how long does it take...?

[feelathome]

for tropical fish to grow to their full size? and how long do they live?
I have a few platys and tetras, and was just wondering if they are fully grown. They seem small, but some of them I have had for about 10 months now and they dont seem to have grown at all?
will they be fully grown by now?

Depends on the fish, and not just the species, but the individual fish too. If they are kept in a tank that's too small it can stunt their growth- how big is your tank?

Platys can be expected to live about 3-5 years. What sort of tetras are they? It's a big family (and it includes piranhas! If you look really closely at their mouth you might be able to see a family resemblance). Most live around 5-10 years.

In my 300 litre tank I've got 6 brilliant platys. They were small when I got them a year ago but now the females are about 5 centimtres. They're great fish - they really seem to "acknowledge" you when you put your face near the tank glass. I'm certain their growth spurt is due to moving them from a hopefully inadequate 27 litre tank to a lovely big one.
Like Eaurouge I'd love to know what tetras you have. I've got some Black Phantoms and they're really nice to look at.

I thought they were Harlequin tetras, but looking on line, they seem to be harlequin rasboras. Are they the same thing?

Ah no, rasboras are a different family. They have similar requirements to most of the small tetras though. They get to a couple of inches long so you won't be stuck with something that you need to flood your basement to keep

Have you been back to the pet shop and seen their new stock? Yours may have grown a little compared to the babies in the shop.

How big is the tank?

Forgot to say, harlequins have a lifespan of about 5 years.