How big do the common goldfish grow up to?

Question

I have a 1.77 Hagen tank. I searched the internet and it says that a goldfish needs a minimum of 30 gallons! o.O Also i was thinking of adding a fathead minnow or a white cloud. but do you think the tank would be too small? (p.s. i dont think i can buy a huge tank. im only a kid -_-)

I have a 1.77 Hagen tank. I searched the internet and it says that a goldfish needs a minimum of 30 gallons! o.O Also i was thinking of adding a fathead minnow or a white cloud. but do you think the tank would be too small?
and if my goldfish won`t do go how should i give my beloved fishhy fish away to a better tank?

Answer 1

Goldfish can get to 23 inches, but 10-18 is more typical. A typical goldfish can live 20+ years and the record is 43 years! Most never get to that size or age because they are kept in too small of tanks. If your fish is small, it might do okay in your tank for a little while, but you should ask your parents about the possibility of getting it a larger tank.

Fathead minnows (rosey reds) can get to be 6" long, so these would be best in a 20 gallon or larger tank themselves.

White clouds are the only species that will stay small (about 2"). A few of these would do well in your existing tank.

Even though you're "only a kid", you seem to have done some research, because you've only chosen coldwater fish as potential tankmates for your goldfish. Unfortunately, goldfish do best when kept as a species (no other kinds of fish in the tank). So it seems as though your options is to try to get a larger tank (soon) or to see if you can exchange your goldfish for another species. If you don't have a heater but have a filter, there are a few species other than just white clouds you can try. Guppies and danios can be kept without a heater as long as the temperature doesn't go below the mid 60s.

Here are some websites with goldfish info, plus infor on the species I've mentioned:
http://thegab.org/Articles/
http://www.goldfishinfo.com/
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/categ.cfm?pcatid=830
http://www.fishlore.com/
http://www.elmersaquarium.com/000tropfishcareguides.htm

Good luck with your tank!

Answer 2

Common goldfish can get big and they do produce a lot of waste. And contrary to popular belief, fish do not grow according to the size of the tank. If you put a goldfish in a 10 gallon tank and cleaned both the tank and filter on a regular basis (every other week at minimum) your goldfish would get to big for the tank. It's not the tank size that limits the growth of a goldfish or any other fish, it's the water quality. If you are thinking of getting white clouds that would be a good choice. You could get 6 easily and they don't need a heater :). Just try to stay away from the goldfish until you can get a bigger tank.

Answer 3

Hey Karan

You are correct, that's the least a goldfish needs. They can grow to over a foot long in the 30 or more years they can live! You can keep it in your tank, and it will not outgrow the tank, but that's only because it will become stunted and die young. Many people do this and don't care, that part is up to you.

The truth is, that little tank isn't good for much. Fish are living creatures and should have space to live and thrive. Perhaps you might consider a beta fighting fish though, they do ok in smaller setups.

Now, you don't need a huge tank to get into real fishkeeping. A tank in the range of 10 to 20 gallons can be cheap to set-up and easy to maintain, and will fit in a bedroom on a dresser. It's still a little small for a goldfish, but there are many low cost and easy to keep fish you can choose from.

Good luck.

Answer 4

The goldfish, Carassius auratus, was one of the earliest fish to be domesticated, and is still one of the most commonly kept aquarium fish. A relatively small member of the carp family (which also includes the koi carp and the crucian carp), the goldfish is a domesticated version of a dark-gray/brown carp native to east Asia (first domesticated in China) that was introduced to Europe in the late 17th century. The mutation that gave rise to the goldfish is also known from other cyprinid species, such as common carp and tench.

Goldfish may grow to a maximum length of 23 inches (59 cm) and a maximum weight of 9.9 pounds (4.5 kg), although this is rare; few goldfish reach even half this size. In optimal conditions, goldfish may live more than 20 years (the world record is 49 years), but most household goldfish generally live only six to eight years, due to their often being kept in bowls

Answer 5

Feeder goldfish (called comets) can get to almost a foot long. With that small of a tank you can only put one goldfish, one male betta, two female bettas, or two mollies/platies. Goldfish produce a lot of waste that builds up in the tank so you cannot put many in a little tank.

Answer 6

Common Goldfish get up to 15-20 cm (6-8 inches).

Answer 7

Just use the goldfish, they grow to be about 3 inches long. A common goldfish does not need 30 gallons, Although Pond goldfish grow to be much bigger. Hope I helped...

Answer 8

30 gallons is much to big for the minimalist goldfish keeper :O
The truth is, the bigger the aquarium, the bigger the fish. They will grow acording on how much room they have. So, what you should really be deciding is how big you want your fish to be :)
I have kept goldfish in a 15 gollon aquarium and they get about 6 inches, my grandpa keeps them in his pond and they're about double the size.