My Platy won't grow.

[Nostrathomas]

I have a Platy that is about 5 months old. I found it inside the canister filter as I was preparing to clean it out. I moved it to one of my 14 gallon tanks so my angelfish wouldn't be tempted to snack on it. It was tiny then, and not much bigger now, about 5 months later. It seems healthy enough, eats fine, swims around alot,but it just won't get any bigger. Is there such a thing as a runt fish? I've read that high nitrate levels can hinder a fishes growth, but I've had several fish born in that tank and they grew fine. The other Platys from that batch are normal size now. Anyone else ever have a fish that just wouldn't grow?

 

[Newman]

Yah there are runt fish, most often seen in large amounts of livebearer fry. theyre often the ones being constantly chased. out of my 3 sword fry, one is constantly being chased by the other two. she is paler in color and is smaller than the others (still is from the same brood)

I've also found few day old fry in my fluval canister and returned them to my tank. they did fine as well. out of the 9 fry i had i have only 3 now, so whether the survivors are the three fry i pulled from the filter, i just dont know. BTW i blame all my fry loss on my goldfish.

Its possible that your fish is a runt. how long has it been stuck in the filter for? i mean its a dark environment thats pretty gross to be around. maybe it did get stunted because of that.

 

[Nostrathomas]

He could've been in there for a week or so. The tank is heavily planted, so it's very easy to not notice fry. I didn't look for the other fry until after I found him in the filter. I found 8 other ones, removed them and they all made it, and have grown. I was thinking that since he was the only one in the filter and he's the only one not growing, that there is a connection there. I don't know what it is, but it seems like him being stuck there has something to do with it. Nothing wrong with the little fella that I can see, he's just not gonna get any bigger, lol. I have him with some mollies and his brothers and sisters now, and he hasn't been bullied yet. I still feed him crushed flakes. I still have the parents and I keep a closer eye on them now so I'll know when to expect more fry. Like most livebearers they are practically always pregnant. Anyway, thanks for the reply.

 

[Newman]

Also it could be a gene screw up. glad to hear hes not having much trouble and is living happily. thats what counts.

 

[MissFishy]

The first month of a fry's life is the most important to size. Fry need small feedings several times a day to reach their full potential, if they don't get it within that time period, their growth can be stunted for good.