Will my goldfish breed....?

Question

I have a pond in my back yard (one of those lagoon type from garden store) where my goldfish (11) are kept during the spring and summer months... I was wondering if they will breed and have babies without any help from me, or if I should do anything to the pond to encourage breeding etc. Also when are goldfish full grown... or do they keep growing for life?

Okay I'm kinda meaning will the young survive or will the parents eat them.... When I go to pull them out next year is it likely that I will have more than 11.

Answer 1

I have friends who have a pond, similar sounding to yours, with a little waterfall (more like long stream) that goes up a little hill and recirculates back down (so the point is, has air and water flow). They have a bunch of assorted goldfish and koi. Every year their black (not moors or anything fancy looking) goldfish breed, they always have little guys (around 2") at the end of the season. They're senior citizens, so my boyfriend and I go to their farm and help them take the fish out every fall. They always get frogs there that winter over outside too. There's alot of goldfish species, I would guess it depends on which one. Theirs are usually 8 to 10 inches at end of season. I've seen some monstrous koi at nearby "Chicago Botanic Gardens" ponds....like 18" long....& heavy!
This looks like an informative goldfish site:
http://www.petlibrary.com/goldfish/variety.htm

Answer 2

All goldfish only breed in the spring. What happens, some fish grow larger because they have plenty of room and food. In order for pet shops to carry small goldfish in the winter months, many more baby goldfish are crowded together in a pond and not fed as much. If you see goldfish in the spring that are still grey colored, this is because they are too young to get the orange color. The winter goldfish in pet shops are stunted from being crowded and fed a lot less, and are the same age as the goldfish in the spring. My grandmother had a outdoor pond, and every spring the cover would be removed, and the water would be changed. She always had hundreds of baby goldfish. Goldfish will eat their own eggs and fry, and the many that made it would be hiding in her lilly pads. If you don't have plants for your goldfish to hide in, you could get mop heads and place them in the water. You might have to remove the mop heads after they lay their eggs in them. It takes the second summer for goldfish to be big enough to breed. You are right about noticing the bumps on the males and the roundness on the females. Because we are in Michigan and you are in Florida, your goldfish would spawn sooner the the ones up north here. I answered this question before, so feel free to see what else I wrote.

Answer 3

Yes, they will spawn. And yes, the parents will eat the eggs and fry if given the chance.

If you want to give the fry a chance to survive (and if you keep them) realize you'll need a pond of several hundred gallons to accommodate their adult sizes (they do grow throughout their life, although most growth is in the first few years, then slows down). Depending on the variety of goldfish you have, commons (the feeder types with a single tail) can get to 18-23 inches in a pond. If you use a spawning mop (http://www.aquatic-oasis.net/viewtopic.php?t=2 ), the goldfish will be more likely to use it as a place to lay their eggs. If you see them spawning, or check to see if there are eggs on the mop, you can add pond water to a tank inside, and use this to hatch the eggs and raise the fry. Alternatively, you can put lots of plants in the pond like hornwort or myriophyllum that the fry can hide in.

Answer 4

yes,they will-and as far as size,I believe carp and goldfish are related-I've seen 50 lb carp(guessing,could be bigger) at the marina I worked at on lake mead,nevada. as long as three-four feet long! if they have enough room,they really never stop growing untill that size-guessing 10-15 years.your pond cannot support that size of a fish,even only one. it depends on how many gallons af water your pond can hold and proper care. no way to tell how big they will grow or how long they will live in captivity,but captivity will definitely shorten their lifespan and size they will grow.

Answer 5

first 4 months at 60 F 2nd 4 months at 70-74 F. They should be seperated from parents

Answer 6

I have had goldfish breed in my fish tank...

Answer 7

Yes, they will breed, so you don't have to offer any extra eggs or sperm. lol Fish will only grow to the size that their environment allows.