Burst growth in guppy/platy fry?

[epicfish]

I kept all my fry (~20) in a small small growout vase, like 1 gallon. I fed them every day, no noticeable growth.

Once they got a tad bit bigger so that they couldn't be eaten, I decided to throw them all into the main tank. In mere days, they grew 3x, 4x what they did in the past week they were in the tiny growout tank. I did 50% WC twice a week in the tiny tank...what the heck happened?!

 

[emill1404]

I may be talking out my rear end but I have been told by some people more knowledgeable with livebearers that they don't grow as much if kept in confined spaces (breeding traps, small containers/tanks). I think they produce some type of hormone that inhibits growth, and that can be problematic in small tanks, even with frequent water changes. Anyone else know more about this?

 

[evedamnededen]

my 3 guppies are still super slow at growing, they are in a 10 gallon tank for the past 6 months now and are still only an inch long. i used to keep them in a smaller tank for the first weeks(25% water change every day) and then put them in the 10 gallon. i also do water changes frequently(probably 30% every other day)

i guess they grow depending on if they like you or not...lol...j/k...i think it might be because my water comes from lake michigan, and lake michigan water sucks.

 

[webcricket]

A 1 gallon vase is not a grow-out sized container, especially considering you had 20 fry in there - you're lucky they're growing now in the bigger sized tank and were not stunted by the vase. In the future you may want to get either a bigger tank for fry, or set-up a large rubbermaid container to keep them in.

 

[kraemerwa2003]

Warmer temperatures can also be extremely helpful in them growing (80-86*)

 

[jm1212]

the 1 gallon vase may have very mildly stunted them, but since they may have started growing again, they will get to a little smaller than the normal adult size