Babakapusta
Aquarium Advice Activist
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2013
- Messages
- 124
Not to mention that even if you succeed in keeping them going in smaller tanks, they will become stunted if not given more space when they need it.
Goldies can be very personable, interesting fish. I love the video on Youtube where one learned to ring a bell by pulling a string, to be fed.
But they deserve to be kept in the conditions that they evolved to thrive in. Just because they can survive in ponds in summer does not mean they are enjoying the heat. I often notice them coming up for air, because their water is so low in oxygen when it's hot. But in a pond they can at least choose the coolest spot available, or shade under a plant. In a tank they have no such choices.
I had a Black Moor, back when I was in high school. Very tiny when I got him. I kept him in a 5G, for a year or so, until he grew too large for it. Used to eat from my hand. Rehomed him to a very large pond, where he lived for decades. Last time I saw him, long ago, he was nearly a foot long.
Consider the goldfish being caught in Lake Tahoe.. clearly released by aquarium owners who should have known better, they are changing the entire ecology of the lake, and growing to impressive size while they do it.
I hadn't heard that about Lake Tahoe. I'm going to google it later.