How long do Gold Fish live for?

Question

Thanks these are really good answers.
I need to know another thing, does fish food go bad? I'm thinking it would but I'm not sure. I just looked through my pantry and saw a whole container of betta fish food, that has been in there for years. Thanks so much everyone!

Answer 1

A properly cared for goldfish can live 20-30 years, and there have been reports of them living up to 40 or more.
The problem is very few people take the time to find out what they really need. Most prefer to stick them in bowls and small tanks and then blame the fish/fishstore/luck for the deaths rather than accept that they might just be doing something wrong.... that is assuming they even care.
http://www.goldfishinfo.com/goldlife.htm
http://www.tropicalfishdata.com/goldfish/goldfish_lifespan.html
http://www.petlibrary.com/goldfish/fishcare.htm
http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/care.html

Answer 2

The oldest goldfish on record was 43 years old and was owned by a couple in England who had won their comet at a carnival. Clearly, they kept it very well and took it out of it's bowl! Goldfish can live for an average of 20-30 years in a large pond setting, but more often the average lifespan of an aquarium goldfish is 15-20 years. Of course, this is with optimal care and housing.
Yes, fish food can spoil. Moreso, it's really that the vitamins and nutrient content are lost vs. a "rotting" type of spoiling. Vitamins in fish food can be lost in as little as 3 months. Some manufacturers put a date on the can or the label indicating that it is good for a certain time after opening. Besides, if you're talking about maybe using the betta food for the goldfish, this wouldn't be a good idea anyway as betta food is very high in proteins since bettas are carnivorous and this type of food would be too rich for the goldfish.

Answer 3

If your doing everything right they should live for 20 years. I have 2. 1 is 6 and the other is 2.

Answer 4

My goldfish is at least 15 years old. It lives by itself in a 30 gallon tank. I have noticed that introducing other fish to my aquarium is the biggest obtsacle to long life. Anyway, my goldfish "Spot' is over 15 years old. Spot is an Oranda, and I have read they can live up to 16 years. Maybe Spot will break that record. I sure hope so.

Answer 5

iF IT'S YOUR FIRST ONE THEY USUALLY DIE WITHIN A DAY TO A WEEK. This is necessary for the survival of the next fish. It's all about the cycle of life and so the first fish make the water livable for the next set. I know this sounds lame because I'm not sure the exact reason but I do know that you don't want to spend a lot of money on fish in a new tank because they will all die. Then you spend the money on fish and check your PH levels and so forth.

Answer 6

I smiled at some of the answers here because I can relate to what they are saying---would like to add you can better their chances of a long life if you will give them proper care----the needs of a goldfish is not too hard to meet-------keep their water clean feed them well but the biggest tip of all is "DO NOT OVERFEED"------overfeeding not only fowls the water and makes it oxygen poor but some fish do not know when to quit and will actually die from over-eating.---The other thing is to avoid rapid changes in the water temperature----I used to keep many of the one gallon milk bottles full of water so it would be chlorine free and room temp.-ready for action when events dictated a full or partial change of water------partial is best unless heavily fouled.-----it's not as hard as it sounds-----at least it needen't be.---Good Luck-

Answer 7

It all depends, Ive had fish live for years others for hours, i've now given up on the fish thing

Answer 8

It depend on you tank and living conditions. In average conditions, about 1 year.

Answer 9

Ive had the same gold fish ,for the past 10 yrs.
I'm not sure ,how they survive in my house .
i kill plants ,so i figure they would survive a week.

Answer 10

mine lived for 7 years