How long till my goldfish grows out?

[Frisbee]

Hi, I am curious as to about how long it should take my my blue Oranda to grow out. He/she is still pretty young. I got him/her a couple months ago. He/she is still very pale in color and has almost no wen. He/she was only a $10 fish, so I can’t say I’m expecting a lot, I was just curious what you guys think.

Any estimates on about how old he/she is? Will he/she get more colorful? Any ideas on when his/her wen is going to come in?

Also, any ideas on sex? the little black moor I got definitely looks like a female, but I am not sure about the Oranda.

 

[mimo91088]

It's going to depend on a variety of factors. Tank size, water quality, temp, feeding (frequency and type of food), etc.

 

[Frisbee]

I gently flipped him/her upside-down to get a better look at the vent. Do you guys think it’s a girl or a boy? I’m still a little unsure.

It's going to depend on a variety of factors. Tank size, water quality, temp, feeding (frequency and type of food), etc.

the tank is pretty warm (around 76-77 or so). It’s a 30 gallon planted tank. I’ve been feeding them a pretty high protein diet (mostly frozen foods and gel food), and they get a pretty decent sized meal once a day.

 

[mimo91088]

I'd bet he gets to decent size in a year or so. I suck at sexing them to begin with, nevermind via a picture while I'm on mobile lol.

 

[MomeWrath]

Following! He/She is adorable, and I'm in the same boat as you with a gold oranda, who I thought was a fantail, but he has a funny thickness to his head so I guess it's an immature wen lol. Looks very similar to your fish, but gold. If he's anything like mine, you will look back at this picture in eight weeks or so and say "Wow he's grown a bunch!"

 

[Betta02]

I have two Black Moors that I've had about a year. I'd say they are well on their way to being full sized. One is about 6", the other about 5". Their growth will sneak up on you, one day it seems they haven't grown at all, and the next they are a bunch bigger.
I keep their tank at 76 ish, they are happy at that temp.

 

[Frisbee]

I have two Black Moors that I've had about a year. I'd say they are well on their way to being full sized. One is about 6", the other about 5". Their growth will sneak up on you, one day it seems they haven't grown at all, and the next they are a bunch bigger.
I keep their tank at 76 ish, they are happy at that temp.

Have they changed color much? I know some black moors change color, and I was wondering how long it takes. My little moor solid black, but she is really tiny, so I’m excited to see what happens to her colors.

 

[mimo91088]

Have they changed color much? I know some black moors change color, and I was wondering how long it takes. My little moor solid black, but she is really tiny, so I’m excited to see what happens to her colors.

Most goldfish change color as they age. When my guy Francis went into the bowl at work (I know, I rescued him and he lives with me at home now) he was a 20 cent snow white feeder goldfish with an orange spot on his head about an inch long. This is him now. No more white at all when it used to be 90% of his body.

With black moors, most of the adults I've seen have gold scales that started at the belly and spread up the side of the body but they keep the black back.

 

[MomeWrath]

Most goldfish change color as they age. When my guy Francis went into the bowl at work (I know, I rescued him and he lives with me at home now) he was a 20 cent snow white feeder goldfish with an orange spot on his head about an inch long. This is him now. No more white at all when it used to be 90% of his body.

With black moors, most of the adults I've seen have gold scales that started at the belly and spread up the side of the body but they keep the black back.

That is funnny, one of my pond comets started out white with a red cap, and sometime in September she lost the red cap and now she's all white. My red and white fantail inside gets black blotches on her head and back and black shading in her dorsal and tail fin every night and then as the day goes on with the tank lights on they go away, so by the time I turn the light off at night she's jut white and orange. Been like this every day for a month. They're so strange. The longer I have goldfish the more I appreciate them and how special they are among fish. I had a black comet who is now totally orange, and some that didn't change at all. I agree though they seem to grow before your eyes without you noticing it.

 

[Betta02]

Have they changed color much? I know some black moors change color, and I was wondering how long it takes. My little moor solid black, but she is really tiny, so I’m excited to see what happens to her colors.

Here are a few pictures of mine. Excuse the glare, and the messy tank! Headed to do a water change right after this.
Fred and Barney are a 'flat' black on top, with gold bellies. They are amazing fish, very beautiful! My absolute favorites.

 

[NevermindIgnoreMe]

Well, it depends on circumstance, as has been said. Do you want them to grow out? I'm guessing so, but I will warn you, fast growth generally means a shorter life. I could give you tips either way.

As for sexing...in goldfish, unless you see actual breeding behavior or breeding stars, it's not easy to tell, I rarely even try. Especially with young fish. I'm guessing you're fish is maybe 8 months, maturity comes at about a year, so your best bet may be to just wait. As for vent sexing, it's not super reliable, but the general rule for it is "innie" shaped vents for males, "outie" shaped vents for females.

 

[Frisbee]

Just thought I’d give you guys a little update on them! I can see a very tiny bit of shimmery orange under the black on the little moors belly. I’m excited. The blue Oranda has gotten darker in color since I got him/her and I’m pretty sure his/her fins are a bit longer. That little one is going to have a very long and pretty tail when it grows up. It seems like that’s growing faster then the rest of him/her.