goldfish, how big???

[coolkidthatlike]

hello, i have 3 goldfish in my tank. one is a black moore, one is a red cap oranda, and one is what looks like a ryukin. i have had them for a couple months now, and they have grown a lot. i was wondering how big do they get??

 

[lashilia]

Goldfish won't get that big. Most max out at about six inches to a foot. The smaller tank you keep them in, the smaller they will be. To get them as big as possible, put them in an outdoor pond of at least 200 gallons.

Good luck!
lashilia

 

[wabyrd]

I have a few in a 30 gallon and they seem to have maxed out at aobut 6 inches.

 

[coolkidthatlike]

thanks!

 

[coolkidthatlike]

i just saw some goldfish about the size of my fist at a local PetsMart. they were in a 10 gallon tank too. Now mine were in a 10 gallon and it seems mean to keep 3 fist-sized goldfish in a 10 gal. just a little concerned

 

[wabyrd]

They were probably raised elsewhere and then sent to PetsMart to be sold.

 

[coolkidthatlike]

thanks again

 

[coolkidthatlike]

well my 3 are in a 10 gal, is this way too small of a tank? i dont have enough money to upgrade, but i am trying to get a 20 gallon. will this be big enough? I dont really care if they max out in size, i just want them to be healthy.

 

[Barney]

One thing you can do is constant water changes to control the fish waste and ammonia. Gold fish are very messy eaters and produce more ammonia than any other fish. I hope you have a very good working filter, a biological filter. If you do, then you will be ok, just like at the pet store that keeps a big fishes in a small tank.

Another thing to think about. All fishes give off body slime. This body slime is what limit thier natural growth. Without water changes to remove that, it will be congested to the point where fish start to keep growing but at a deformed shape. Deformed shape I am speaking of is the un natural body shape they were to develop as. That is the one little reason behind tank size, shape and water changes that makes for a healthy fish.

So it is easier to maintain water quality by getting a bigger tank.
I hope this helps.

 

[d9hp]

yes, you need to do 30 percent water changes, weekly and do them all by using a vacuum, that is where all the ammonia will cultivate.

 

[coolkidthatlike]

well the ammonia in my goldfish tank is at zero, so i guess i am doing good in that department. I am still wondering if a 20 gallon is big enough. I am doing weekly water changes witha gravel vaccum. I am also going to cut down on food for them. thanks for your help!

 

[d9hp]

I would try and do a 29, the bigger the better!

 

[coolkidthatlike]

well, my ammonia in the tank is at zero (my goldfish tank). So i dont think there is a problem there. I am still wondering if a 20 gallon tank is large enough for the 3 goldfish?

 

[d9hp]

Well how big are the three goldfish?

 

[coolkidthatlike]

hmm, i would say about 3 inches for 2 of them and maybe about 2 inches for the other. (the ryukin and black moore the 3" ones)

 

[d9hp]

Ok, for now the 20 is fine, and I think they will be ok when fully grown aswell.

 

[coolkidthatlike]

that is great news because i dont have enough money for anything bigger. also i am going to buy a red tail shark and put him in with my 6 tiger barbs. will a 20 gallon be ok for these fish too?

 

[d9hp]

Sorry to tell you, but any shark in a 20 will be cramped. They get pretty big and it is not advised.

 

[coolkidthatlike]

well, i was thinking that if he gets too big, i could give him back to the lfs, but this might be hard...

 

[d9hp]

No, that is a great idea.