Chopstick

When will my goldfish reach their adult size?

I currently have 6 in a 120G

i have 1 black moor 1''
1 fan tail 1''
1 oranda 3'' 1/2
1 oranda red cap 3''
1. bubble eye 2''1/2
1 pearl scale 1''

I give them NLS goldfish and Nutrafin Max sinking pellets

gremlin

Anywhere from 2 to 6 years depending on diet and environment. The larger the volume of water they are kept in with fewer companions, and the more food they have available, the faster they will grow. My sister's goldies spawned this year and the fry are now about 3-4 months old. They are already 3-4 inches long. She has them in a 150-200 gallon inflatable swimming pool. If they continue growing at that rate, they could reach 10 - 12 inches in their first year. It is unlikely though as they don't seem to grow as much in the cooler winter months.

Red1313

I've heard that it can depend on their early days. If they get stunted early on them some of them will never grow properly.

Chopstick

Thanks for the help, red 1313 , are you sure about the statement =x hope they grow x.x

gremlin

I have a rescue goldie that was kept in a bowl for 3 years. The owners finally decided they didn't want to change the water every day anymore, and the kid had lost interest, so they asked me if I would take their fish. This goldie now has a bent spine, and swims on its side. I think it may be a female, but I am not sure. I have had it in my pond for a couple of months now, and it hasn't grown much. It is only about 3 inches long. Another one that I rescued doubled in size the first summer it was in my pond - but the owners of that one had only had it for a couple of days (it was a carnival prize). I'm not sure if the stunted goldie will grow or not.

Red1313

I was browsing through a goldfish forum when I found that out.

Chopstick

I brought those fish at the LFS, like 1 week after they were there, we putted them in quarantine and after 1 week, i took the one that i liked. So they are still ok?

Red1313

They probably are. I'm not a goldfish expert, Charlie is my only Goldi atm and I've had him for about a month now and I can't say if I've noticed him grow much.

joy1125

Chop, I think you're doing everything right, and your fish should do just fine ! Your 120 gallon tank is providing your young fish with 20 g's each, which is great. Feeding sinking pellets is good too, much better for goldfish than flake. You may want to add some fresh veggies every now and then, for variety. There's some good food ideas here on this forum. I make a gel food for mine, and give them a treat of thinly sliced cucumber, zucchini or lettuce to nibble on (I clip it on a veggie clip that suctions to the side of the glass)

But what I think is the absolute best thing for goldfish (or any fish, for that matter) is frequent water changes. I got in the habit early on, of changing out about 25-30 percent every third day. Some people may say that's not necessary.... but imho, it keeps the water chemistry consistently good. As you know, goldfish are big waste producers, and even the best filtration system is no match over fresh clean water.

So if you want to see your goldies thrive and grow, my advice is to change out the water on a regular basis, the more the better !


btw, can you post some pics of your goldies ? we'd all love to see them !

Chopstick

Sure I'll post my fish tank soon + I do my water change every saturday morning after my 150G water change