hi

[chrisgriffin]

hello, i currently own one aquarium, but will own 2 more in the coming months. it's a fahaka with a pleco, it's 29 gallons, please continue reading, i am currently seeking out a 125 gallon aquarium TODAY for the fahaka as it's been over 40 days and he hasn't grown from 0'5 inches. i've kept him alive and healthy, i've medicated and everything. however the best i can do right now is purchase the 125 gallon top fin aquarium from petsmart with that horrible stand that can't handle water during black-friday when it's 50% off.

my parents don't seem much interested in this hobby as i am, i've kept fish for a long time. i feel so bad for my fahaka, please don't be rude, it was kind of a bad decision on my end to purchase a fahaka with only a 29 gallon but i had everything planned, i didn't know it was out-of-the-ordinary for them to grow so slow.

black friday is in like 1 month, and i'm not sure if he'll live to see it.

the pleco is fine, he's a bristlenose so will probably be living in the 29 gallon permanently.

 

[Deadeye]

Welcome to the forum!
What are you feeding the fahaka and how often? How often do you do water changes, and what are your water parameters?
Puffers tend to be slow growers, but no noticeable growth for a month (especially for a fahaka) is definitely weird. I’d expect that to be more a product of husbandry than tank size though (it’s pretty common practice to start large fish in small tanks so they don’t get lost in the big system).
If possible, try to shoot for a 180 for the fahaka. The extra 6 inches in width would make a big difference (but a 125 will suffice).
Check facebook marketplace - I got a 125 with a stand for pretty cheap (the stand did need some work).

 

[chrisgriffin]

i've been feeding the fahaka bloodworms and i've been cultivating a snail farm slowly to get an infinite supply of food for him, i know he'll eventually need the snails for his "beak" to trim down, but maybe he'll just use the rocks in the aquarium for now.
i don't really have much time to test the parameters currently, but the tank was cycled prior to putting fish in and only experienced a minor algae bloom and with the combined efforts of the pleco and me i managed to get it under control.

husbandry? i hope not, i've been treating him really well, maybe it's the food, should i be feeding him shrimp or cut up crayfish?

 

[SilverArowanaBoi]

hello, i currently own one aquarium, but will own 2 more in the coming months. it's a fahaka with a pleco, it's 29 gallons, please continue reading, i am currently seeking out a 125 gallon aquarium TODAY for the fahaka as it's been over 40 days and he hasn't grown from 0'5 inches. i've kept him alive and healthy, i've medicated and everything. however the best i can do right now is purchase the 125 gallon top fin aquarium from petsmart with that horrible stand that can't handle water during black-friday when it's 50% off.

my parents don't seem much interested in this hobby as i am, i've kept fish for a long time. i feel so bad for my fahaka, please don't be rude, it was kind of a bad decision on my end to purchase a fahaka with only a 29 gallon but i had everything planned, i didn't know it was out-of-the-ordinary for them to grow so slow.

black friday is in like 1 month, and i'm not sure if he'll live to see it.

the pleco is fine, he's a bristlenose so will probably be living in the 29 gallon permanently.

Welcome to the fun group!

 

[Deadeye]

i've been feeding the fahaka bloodworms and i've been cultivating a snail farm slowly to get an infinite supply of food for him, i know he'll eventually need the snails for his "beak" to trim down, but maybe he'll just use the rocks in the aquarium for now.
i don't really have much time to test the parameters currently, but the tank was cycled prior to putting fish in and only experienced a minor algae bloom and with the combined efforts of the pleco and me i managed to get it under control.

husbandry? i hope not, i've been treating him really well, maybe it's the food, should i be feeding him shrimp or cut up crayfish?

How often do you clean? A buildup of nitrates tends to slow growth.
They don’t really bite at rocks to file the beak down. If he will take small shrimp you can feed that. I wouldn’t be too worried about the beak at this size though.

 

[chrisgriffin]

Welcome to the fun group!

thanks!

How often do you clean? A buildup of nitrates tends to slow growth.
They don’t really bite at rocks to file the beak down. If he will take small shrimp you can feed that. I wouldn’t be too worried about the beak at this size though.

i think the not cleaning the tank enough is the problem, sorry for the late response by the way, i only clean it like 1-2 times a week, should probably start doing that more, surprised it hasn't harmed him yet.

 

[dmyersWv]

How much water are you changing when you clean? Tank appearance doesn't matter to the fish. Water quality will make a huge difference.

 

[chrisgriffin]

about 20%-25%, is that bad? i also use aqueon water conditioner after

 

[dmyersWv]

Sounds good. Do you take water tests for ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites? High levels of these will slow growth and cause health issues.

 

[chrisgriffin]

very rarely, honestly i only really did when the tank was cycling, i never really saw a need for it after.

kind of bad behavior on my end, i thought i knew everything, tomorrow i'll test, what are unacceptable levels? all i really know is that ammonia shouldn't be zero at the beginning, but then it should be high (adding food or bacteria), and then it should get extremely low or back to zero.