Serious question.

[Hypan]

Not a great topic but I'll get straight to the point.
What do you guys do with the 'runts' in your display tank?

I have a red melon that looks a severum Its a nice fish but a different shape from my other fish and not growing.

[John_Nicholson]

Kill it.

-john

[Hypan]

Just like that?

[Wes]

A plastic sandwich bag and in to the freezer. Take it out on garbage day. It does get a little easier after doing it a couple times.

[John_Nicholson]

Just like that?

Why not?

[ericNH]

I have a discus that I've stunted. I tried to cull him twice but my heart wasn't into it. I've left him the tank, and am resigned to letting him live his life out in there.

[musicmarn1]

if it looked like a severum i would kill it too lol :o

John i have a question, i have a fish thats 5" and it is the one slowest in growth due to being the bottom of the pecking order, i have 11 others in that tank if i kill it, but i dont want another fish taking its place as runt, i have ZERO other fish id be happy about killing in that tank, they are all hopeful breeding prospects, save for the one, healthy but runtish (i wont breed from it and for sure at some point i will cull it)

so if i kill the runtier one, its not sick and not so small its open to problems, are they likely to make another fish im attached to, the runt?

my husband was shocked id kill it but its sub par and its annoying me looking at it in the tank, i just dont want the pecking order to change before i pick my breeding pairs out of the tank

[John_Nicholson]

Theer will almost always be at least one and sometimes two fish on the bottom. If you remove them then someone else becomes the bottom, but if they are adults you don't have to worry about future growth. If the looks don't bother you then I would probably just leave it alone.

-john

[OC Discus]

Marnie,

Someone might be happy to give your 5" fish a new home. You could probably donate it to a local fish store or sell it for $20-$30. It may still have some growth left in another setting if its young. Just sayin.


if it looked like a severum i would kill it too lol :o

John i have a question, i have a fish thats 5" and it is the one slowest in growth due to being the bottom of the pecking order, i have 11 others in that tank if i kill it, but i dont want another fish taking its place as runt, i have ZERO other fish id be happy about killing in that tank, they are all hopeful breeding prospects, save for the one, healthy but runtish (i wont breed from it and for sure at some point i will cull it)

so if i kill the runtier one, its not sick and not so small its open to problems, are they likely to make another fish im attached to, the runt?

my husband was shocked id kill it but its sub par and its annoying me looking at it in the tank, i just dont want the pecking order to change before i pick my breeding pairs out of the tank

[Len]

JMO but I'd hesitate to pass it along to someone else even for free as it does little to promote quality in the hobby. It comes down to how much the shape bothers you. If you can live with it and the fish is otherwise healthy, then let it live out it's natural life in your tank, but if it really bothers you then it is best to cull it in a humane fashion.

[kris2341]

I cant bring myself to cull any fish especially since I have killed so many through other more accidental means in the hobby.

with discus, as long as I have space, I dont mind caring for a subpar fish as long as it is healthy. My tap water ensures that any possible breeding attempts fall flat on its face

[kyaw06]

Let the fish live, u r not the breeder, what do u worry about.

[YSS]

Let the fish live, u r not the breeder, what do u worry about.

That's my take.

[pgrhodes1]

Theer will almost always be at least one and sometimes two fish on the bottom. If you remove them then someone else becomes the bottom, but if they are adults you don't have to worry about future growth. If the looks don't bother you then I would probably just leave it alone.

-john

Even with the magic 6 they will ALWAYS pick on one or two??

[John_Nicholson]

Yes....but with the 6 or more the aggression is normally spread out so that it is bearable.

-john

[tvoydan]

I could never bring myself to culling a fish. Generally I let them live out there life in a backup tank or move them to the sump (marine fish).

[Rudustin]

They are cichlids! LOL! Territorial especially at breeding times or feeding time. They can get unreasonably aggressive to others of their own kind. Rufus

[Crunchy]

It really depends, if it's healthy and if we see them more as pets than business, I would keep it. If it's sickly it's better to cull it at any rate.

[monching]

The 8 juvies that my kids gave me last week as Christmas gift I believe are all stunted and one even have a straight flat forehead but love them just the same. They are right in saying if you're not a breeder but a hobbyist/pet lover, just continue to care for it and let it spend it's life as intended to be (your pet).

[DISCUS STU]

Like Wes I've euthanized them in this way it does get easier. Sometimes I've tried to donate them to someone or even gift them to a local pet store, though I'd hate to see them trying to sell for big bucks what I wouldn't sell to anyone.

Usually I do this when I don't have a lot of room my tanks, always limited in an apartment. If they're healthy I often just keep them.