Size vs age

[Mta472]

Roughly how old is a 1.5 inch discus, (not counting the tail) ?

How about a 4 inch?

Enjoy the day.........Mike

[Merrilyn]

Oh wow, now there's a question to ponder :scratch

So many other factors come into play, that it's almost impossible to answer.

A healthy, well grown discus raised in the best possible conditions, with good quality food, lots of water changes and plenty of room to grow, could be anything from 7 to 9 months old, and reach 6 inches by 12 months.

On the other hand, I've seen a fish raised in poor conditions, that barely reached 4 inches at 4 years of age.

Probably a better guide to age is the length of the ventral fins. They continue to grow through out the life of the fish. Obviously the shorter they are, the younger the fish.

The size of the eye is another good indicator. A relatively small eye in a large fish equals excellent growth.

An overly large eye on a small fish equals poor growth.

As a general rule, if you were to measure the size of the eye, it should fit seven times along the first stress bar (the one that goes through the eye or just behind it). But that's a very rough guide.

[Mta472]

Thanks for the answer...and the education...Mike