How can i tell the age of my ryukin?

Question

I just got a ryukin goldfish from the petstore like five days ago and he is only about 1 1/2 inches in length. I have read that the fish you get at the store are babies, and since they grow so big i was just wondering if there is any way to tell how old he is...or has anyone out there kept goldfish and knows at what age they are usually that length? He is from walmart if that matters since they may purchase their goldfish at a universal age. And pls spare me the comments about how walmart is terrible and he will die...my last walmart fish lived 4 years in a bowl (before i knew any better) and in fact i have had better luck with walmart than petsmart:) Besides he is doing just wonderful and is happy and active, his name is cetus:P So please only serious answers from ppl who can help me with his age. Thank you :D

if anyone knows how old the fish walmart sells are when they buy them that would be really helpful. It would be good to know how much time he lost for growth in that walmart tank:S

Answer 1

The 1 1/2 inchers you see at walmart are grown out in ponds and they reach this size rather quickly. At that size they are usually about 6-9 months old.

Answer 2

Hi, the only sure way to tell age of a fish is by the growth marks on the scales. These growth marks are very much like the growth rings that you find in the trucks of trees. However they are so small that they can not be seen easily on fish.
I can tell you that in most case the fry that you find in pet store are at least 4 to 8 weeks old. Pet stores also sell adults as well. So you may want to talk with the store owner and find out which ones are adults.

Answer 3

There's no way to accurately tell the age of a fish unless you've spawned it yourself. Their scales do show growth rings, but these are seasonal (change with growth rate and environmental conditions), rather than annual (one ring per year). So fish that are the same age, but raised under different conditions, can have different numbers of rings.

For the size you mention, I believe fivespeed is correct when he says 6-9 months, although this is only an approximation. Depending on the health, genetics, and competitiveness for food, goldfish of the same age can be different lengths.

Answer 4

At full grown adult size, ryukin can attain the size of a softball, or about 6-8 inches, so, at 1 1/2 inches in length, your goldy is still rather young at no more than 1 year in age. It will take about 6 years or so for your goldy to attain full size.