I have been at this hobby for less than a year and have found it very rewarding. I started out with 4 fingerling comets and a 10 gallon tank. I religiously followed all the advice about oxygenation, filtering and how to encourage a balanced aquarium environment. I was very succesful at establishing that balance within about 6 weeks. After about 3 months, though my tank water was crystal clear, I began to get considerable algea growth on the surfaces and dealt with it accordingly by cleaning, periodic water changes and by adding a few fresh water Jade snails. After another two months my fish had grown to the point that I was worried about crowding. I saw that I was enjoying this hobby to the point that I purchased a 55 gallon tank and three more filters, oxygenators etc and transferred my four 2-3 inch fish to the new tank. I also added another half-dozen Jade snails. Six more months have passed and the fish are now 7-9 inches long! HELP!!! Will this growth continue? I really don't want a bigger tank than I now have. What do other people do? My success has created a horrible situation in which I'm left with the choice of setting them free one by one in a lake or continuing to get increasingly larger tanks until I'm crowded out of my home with a tank big enough for Shamoo! WHAT TO DO???
My Comet goldfish continue to get too big!
- Thread starter Gypsystar
- Start date
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Comets really belong in a pond.
A single comet needs a minimum of 30g and 10g for each additional comet. And that's minimum. So 4 comets need a 60g tank which you arent far off.
If given sufficient space a comet will get 10 to 12 inches. When they arent given sufficient space they release hormones that restrict body growth. But their internal organs don't stop growing, as they grow in restricted space, this causes them health problems, and they wont live their full lifespan which could be a couple of decades.
Its up to you. The best thing for your fish is a bigger environment. This will allow them to grow to their full potential and hopefully a full lifespan. In your tank they will probably stop growing short of their full adult size and arent as likely to reach that 15 to 20 years lifespan. They are already pretty big though, they have a decent size tank, and i can see them getting 8 to 10 inches and living another 10 years.
A single comet needs a minimum of 30g and 10g for each additional comet. And that's minimum. So 4 comets need a 60g tank which you arent far off.
If given sufficient space a comet will get 10 to 12 inches. When they arent given sufficient space they release hormones that restrict body growth. But their internal organs don't stop growing, as they grow in restricted space, this causes them health problems, and they wont live their full lifespan which could be a couple of decades.
Its up to you. The best thing for your fish is a bigger environment. This will allow them to grow to their full potential and hopefully a full lifespan. In your tank they will probably stop growing short of their full adult size and arent as likely to reach that 15 to 20 years lifespan. They are already pretty big though, they have a decent size tank, and i can see them getting 8 to 10 inches and living another 10 years.
And to add. Dont release your fish into the local lake. You risk the fish carrying infections into a wild population that has no mechanism to cope with it. The fish could interbreed and outcompete native fish. An ecological disaster waiting to happen all round.
Its probably illegal if you live in a halfway civilised country.
If you decide you dont want to keep the fish, then look to rehome them with someone who can care for them. Either a suitably sized tank or an ornamental pond. If its an ornamental pond make sure you have the owners permission. Or a fish store may take them. The alternative is euthanasia.
Its probably illegal if you live in a halfway civilised country.
If you decide you dont want to keep the fish, then look to rehome them with someone who can care for them. Either a suitably sized tank or an ornamental pond. If its an ornamental pond make sure you have the owners permission. Or a fish store may take them. The alternative is euthanasia.
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Andy Sager
Aquarium Advice Addict
First I'd like to say Congratulations on being a new aquarist and being successful on your first attempt. ( Many fail their first time out. :^( ) You've obviously taken great care of your fishy friends for them to grow as large as they have.
As Aiken explained, Comets are not really aquarium fish because they do get quite large. So unless you plan for an extremely large aquarium, Comets, same as Koi, should end up in a pond situation, not an aquarium.
I'm not sure where you are located but in most states in the U.S. it is illegal to release non native fish and/or animals into the wild. As Aiken explained, the end results of doing that are not good. And if you get caught doing it, the penalty is expensive. Look at Florida's list of invasive species and you'll understand why it's not good for the environment or possibly the fish themselves.
So your choices are limited to trading them in at a pet store, rehoming them to someone with a pond ( or very large aquarium) or euthanasia. If you don't know anyone with a pond, you might want to contact tank service companies because they may deal with people with ponds.
Hope this helps.
Colin_T
Aquarium Advice Addict
Hi and welcome to the forum
Congrats on your success!
And to reiterate what’s already been said, do not release them in the wild. It’s highly illegal in North America and even if it’s not illegal where you live it can still cause massive ecosystem damage. In some places you can get a permit to have them in a private pond/lake that isn’t connected to any sort of creek or watercourse
If you think you’re climate will kill them, good luck with that unless the water is really shallow. I’ve only got 15’ at the most in my pond usually more like 10’ by the end of summer and my koi and comets survive through -40 winters
They are going to be a little cramped up in a 55 but I don’t think it’s an unethical environment to raise them out if you chose to do that. Like Aiken said, they are going to live a pretty long and healthy life in there still, they likely just won’t reach their max potential size. Heck, maybe in a few years you’ll decide you want a bigger tank or just another one the same size and you can split them up and give them some more room. It is a bit of a contagious hobby, it’s called multi tank syndrome lol
And to reiterate what’s already been said, do not release them in the wild. It’s highly illegal in North America and even if it’s not illegal where you live it can still cause massive ecosystem damage. In some places you can get a permit to have them in a private pond/lake that isn’t connected to any sort of creek or watercourse
If you think you’re climate will kill them, good luck with that unless the water is really shallow. I’ve only got 15’ at the most in my pond usually more like 10’ by the end of summer and my koi and comets survive through -40 winters
They are going to be a little cramped up in a 55 but I don’t think it’s an unethical environment to raise them out if you chose to do that. Like Aiken said, they are going to live a pretty long and healthy life in there still, they likely just won’t reach their max potential size. Heck, maybe in a few years you’ll decide you want a bigger tank or just another one the same size and you can split them up and give them some more room. It is a bit of a contagious hobby, it’s called multi tank syndrome lol
I keep my goldfish in a 125 gallon. I have fantails, Shubunkins, and the comets who looks like koi. Probably a total of 10. I do have an outside pond that was used for goldfish decades ago. I really like seeing them inside.
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