy as possible. i do 50% water change once a week. i explained that to show what i believe as the best explanation of stunting in small tanks and that i understand it enough to do what i can to minimize the impact on my fish. in the end i wont give him up because i do not feel that the 75 is a bad place for him, and i cant go any bigger. so he will stay in the 75 with me. i appreciate the concern, it is nice to see people concerned for the fish, but i dont think its as bad as it is coming across to you.

I don't believe for a second you do not have concern for the jag. It takes a lot of care and commitment.

When I left VA and moved to CT (military move), we broke down/sold/gave away 40 tanks and hundreds of fish. The most difficult to part with for me was the jags and red devils. Considering all of them started at 1 - 1 1/2" and none of them were under 8" and the jags were at 14-16".

The only two redeeming factors were the new equipment I got in trade for the local LFS taking them in and the fact they all went into a huge 1500 gal tank.

As I find more articles on stunting, I will post. By the way, does your jag toss a ping pong ball back to you yet? I had two that did and you can not imagine the entertainment that provided for our boys.

 

[reptileguy2727]

thanks, i forgot about oscars playing with ping pong balls, so that would be a good idea for the jag. my prediction though is that he will look at it but keep paying attention to me, he is very oriented to trying to scare me away.

 

[tonytheboss1]

realistically, there's not much more he can do but look at you & be pissed :mad2: . Wouldn't you be?? The advice myself & others here have offered is in the best interest of the fish. It is not an attack on you or your abilities. Alot of my experience is from research & exchanges w/ fellow aquarist but some of it is from personal 'nitemares'!! Against all advice I too thought I could keep a 'big fish' in a 'small box'. It was a pacu in a 100gl tank. To make a long story short came home one morning to broken tank, dead pacu & water damage in the $hundreds$. I got him at 2"s, he died at 15"(R.I.P. :sad: ) he might have made it to to 20"+ if placed in a proper tank (350gl or larger) but it was a learning experience. NEVER again will I take on a fish that I can't house properly!! You seem to have your mind made up & determination is a GOOD thing in certain instances but some times it can be a hinderance.

 

[reptileguy2727]

this isnt a pacu, their behaviors and sizes are different. my experience is also form research and talking with fellow aquarists, and i have found that this setup is good enough, not ideal, but it shoudl be fine. i know you guys would love to see him in a huge display tank, i would too, but thats not what i can afford and i dont think its bad, and especially not bad enough to warrant getting rid of him.

 

[dorkfish]

I think your wrong there, pacus can only grow so big (as well as any other fish) before it dies, and since it died early (and so did the tank), thats about how big it got. Also, pacus are suposed to be very skittish for the most part, there pretty much huge neons when it comes to behavior, AND, if you've read that pacus only get to 12", you need a better source of info.

 

[reptileguy2727]

who are you replying to? i said sizes and behaviors are different. you said they are skittish which was the biggest behavioral difference i was thinking of. size depends on who you talk to. i have heard everything from 12-36+" for pacus, which is bigger than jags. and its not size that dictates longevity the way your wording make sit sound.

 

[dorkfish]

what I was trying to say was that longevity dictates size, but I read your post wrong so I did'nt exactly know what I was saying.

 

[reptileguy2727]

not necessarily. many small fish can live for quite a while. size is dictated by genetics of the species. longevity is dictated by the same. many factors can harmfully decrease either.

 

[mesia]

i understand the huge difference between living and thriving, i usually have to explain it to people. i do think the 75 is pretty good. im not saying it wouldnt be better if he was in a bigger tank, of course it would be, but i cant really do anything about it. this is the best i can do and i think it is very good, much better than anynone i know with cichlids. he is staying in the 75 and it is a good enough home.

You obviously are not understanding ANYTHING that the other members have posted in this thread.
My question is why do you keep insisting you are right ? It's painfully obvious that the tank is WAY too small for a fish of that size, yet with every post telling you this, you get on the defensive and try and prove your skills and knowledge as a fish keeper ? Honestly man, get a bigger tank or give the fish away becasue what you are doing is blatant animal cruelty. It's akin to the way full grown bears are kept in tiny cages in russia and china for the entertainment of tourists. You obviously dont care for the physical and mental well being of your fish and to argue that thats the best you could afford is bull****. If you did your 'research' and knew the potential size of the fish why did you purchase it knowing full well you couldnt provide it with an adequet home ? You try to come across as this expert, but you are either really stupid or really stubborn. Seeing the way people like you abuse fish then try and rationalize your selfish need to keep an animal way out of your league makes me SO mad :mad2:

 

[tonytheboss1]

this isnt a pacu, their behaviors and sizes are different. my experience is also form research and talking with fellow aquarists, and i have found that this setup is good enough, not ideal, but it shoudl be fine. i know you guys would love to see him in a huge display tank, i would too, but thats not what i can afford and i dont think its bad, and especially not bad enough to warrant getting rid of him.

:thud: You're missing the point. Of course pacus & jags are different! The story was about 'big fish / small box'. Had he been housed properly it is less likely he would have crashed the tank causing his early death (15 mo.) & tons $$$ of damage! Given the proper environment & care he would have lived much longer & grown much larger!! I only pass this on as a 'don't let this happen to you', scenario. Your insistance will either be your success or your downfall. I truly hope for the former but ultimately fear the latter!! Good Luck