What's more important for a fish's growth rate -- more water changes or more food?

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hulk181

hulk181

Gambusia
MFK Member
Jul 23, 2012
183
2
18
Cerritos CA
What do you think is the single biggest factor in how fast your fish will grow? Let's say you do water change 1 x a week for a moderately stocked tank full of 3" cichlids but feed them good quality pellets like Massivore. Would your fish grow faster if instead you did twice a week water changes and gave them food that isn't so good or pricey?

I know the best answer is more WC and better food, but if you could only pick 1, which would it be?
 
water conditions, adequate room, solid nutrition, seem to all play a big role. Also important is where the fish came from the breeder, parents, etc. True most don't think about that with fish but it does matter. A generic petsmart, petco fish is unlikely to be as healthy as dedicated breeder's fish will be.
 
The fish is only going to eat but so much no matter how much you try to feed it.The water has to be kept clean do to the wastes that are constantly produced by the fish so,to answer your question,water is more important.
 
Interesting discussion, I agree it has to be a balance of both food and water conditions, but ultimately IMO it is tank space that will give good growth, over both nutrition and water conditions. The increase in growth and appetite I have seen in my fish (plecs, black aro, geophagus) since moving from a 400L tank to a 2000L tank is huge. The water in the 400L was always good with regular large water changes (far higher percentage than they get in the big tank), and the water temp/parameters and diet haven't changed at all since moving tanks.

I am 100% convinced and would be willing to put money on there being considerable difference in growth rate and size of two identical groups of fish being raised in identical conditions with the one difference being tank size, as I have seen it with my own eyes with a wide range of species from cichlids to loaches, polypterus to plecs. Big tanks = big fish.
 
David R said:
Interesting discussion, I agree it has to be a balance of both food and water conditions, but ultimately IMO it is tank space that will give good growth, over both nutrition and water conditions. The increase in growth and appetite I have seen in my fish (plecs, black aro, geophagus) since moving from a 400L tank to a 2000L tank is huge. The water in the 400L was always good with regular large water changes (far higher percentage than they get in the big tank), and the water temp/parameters and diet haven't changed at all since moving tanks.

I am 100% convinced and would be willing to put money on there being considerable difference in growth rate and size of two identical groups of fish being raised in identical conditions with the one difference being tank size, as I have seen it with my own eyes with a wide range of species from cichlids to loaches, polypterus to plecs. Big tanks = big fish.
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Agreed^ Always see a Big jump in growth when Baby fish are introduce to My main Tank.
 
Its all important but I agree with tank space and stress levels being very key. Ive seen way faster growth in my 1400 gallon tank then ive ever seen before. Ive always kept my water quality pristine and fed the same diet I do in there now and I have actually cut my overall feeding down since everything has been introduced so space is really the only factor thats changed.

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