What is the deal with goldfish?

I know its a common myth that you can survive a goldfish in a bowl. They are extremely dirty and need oxygen flow. They are also carp and need cold water. So, why are they always sick?

 

Because a shocking number of people don’t keep them how they are meant to be kept.

 

I may be wrong, but I believe that people (myself, in the past) kept them in tanks that are far too small. History and television has taught us that they can live in a tiny body of water. They are carp, but they're lovable!

 

If you're asking why they get sick so easily in general, regardless of if they're given good care, the answer is several reasons. For very cheap goldfish, it's because of the conditions they're raised in. They are bred en mass with poor water quality and poor nutrition. When an animal has a bad start in life, it can effect them long term. For fancy strains.... well, look at the body shape of a common goldfish and then look at the body shape of a fancy goldfish. Fancy goldfish are like the Pugs of the fish world. It's no wonder why fancy goldfish are so prone to swim bladder problems. In both types, lack of concern for genetic vitality has taken its toll over the generations.

Don't take this to mean that I hate Goldfish! Some of them are stunning, and I love their derpy personalities. It's just an unfortunate fact that they are one of the species of fish that we've messed up.

 

If you're asking why they get sick so easily in general, regardless of if they're given good care, the answer is several reasons. For very cheap goldfish, it's because of the conditions they're raised in. They are bred en mass with poor water quality and poor nutrition. When an animal has a bad start in life, it can effect them long term. For fancy strains.... well, look at the body shape of a common goldfish and then look at the body shape of a fancy goldfish. Fancy goldfish are like the Pugs of the fish world. It's no wonder why fancy goldfish are so prone to swim bladder problems. In both types, lack of concern for genetic vitality has taken its toll over the generations.

Don't take this to mean that I hate Goldfish! Some of them are stunning, and I love their derpy personalities. It's just an unfortunate fact that they are one of the species of fish that we've messed up.

When they come in the appear to be fine then a few days later, sick. Raised scales, ick and body fungus. I'm pretty sure it isn't the acclimation process that gives them the bacteria.

 

When they come in the appear to be fine then a few days later, sick. Raised scales, ick and body fungus. I'm pretty sure it isn't the acclimation process that gives them the bacteria.

The stress from transportation causes them to get sick. Takes a few days for symptoms to show.

 

Are you talking about the feeder goldfish or goldfish in general?

 

Oh man. There are a lot of things that can cause goldfish illness. As Deku Cory said the environment in which pet store fish are raised is awful. Then large amounts are all shipped in the same bag, and most don't survive the shipping. Then they arrive sick and disease is spreading like wildfire in pet store tank, which aren't getting properly cleaned escalating the issue and causing more sickness.
Then they get a new home if they survive long enough, and aren't quarantined (usually) so even though they are in a clean, cycled tank (if that) they still have parasites that need treatment.
And fancy goldfish are so squished up inside, they have the same organs of a common goldfish but in a misshapen package, making it all the harder for them to maintain good health.
But what if I got it shipped from a good breeder strait to my house? Well for one the breeder may not have had as clean a tank as the pictures looked like. Sometimes they use a display tank, or a plastic container to take the photos of the fish, which is fine, but how will you know if the home tank is clean? This of course is not the case all the time, but something to be aware of.
For two, the shipping process is stressful with all the things it entails, and stress weakens their immune systems making little things that would normally not be an issue much more deadly. This is why you must ALWAYS quarantine.