Large cichlid growth rate advice....

I have had 'Porkchop' the Pearsei since October 2012 when I got it at 5" from madness. Ive put a lot of time and money into this fish and was hoping for a much bigger fish and seem to have hit the growth plateau.... seems to be stuck at the 12" mark for some time now.

I have not caught the fish and measured it out of water but I have placed a tape against the glass when it has had its nose up there and measured that way. I know growth does slow down when they get bigger but Ive read that they hit 14" in three years which is pretty much the age of mine. Have not sexed the fish, but would guess female. I know that limits size a bit but not unheard of for a female pearsei to hit 14".

It had shared a tank with two other 8" cichlids (midas, bifa) and when I got rid of them recently I think I saw a small growth spurt (maybe 1/4").

So looking for some advice here, Do you think Ive reached the maximum size on this fish or should I be patient and wait a bit longer? Seems like a waste of a 210g when I could just house it in a 72g bow and it would be just fine.

I haven't grown many large cichlids. But I do grow large fish. In my experience the internet has been wrong for growth rates. For instance Hank was supposed to hit 18 inches in the first year, and only got about 7 inches.

Some factors that go into growing a fish that many people don't think about. Temperature? Temp regulates the metabolism. This can speed up the growth of a fish IF they are being fed enough. If not enough food is fed, it can actually cause them to grow slower as they're burning more energy.

Another one is current. Koi breeders use deep ponds and currents to make their fish fight against it. This builds muscle which puts size on also.

This is obviously assuming good food and lots of water changes which is a given, but I only mention it in case someone else reads this thread in the future, so they know those are the 2 biggest factors.

They do slow down. What I have noticed is that fish are a lot like humans. Some grow really fast and then slowly peter out, while others grow at a steady rate, and then some really slow for a while and then "pow", they hit a growth spurt.

I dont know much about Pearsi, and only know personally, you and drd that have them, Darrens is close to 14".

It could be that both your Midas and Bifa were males, and it is true that males that are, or want to be the alpha males, will produce a hormone into the tank that will stunt the growth or slow down the growth of other tank mates.

I havent seen your fish in a while, but I would venture to bet that if you pulled it and measured it. it would be closer to the 14" mark. I say this because I thought that my male Festae was around the 12" mark maybe smaller, and when I transferred it I measured him and he was almost 14".

And IMO if all you want is a wet pet with the Pearsi, I would put it in the bow front, and use the 210 for something new.   

Thanks guys for your replies. I do keep the temp at about 80 so no big burst in growth there. I have heard of people power feeding and raising temps up pretty high to increase metabolism. I tried for steady growth at a moderate temp to shoot for a long lifespan.

Quite a while back I had to do something and pulled out Pork Chop and she was touching nose to tail in a 5g bucket which is 11-1/2" across. When she is in the tank with her nose at the glass I measure and only get 12". I think I did see a bit of growth when the two other cichlids were removed but like I said maybe only 1/4" at most. This was also feeding the Southern delight food at the same time.

I think I will give it a bit more time but if I dont see anything significant I may just put her in the bowfront and try something that grows bigger in the 210g. Been thinking of a Fahaka puffer....

I also had posted on MFK on this and pretty much what every Pearsei owner said, 14" in three years was pretty common. I think mine is just a bit smaller and probably done growing.