Grow to their environment...

In article ,
says...
fish release a hormone that in high concentrations stops them growing.
Therefore if you change lots of water you get rid of it from the water - if
you don't then it builds up over time and slows their growth.

What you left out is that this is stunting.
By stunting their growth, it affects their internal organs as well and the fish
die sooner.
They just don't stop growing and all is fine.

Could be. I have no personal experience. But I do remember at least
one poster to some aquarium group who claimed if you put the "stunted"
fish into a larger aquarium they then started growing again. Who knows
:-).

One thing I do know, I can find an "expert" almost anywhere who'll tell
me how much and how often to feed my bettas - trouble is, they're all
saying something different.

Sometimes I wonder how much we know about raising any kind of animal.

Not picking on you, TYNK, but how is a relative newbie like me to know
what's right and what's wrong?

--
Homo sapiens is a goal, not a description

Larry Blanchard wrote in news:31pk74F3d2dqbU1
@individual.net:

Not picking on you, TYNK, but how is a relative newbie like me to know
what's right and what's wrong?

That's why I made a point of asking for links to reputable sites with good
-facts- on them, not just people's opinions.

--
http://www.neopets.com/refer.phtml?username=moosespet

On Thu, 09 Dec 2004 00:38:47 GMT, Jon Pike
wrote:

Larry Blanchard wrote in news:31pk74F3d2dqbU1
:

Not picking on you, TYNK, but how is a relative newbie like me to know
what's right and what's wrong?

That's why I made a point of asking for links to reputable sites with good
-facts- on them, not just people's opinions.

There are only opinions. Each of us must research and then go with
what we find most compelling. If you read this newsgroup for long you
will see many opinions expressed. Afraid you are stuck like all of
us, forming your own opinion.

dick

Subject: Grow to their environment...
From: Larry Blanchard
Date: 12/8/2004 6:26 PM Central Standard Time
Message-id:

In article ,
says...
fish release a hormone that in high concentrations stops them growing.
Therefore if you change lots of water you get rid of it from the water -
if
you don't then it builds up over time and slows their growth.

What you left out is that this is stunting.
By stunting their growth, it affects their internal organs as well and the
fish
die sooner.
They just don't stop growing and all is fine.

Could be. I have no personal experience. But I do remember at least
one poster to some aquarium group who claimed if you put the "stunted"
fish into a larger aquarium they then started growing again. Who knows
:-).

One thing I do know, I can find an "expert" almost anywhere who'll tell
me how much and how often to feed my bettas - trouble is, they're all
saying something different.

Sometimes I wonder how much we know about raising any kind of animal.

Not picking on you, TYNK, but how is a relative newbie like me to know
what's right and what's wrong?

You ask a gazzilion Q's in a place where there are folks who know what they're
doing. This is a great place to be. = )
Read many books.
Trial and error.
You mentioned feeding your Betta.
I'm a fancier for nearly 27 yrs and a breeder for 19. What would you like to
know. = )
I recommend feeding twice daily, small amounts.
I prefer feeding flake at one feeding and then either Bloodworms or Brine
Shrimp (frozen not freeze dried) for the other feeding.
I keep some live bearers in the main tank with my females and a resident male.
This way they can have lovely snacks.

In article ,
says...
I recommend feeding twice daily, small amounts.

That's what I'm doing.

I prefer feeding flake at one feeding and then either Bloodworms or Brine
Shrimp (frozen not freeze dried) for the other feeding.

I've been using the Hikari pellets for one and Tetra betta flakes for
the other. Each refuses to eat the other :-). I've tried frozen brine
shrimp - neither likes it. And freezr-dried bloodworms = same thing.
I'll try the frozen bloodworms next.

I keep some live bearers in the main tank with my females and a resident male.
This way they can have lovely snacks.

I just added two platys. Appears to be one male, one female. I may add
another female, I saw somewhere that a male can exhaust a single female.
So far they're too freaked out by the move to do much chasing.

Thanks for the advice.

--
Homo sapiens is a goal, not a description

Subject: Grow to their environment...
From: Larry Blanchard
Date: 12/9/2004 11:48 AM Central Standard Time
Message-id:

In article ,
says...
I recommend feeding twice daily, small amounts.

That's what I'm doing.

I prefer feeding flake at one feeding and then either Bloodworms or Brine
Shrimp (frozen not freeze dried) for the other feeding.

I've been using the Hikari pellets for one and Tetra betta flakes for
the other. Each refuses to eat the other :-). I've tried frozen brine
shrimp - neither likes it. And freezr-dried bloodworms = same thing.
I'll try the frozen bloodworms next.

I keep some live bearers in the main tank with my females and a resident
male.
This way they can have lovely snacks.

I just added two platys. Appears to be one male, one female. I may add
another female, I saw somewhere that a male can exhaust a single female.
So far they're too freaked out by the move to do much chasing.

Thanks for the advice.

Sounds like you're doing a wonderful job.
= )
Bettas tend to be either picky/spoiled, or don't reccognize new foods as food.
Sometimes it just takes time for them to learn.
If ya find frozen Bloodworms, try and get the Hikari brand (call around, but
PetSmart does carry it). It's better than Sally's San Fran brand.
Depending how many fish you're feeding (I don't know how many tanks you have
besides the Betta's tank), you'll have a choice of cubes or a flat pack.
If you have many fish...cubes are nice.
For a few fish...go with the flat pack.
You can break small chunks off.
Thaw before feeding in like a Dixie type cup with a little bit of tank water in
it.
I like to use a medicine dropper (looks like a large eye dropper), or even an
eye dropper would be fine. Just make sure it's not used, and use it for fish
only.
Some use a tooth pick, but I have way too many fish to feed to use that method.
Besides, I like being able to make sure every fish has it's share.
The dropper is the best for feeding African Dwarf Frogs, loaches or other fish
that are a bit shy, as you can give it to them directly. Fish quickly learn
that this thing means food and come eagerly up to it.
Oh..do get another female or even 2. The best ratio for liver bearers is 1 male
to 3 females..but that would depend on how much room you have in the tank.
Keep up the good work!

The truth is, there aren't a lot of people out there willing to front
money up to do actual studies on fish. It's up to us to do our own
research and talk to as many sources as possible. You have to listen to
advice and decide if it fits into "common sense" or "mere speculation"
categories.

For instance, if someone says to you, "a betta's food portion should be
about the size of one of their eyeballs". They had better darn well
tell you why. Without an explanation, it might as well be fiction.
"Because I've done it that way for 22 years" is not an answer by
itself. When someone offers advice, just be sure to have them explain
why and trust your gut.

By the way, bettas have a relatively short digestive track and their
stomach is about the same size as one of their eyeballs. Feeding this
amount helps to gauge safely so that food can pass and not block up
inside the fish.