Fancy goldfish growth

[ryukins]

I have had 2 goldfish for 1 yr now and they haven't grown that much. They started off around 1 inch and now they are 2 inches (body length).

I feed my fish once a day about 1/4 teaspoon of soaked hilkari lionhead pellets (sinking type).

I noticed the water flow from my canister was too strong for my fish and I removed the spray bar recently. Would this have stunted their growth?

Looking for any answers/suggestions. Ideally I want my fish to grow to their full adult sizes 4-6 inches.

 

[shellieca]

What size tank are they in? Tank size plays a role in they're growth. Do you feed anything other than the pellets; veggies, fruits? JLK is the goldie expert & hopefully will chime in on this one.

 

[tarpon]

What's the tank size?

 

[jlk]

I believe you have these guys in a decent sized tank (40g?) but what your feeding them is a starvation diet, especially for juveniles. Increase their meals to atleast 3x a day plus daily veggies & some fruits. Exchange some meals for fresh proteins for better growth. Make sure your doing decent (50+%) weekly or preferably biweekly water changes.

 

[ryukins]

I keep reading not to overfeed and I am not able to be home to feed them multiple times a day.

How long do you guys soak pellets for?

I tried feeding them blanched veggies with a veggie clip but they can't seem to "bite" the pieces off still.

Also what/how do you feed them to give more protein?

 

[ryukins]

My tank size is 38 gallons. I have 3 fancy goldfish in there now with some plants. I want to get a bigger tank but my wife won't allow it..

 

[jlk]

I dont soak the hikari. If I have a fish with buoyancy issues, they get a strict diet of gelfood & LOTS of veggies. If you want to soak it, keep it brief or otherwise your leeching out the vitamins & minerals. If feeding a couple of times of a day isnt an option, you can atleast manage 2x a day meals. The tank lights do not need to be on to feed them either. A 1/4 tsp is really a very tiny amount of food. You can work on gradually increasing the amount your feeding as well. No less than 1/2-3/4+tsp 2x a day for 3 fish. They should finish everything in a few minutes- dont expect them to clean the tank in 30seconds but dont be surprised if they do. Fresh proteins can be switched for meals as well- earthworms/soft bugs, bloodworms, human shrimp/fish, etc.

Veggies really are not that difficult nor complicated. Buy the bags of microvable veggies- cook them for 1-2mins longer than suggested on the bag and throw them in a tupperware container. They will last about a week. Broccoli florets are an easy one to start with. Fill a veggie clip with broccoli flowers & toss it in the tank before you leave for the day. See whats left when you get home. Tough stuff like carrots or peppers can smooshed into bits in a garlic press.

If you have fish with buoyancy issues, especially after eating, switch them all to a gelfood (either homemade or commercial). Please ask if you have any questions!

 

[ryukins]

I will try feeding two meals. I fed them this morning 1/2 tsp of soaked pellets and I will do the same tonight. Thanks for the helpful tips as always.

I attached a photo of them. Can you tell if they look underfed?

 

[jlk]

They do not look underfed would I would expect them to be larger and have rounder tummies after a year. The ryukin in particular should have started to have some hump development @3-6mths. Hump development is dependant upon having an adequate diet to expend extra calories on fat deposits in his dorsal line characteristic of the breed. Likewise, I would expect the oranda to have more wen development. This is where adding some fresh protein to their diet will help the most because they can assimilate real protein sources more easily with less calorie expendure.

 

[ryukins]

You mentioned feeding them worms and human shrimp, etc. Can you let me know how you prepare these before putting them in the tank?

Do you put them in raw and cut them into small pieces?

Can I clip them with the veggie clip so they don't float around or sink in the tank?

Also you mentioned about using a garlic press for some veggies, do you just throw those pieces into the tank? Would that be hard to scoop out the pieces later?

 

[jlk]

Bloodworms/small earthworms or bugs I just toss in the tank. Larger earthworms (great source of protein!), I break into pieces. I cook human shrimp/fish briefly & break/cut into bits. I imagine cooking probably isnt really necessary but its easier to break into pieces and most of the time I am already cooking fish for dinner so I just leave a tiny portion aside for my guys. You can probably put a piece of shrimp in a veggie clip & toss it in but I am not sure how well they can tear it.

Yes, smooshing veggies in a garlic press creates a zillion tiny bits of food but everyone seems to find everything by the next day. A single fat slice of cooked carrot is more than enough to feed a couple of fish. Just be prepared for a mess until they realize they can eat it. Extra will wind up getting sucked into the filter, too, so make sure you are swishing them weekly/biweekly with water changes. Also, realize as you increase their protein, they will produce more ammonia (and thus more nitrate) so make sure you are monitoring your tank and doing water changes as needed.

 

[ryukins]

Very detailed reply, thank you.

Do you use live bloodworms? Do you buy these from a local fish store?

I have not tried feeding them bugs but I have seen them eat a snail.

 

[jlk]

I use the frozen ones & defrost them overnight inthe fridge before feeding. Earthworms are cheaper though because I can dig them up in the yard unless the ground is frozen or snow covered. If you think about what they would eat in nature (anything that lands or lives in the water), theres lots of options. My AGA breeder that keeps his guys in ponds lets his fish live off mostly of whats already available naturally (algae, bugs, fry). He gets infestations of weird bugs every year. In tanks, you have you have to work with what you can offer within reason, of course!