[TerrOr]

???

 

[PIRANHNUT]

To tell you the truth I really don't know the answer to that question.There have been alot of people to ask me that and I still don't know.Whether it is species choosen,feeding,tank size,water changes or what have you.I'm sure all of it contributes to the big picture but until somebody really donates some serious time and resources to this topic I don't think it'll be fully answered.

 

[o snap its eric]

Mt theory is that since pygos feed mainly on meat which is protein which is important to muscle growth as well has physical growth. Serras feed on fruits and seed and occasionally small whole fish which doesnt have the nutrience to grow as rapid as meat eaters hence they are slow growing. IE: Giant tortise eats only veggie and they grow slow and old which lions and tigers eat only meat and they grow fast and strong but doesnt have the same longevity as a tortise. Another example, people who work out eat protien bars and such because its proven that they grow bigger and faster. Catch my drift?

 

[PIRANHNUT]

Good point!But most if not all piranhas include meat in their diet.Some species do indeed eat way more vegi matter and seeds than meat and fins but meat is included to a small degree

 

[TerrOr]

Dont pygos eat a lot more than serras?

 

[InSinUAsian]

IMO i think that pygos grow faster then serras due to the fact that there is competiton to out grow others in the same school. Since serras are usuallysolitary there is no competition with other fish in the same tank to grow fast. I think that if a pygo was solitary in its own tank it would grow just as slow as a serra.

Ohh and just as a comparison, and maybe this applies only to spilo and not other serras, but my spilo school behaves much like my old pygo school. Not much differnce except a little more aggression. Feeding, growth and activity are all pretty much the same as when I had equal sized schools of reds. I think that its the school enviroment that pushes the fish to grow faster. Each fish trying to out compete the others to be the biggest and usually most dominant.

That is why i think that serra's usually grow slower then their schooling pygo counterparts. Just my two cents.

~Dj

 

[o snap its eric]

I still think its because of the meat.

Pygo is pretty much all meat while serra is mostly fruit and nuts and sometimes small fish.

Competition too has to do with growth. Good one

 

[InSinUAsian]

I was completely unaware that serras eat fruit and seeds. Anyone know where I can read more about this?

~Dj

 

[DiXoN]

IMO i think that pygos grow faster then serras due to the fact that there is competiton to out grow others in the same school. Since serras are usuallysolitary there is no competition with other fish in the same tank to grow fast. I think that if a pygo was solitary in its own tank it would grow just as slow as a serra.

Ohh and just as a comparison, and maybe this applies only to spilo and not other serras, but my spilo school behaves much like my old pygo school. Not much differnce except a little more aggression. Feeding, growth and activity are all pretty much the same as when I had equal sized schools of reds. I think that its the school enviroment that pushes the fish to grow faster. Each fish trying to out compete the others to be the biggest and usually most dominant.

That is why i think that serra's usually grow slower then their schooling pygo counterparts. Just my two cents.

~Dj

i am of the same opinion as insinuasian on this one when a pygo is sml it has to contend with a lot of predators (other pygos) that it shaols with so as a good defence mech it grows at a really fast rate to give it a better chance of survival.
the only problem i see with my argument is what is the growth rate of a serra in the wild i do not know.
i only think pygos grow fast for this reason i do know serras are a more solitary fish but you still do see them with pygos in the wild as on wolves in the water if they stay with them or not again i dont know.
i have never kept a serra and i am getting my info from whats been advised but i do think pygos grow faster for this reason.

as for p's eating nuts do all p's not eat nuts as well as meat depending on what food is available at the time.
dixon

 

[Grosse Gurke]

Pygo is pretty much all meat while serra is mostly fruit and nuts and sometimes small fish.

Serras are mainly fin nippers, feeding on the fins of fish. There diet does include plant matter but I dont think it is their main food.

The problem I see is that there is no data (that I know of) to the growth rate of serras or pygos in the wild, so all we can look at is in our tanks. Serras may grow as fast or faster than pygos in the wild....we just dont know. And there is no way anyone can say diet is the reason serras grow slower because they are fed the same as pygos in our aquariums, at least mine are.

 

[mmmike247]

Serras eat anything!! WooHOOOO
BEWARE!!!!

 

[GIR]

o snap its eric-

First off, you have a hypothesis, not a theory because it is only an idea and it has not been rigorously tested.
Secondly, it is true that fruits and nuts are going to have less PROTEIN in them, but they are actually more NUTRITIOUS than a purely protein based diet.
Finally, your analogy of the tortoise and the lion is not a very good one. The fact that tortoises eat plants and lions eat meat is not the reason that lions grow faster than tortoises. It is because Lions are WARM-BLOODED and tortoises are COLD-BLOODED. The physiology of these animals determines their growth rate.

TerrOr-

The best HYPOTHESIS that I have heard is the one that InSinUAsian stated and DiXoN adds very good points. He is right that noone know for sure, and it will remain that way until someone takes it upon themselves do discover the answer to your question.

GIR

 

[DiXoN]

TerrOr-

The best HYPOTHESIS that I have heard is the one that InSinUAsian stated and DiXoN adds very good points. He is right that noone know for sure, and it will remain that way until someone takes it upon themselves do discover the answer to your question.

GIR

i know gir sometimes i amaze myself hahahahaha

dixon

 

[Poseidon X]

First of all, eating fruit would cause them to grow larger faster... not vice versa. A diet high in protein without carbs is not as effective as a well balanced diet. So the the whole premise for that is out the window. The sugar contained in fruits quickly restores glycogen levels in the cells which is the key to growth. Sumo wrestlers get big eating rice

This has to do more with how their hormones function. Pygo growth seems to be more adapted to quickly reaching max size because of the need to be a dominate force in the shoal.

 

[InSinUAsian]

Pygo growth seems to be more adapted to quickly reaching max size because of the need to be a dominate force in the shoal.

My point exactly.

That is what I think.

~Dj

 

[Grosse Gurke]

I dont think anyone can say pygos grow faster than serras in the wild can you? I mean if we use the growth rates we get in aquariums, it would take 50 years for any of the larger serras to reach max size (if it is even possible) and I dont think every massive manuelli they catch is 50+ years old.
I think the shoal HYPOTHISIS has some merrit, but I also think most serras "shoal" in the wild as well...or atleast hang together.

 

[TerrOr]

Why does captivity make them grow so much slower?

 

[Death in #'s]

mmmike247 welcome to p-fury

 

[tyourkie66]

if we were locked in small cages for out lifes im sure we would be smaller then if we were able to be free.

 

[DiXoN]

Pygo growth seems to be more adapted to quickly reaching max size because of the need to be a dominate force in the shoal.

My point exactly.

That is what I think.

~Dj

same here
dixon