Are Goldfish "hearty"

[HooKooDooKu]

I'm looking for an education after a few posts like the following:

Depends upon what you want to accomplish.

"If you want something that is as simple as possible to take care of, Goldfish are obviously a good "hearty" choice."

Please do not advise goldfish as a good 'hearty' choice. This is a poor misconception to propagate in respect to goldfish. Their scope of care & commitment goes well beyond throwing them in a tank & hoping for them to survive. Their lifespans can exceed 20yrs with proper care & the correct environment. Their proper care is not 'simplistic'. Before purchasing any species of fish, diligent research is necessary in respect to their care, housing, & compatibility with other species.

In another thread, it was specifically stated that fancy goldfish are not "hearty"... and I'll admit that I don't know much about fancy goldfish.But when it comes to your standard goldfish, I've always been under the impresion that they are hearty fish. Now I don't mean that from the stand point that they will do great with no care. But I've considered goldfish to be "hearty" because they don't seem effected by changes in tank temperatures the way some other tropical fish are, that they do good in a wide range of environments. I've even read that they can survive the winter in a pond that has frozen over (if the entire ponds doesn't freeze soliid).And I have to admit that in my younger days (before I learned anything about fish keeping) I had a goldfish that lived 3 years without ever being fed (he apparently became an algae eater as the only care he got was the addition of water condensed from the dehumidifier as water evaporated from his open tank).Now today I know better, and we have a goldfish in my son's bedroom. The goldfish is fed most days, has a 20 gallon tank all to himself (except for some snails), and he gets pwc about once a week (though sometimes it stretches to two or three weeks). Today, I would consider this to be the "minimum care" you could do with a fish, and the goldfish seems to be thriving. He's about 3 years old, about 6" long, with great color. He has survived just fine despite some tank mates (rosy reds) that have apparently gotten sick and died. This goldfish has never been sick himself, and even survived an unfortunate situation (involving the house getting bug bomded) just fine when the shrimp that were in the tank with him died.So limiting the discussion to "typicl" goldfish, why would you not consider them to be a "hearty" fish?

 

[Mumma.of.two]

The problem is with goldfish is they are too 'hearty'. They are able to live in poor conditions longer than other fish which leads people to believe its ok to not look after them correctly (small bowls, less water changes and poor quality food).

To be able to keep goldfish in optimum conditions it takes more work (water changes and tank cleanings) to keep their tank clean compared to most tropicals fish.

IMO a very miss understood type of fish. In par with bettas in bowls.

 

[jlk]

Standard goldfish (comets, commons, shubunkins, etc) can survive various temperature extremes & exist on what is available in nature (bugs, plants, etc). This is very true as they are a variant of the carp species. The issue surrounding these guys is they are not meant to be a kept in an aquarium period (unless it is VERY large) because they are realistically pond fish. They can grow to be 18inches in size (koi over 3ft). By trying to keep them under inadequate aquarium conditions, they suffer from 'stunting'. They do not grow to their genetic potential & suffer an early & painful demise rather than survivng 20+ years (their bodies stop growing but their organs do not). Most of their growth occurs in the first 2-3yrs of life. As your fish is already atleast 3yrs old & only 6inches, he is likely stunted. Single tailed goldfish may not need a heater & can survive outdoors in a pond without an issue but this is where they belong. Recommending them to anyone for aquarium keeping is subjecting them to untimely demise. As Mumma stated, goldfish are a very misunderstood species of fish. Fancies are a whole different story & alot more complicated!!

 

[HooKooDooKu]

@jlk

Now I understand you're posts regarding goldfish.

As I've pointed out, our current goldfish is getting lots of care compared the the previous one I mentioned from my youth. And if I'm understanding you correctly, we're giving our goldfish "proper care" with the exception of not providing him a large enough tank.

When we originally "won" the $0.25 (for which my wife spend $1.00 in tickets so that my son would "win" it), we then paid about $100 to buy a tank, filter, sub-strait, decorations, etc. The original tank was only a 10 gallon. Back then he was a little guy, not even 2" long with some black markings. I've since learned that those black markings were actually ammonia burns from him being kept in inadequate conditions before we go him. Within 6 month, he was a beautiful full orange color.

After about 6 months, we saw how quick he was growing and I moved him upto a 20 gallon tank. I would say that when we moved him, he was around 4" long. Within about a year or so, I would say that he grew to his current size around 6".

Because he seems to be a good fit for the 20 gallon tank, I never considered that his growth would be "stunted". He seemed to be just about the right size for the tank.

With the care he has been receiving, and how healthy he has looked, (an how long that other fish survived in POOR conditions), I'm currently expecting this fish to live for another 10+ years... unless of course something "weird" does happen and his insides keep growing until he explodes. I guess time will tell.

I've understood the concept of a "goldfish bowl" stunting the growth of goldfish (I felt really sad for a pair I saw in a goldfish bowl at a sporting goods store... water looked like it hadn't been changed in months... if ever).

But I figured this 20 gallon was going to be plenty big enough. Actually, given the research I did (like learning to cycle a tank), I thought I knew what I was doing. And in all the time I've spent in the past in Aquarium forums, I've never come across anyone basically stating that goldfish shouldn't be kept in aquariums (i.e. they are really pond fish and need the space a pond provides). But I must admit that with just a little bit of searching, I've been able to find a couple of sites that basically support your notion that [common] goldfish shouldn't be in aquariums.

 

[jlk]

I am GLAD you are doing your research & that you are trying to provide the best for your guy!!! And i agree wholeheatedly goldfish 'bowls' are a nightmare. The goldfish 'bowl' concept eminates from Japenese/Chinese breeders of goldfish- they will place their prize fish in a bowl to showcase them for visiting house guests. They were never intended to live in bowls & unfortunately, the flawed bowl concept has managed to persist. Its forums (such as this one) that help people to learn about fish and their proper care. I learn something new every day here!

 

[mfdrookie516]

Hearty or hardy? Big difference.