matildanz Posted December 20, 2010 Report Share Posted December 20, 2010 I have four Zebra loaches in my community tank. Three were bought together from our LFS and one about a week or so later just over 2 months ago. Now that they've gotten used to their new tank and coming out in bulk, I've realised there's a whopping size difference in them. Sorry about the pics :roll: The other two are fractionally larger than the tiddler but nothing like the monster leviathan! Thankfully he seems to be quite placid although he'll see off any intruder that encroaches into his space under the log! Is this extreme growth in just over 2 months?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malevolentsparkle Posted December 20, 2010 Report Share Posted December 20, 2010 were they all the same size when you got them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matildanz Posted December 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2010 yep, all the same size. Four little tiddlers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henward Posted December 21, 2010 Report Share Posted December 21, 2010 You get that. With clown loaches, you will find out of a large group. Some growth rate is spectacular. I just recently purchased a somewhat large group. Interesting the dynamics of the school changes dramatically from a handful to a shoal. You will find that some grow so fast, others seem like they don’t grow much at all. Body shape is different too. Some get longer, some get talker and thicker vertically. Even my larger ones are like this. Some just have a different body shape, bgody length and growth rate. Genetics perhaps. Maybe from different parts of the river? Who knows. I find that in my big school – maybe 10% are much faster growers, I can see they will get big fast and the bigger they get, the more they eat and the more they eat the faster they get bigger…make sense? Hahaha Some of my small ones I got all the same size, and some are almost double the others, some are 50% the size and some are still small and does not look like they grew much at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malevolentsparkle Posted December 21, 2010 Report Share Posted December 21, 2010 might be to do with group dynamics? leader gets bigger? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matildanz Posted December 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2010 I think he's probably head honcho. He doesn't chase other fish away from food but I dare say he's the one who'll clear up all the leftovers!! I guess there's no reason why fish aren't the same as people - you get 2m tall people and then you get me!! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henward Posted December 21, 2010 Report Share Posted December 21, 2010 could be but observing - there is no agro towards another they get to eat. could be a hormone they release as alpha some animals change gender. maybe as alpha or dominant fish, they get bigger with a certain hormone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted December 21, 2010 Report Share Posted December 21, 2010 Ive got 6 of the Botia Histronica in a large loach only tank with about 30 similar sized loaches and have noticed with most of the loach species that the growth rate can vary immensely, i've got 1 thats easily doubled in size within a couple of months and a couple that dont seem to have grown at all although they were the same size when they went in about 1 yr ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matildanz Posted December 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2010 Good to know that my fish are about as normal as everything else in this house then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfishybuisness Posted December 21, 2010 Report Share Posted December 21, 2010 I just recently purchased a somewhat large group. :lol: just a little bigger than everyone elses ae :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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