Out of curiosity, can u make an ordinary cheap goldfish from the pet shop grow big? Or are the limited by genetics to be small? If they can grow big how do you do it?
2006-12-04 00:36:31 · 20 answers · asked by devil_4k 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
The Greatest Enemy of Truth is not the deliberate lie; Rather it is all those things we know to be true...that are not.
Fish do not "grow to the size of their environment," and everyone who thinks that is the truth is wrong. If they did, they would all be monstrously huge if they lived in lakes or oceans. Every creature on the face of the earth grows to adulthood according to whatever species they are. They are all limited by their genetics
(DNA) which tells them how big to grow.
The bottom line answer to your question is YES, you can make it grow large, even in a small tank, which for a cheap goldfish is around 12 inches or larger. However, they will not get larger than their genetics allow. Koi get much larger because they are a different kind of goldfish.
Now, if fish are kept in a small aquarium or bowl WITHOUT proper food or water maintenance, they will suffer from malnutrition and a compromised metabolism and immune system which will stunt their growth and cause them many health problems. Their lives will be shortened and opportunistic bacteria, viruses and parasites will attack them.
Many fish live much shorter lives in captivity, due to our "care", than they do in the wild. Bettas are one, in the wild they live up to 5 years, in our "care" they are lucky to make it to 3 years.
Regular (weekly) partial (25-30%) water changes are the most important thing you can do to keep your fish healthy and happy and allow them to grow to their maximum genetic potential.
Many commercial breeders that mass produce tropical fish have a constant drip system that continually adds fresh water to the tanks where they grow out the babies to a size that is saleable. For them, the faster the fish grow, the quicker they can sell them and make their money off them. So, regular water changes = big and healthy for them and us too.
I change 30-40% of the water in my 24 tanks once a week. It takes me about three and a half hours with the hose and valve system I have set up in my fish room. I have a TV in the basement that I usually watch while I work on the tanks.
2006-12-04 03:37:26 · answer #1 · answered by 8 In the corner 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Given a good sized tank, or preferably a pond, a high quality, high protein diet, excellent water conditions with minimal TAN (total ammonic nitrate) and warmth (20 deg C) a goldfish (Carrasius auratus) can reach at least 12".
Being a close relative to the carp, they do have the ability to reach more then this, however, because of the unkown genetics of the fish that's commonly bought in the pet stores, the likely hood of them reaching over this isn't too probable.
2006-12-04 11:03:16 · answer #2 · answered by dead_rose_reject 1 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Oh for god's sake, don't stunt your fish. A goldfish, if taken care of properly, could grow to a foot long in a 5 gallon aquarium with regular water changes. Fish release a hormone that "limits" growth based on the size of the body of water that they are in, but really all that this does, basically, is make them grow up. The energy that would be normally used for growth still has to go somewhere, but the hormone keeps the fish from getting longer. Think of this as a normal fish's backbone:
-----------
it will, without the hormone removed through water changes, grow longer like this:
----------------
but without water changes, leaving the hormone present, it will look something like this:
(picture the parenthese surrounding this but sideways)
So you could, in theory, grow a footlong goldfish in a shoe-box sized enclosure given proper care and water changes, though it would be very cruel.
2006-12-04 10:33:16 · answer #3 · answered by hemi_cuda517 2 · 4⤊ 0⤋
You sure can, all they need is a nice big tank, a steady and healthy diet, and regular maintenance for a clean environment. When speaking of long term growth, the goldfish would need a extremely large tank or pond to reach its potential. Keep in mind that they keep growing all their lives and so their maximum potential of growth also depends on the ability to keep them alive long enough - in the case of goldfish it can be over 30 years.
2006-12-04 08:43:03 · answer #4 · answered by Ghapy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The "ordinary" or common goldfish (feeder fish are simply baby common goldies) is the one that grows the largest. It can reach 12 inches. The fancier types tend to reach 6 inches or so.
The notion that a fish will only grow according to the size of it's environment is one that promotes unhealthy/stunted growth for your pet and reduced longevity. If you raised a child in a closet, he probably wouldn't grow to his full size or live as long either. Please place your eye on it's largest possible growth potential and act accordingly, giving it plenty of room to encourage proper, healthy growth.
2006-12-04 08:57:25 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
yes the gold fish will grow to the size of the tank well sort of they will grow to the point that getting bigger in that tank would not be good .. they are all crap and they can grow large . the bigger that tank the bigger the fish . the max size is about 1 and a half feet long not all of them will grow that big but they will all grow large if the tank is big enough and if you feed them the right amounts
2006-12-04 08:42:33 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes I had a goldfish that grew quite big when I got a bigger tank and he lived 18 years!
2006-12-04 16:59:13 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Certainly. I bought a feeder goldfish to start my aquarium and she's nearly 7 inches long now and still growing fast.
2006-12-04 12:32:30 · answer #8 · answered by 7111990 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As far as i know all goldfish grow to fit the body of water they live in - if it's a tank they stay small but put them in a pond and they'll get bigger. i'm not speaking from experience mind but that's what i was told!!!
2006-12-04 08:45:27 · answer #9 · answered by Sinead G 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I challenge you to make a whale of a goldfish. But don't get the wrong breed - Dwarf Gold fish never grow bigger than an elfs toe.
2006-12-04 08:40:47 · answer #10 · answered by Evo 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋