I have been searching the internet and I can not find any actual scientific information about whether stunted growth in fish actually is harmful or not. What I am looking for is a scientific report or paper of some kind. Can anybody help me?
Stunted growth in fish
- Thread starter fballguy
- Start date
I don't know of any scientific paper, but I think its pretty much proven if you consider gold fish. Most don't live for very long because they are kept in small tank. When kept in large tanks, they can live for 20 years. Personally I consider a shortened lifespan harmful.
I know that isn't what you were looking for, but had to say it.
I know that isn't what you were looking for, but had to say it.
The problem is that it depends too much on the species.
Some fish live in environments where conditions that will stunt them can occur naturally. Areas prone to drought, areas with seasonal drying of rivers, streams, and lakes, areas with small waters with natural barriers. All things that can result in fish being cramped in tiny pools, with inadequate food, and poor water quality. Fish from these areas are better able to tolerate stunting. Let's evaluate that--they can tolerate the conditions. It won't kill them. It's not good for them, it reduces their lifespan, decreases their odds of successful reproduction, but they can survive it.
Other species--lake species, marine species, and tropical species that do not live in areas prone to drought and dewatering events have little to no natural adaptations to conditions that result in stunting. And, while carp and their relatives originally had tolerances for dewatering and stunting, they've been bred and raised in un-natural conditions for so long that this trait has mostly been bred out of them in favor of color and shape selection.
Some fish live in environments where conditions that will stunt them can occur naturally. Areas prone to drought, areas with seasonal drying of rivers, streams, and lakes, areas with small waters with natural barriers. All things that can result in fish being cramped in tiny pools, with inadequate food, and poor water quality. Fish from these areas are better able to tolerate stunting. Let's evaluate that--they can tolerate the conditions. It won't kill them. It's not good for them, it reduces their lifespan, decreases their odds of successful reproduction, but they can survive it.
Other species--lake species, marine species, and tropical species that do not live in areas prone to drought and dewatering events have little to no natural adaptations to conditions that result in stunting. And, while carp and their relatives originally had tolerances for dewatering and stunting, they've been bred and raised in un-natural conditions for so long that this trait has mostly been bred out of them in favor of color and shape selection.
I hope this could help you but, I don't have enough info to know what you are reseaching. Here's a list of "lifetime expectations" and I don't know if they are accurate, so ....don't blame me, as I didn't have anything to do with this site. The info seems 'reasonalbe' .....fballguy said:
Link: (these are not stunted growth fish estimates..)
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/beginnerinfo/a/lifespan.htm
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Joe - I an not impressed with that list at all (& I may have pointed that out before). F-8 puffers IME live to the mid to upper teens, Glowlights average >6 years, ditto most of the other common Tetras. I suspect that these are reports from "average" hobbyists and possibly even community tank fish - whatever the mixture. IMHO and IME, stress is a major life reduction factor. I don't know anyone who has kept a Clown loach either species or solitary who has had any die in less than 20 years, most living much longer (even severely stunted ones). In unspecified tank/upkeep/companions conditions, I would not place bets on any of those fish I listed as even making the ages the list offers.
Joe - If I had thought that you were directly involved, I would have been kinder - sorta/maybe. 
I suspect that most of the community types are short-changed on the list. The oddballs and higher aggression fish looker closer - excepting the F-8s, the fish with which I have most experience. There I would suspect the fish were kept in FW. Five years is about right for that, cutting the lifespan to about a third of what it should be.
Few fish in the wild live mixed. Schoolers do just that, excepting cory cats where multiple species merge onto mixed species schools fairly freely. "Communities" are IMHO high stress situations more often than not. Move the same species into suitable species or near-species tanks and from my experience I'd bet on at least 1/3 increase in average lifespan for the schoolers, that much or more for the territorials. Some adjustment of sex ratios may be required (desirable for either community or species setups) to keep the females alive.
Add to that the lethal combo of insufficient info amd lack of QT for most hobby tanks, and you get short-lived fish - but it is not really natural causes.
More than a third of my tanks are definitely geriatric - but I cannot bring myself to trade off a fish either born in my tanks or purchased as a baby which is now a teenager. Even if I am a little bit bored with them, I certainly owe them something.
I suspect that most of the community types are short-changed on the list. The oddballs and higher aggression fish looker closer - excepting the F-8s, the fish with which I have most experience. There I would suspect the fish were kept in FW. Five years is about right for that, cutting the lifespan to about a third of what it should be.
Few fish in the wild live mixed. Schoolers do just that, excepting cory cats where multiple species merge onto mixed species schools fairly freely. "Communities" are IMHO high stress situations more often than not. Move the same species into suitable species or near-species tanks and from my experience I'd bet on at least 1/3 increase in average lifespan for the schoolers, that much or more for the territorials. Some adjustment of sex ratios may be required (desirable for either community or species setups) to keep the females alive.
Add to that the lethal combo of insufficient info amd lack of QT for most hobby tanks, and you get short-lived fish - but it is not really natural causes.
More than a third of my tanks are definitely geriatric - but I cannot bring myself to trade off a fish either born in my tanks or purchased as a baby which is now a teenager. Even if I am a little bit bored with them, I certainly owe them something.
