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Last Updated: 3/29/08
View comments, photos, and stories relevant to this page.
Note: The above two images (but not the first) are courtesy of Fantastic Fantails.
Note: See the links on the fishy source page for other places to visit on goldfish. Many of these people have more experience than I. In particular, the one goldfish link goes into great depth about plants to use with goldfish and sexing goldfish (Note: This site may no longer exist, please e- mail me if you know what happened to it).
After the error page, this is apparently the most often visited page on my web site. For that reason, I should really update it! I have a few directories being worked on right now but might do the goldfish pages before the rest of the fish pages. I really wish I had the time to update all the pages instantaneously!
Goldfish Page One (this page):
The goldfish health section was moved from this page to Goldfish Page Four.
On my fish care page: Why Bowls are Bad
On my koi page: Telling Goldfish and Koi Apart and Interbreeding.
Kathy sent 22 photos of her fantail goldfish to me which I put on her own page.
Someone also sent me four photos of their red capped oranda next to a bunch of eggs that she laid that I put on Twerp's Page.
Common name: Goldfish
Scientific/Latin name: Carassius auratus
Maximum length: 6 to 8 inches for fancy varieties, up to 14 inches for regular
goldfish
Colors: Gold, orange, white, black, "blue," brown, silver, bronze, red, and
more perhaps
Temperature preference: 50 to 75 degrees F, can survive 33 to 100 degrees F
for short periods of time, fancier varieties less tolerant of extremes
pH preference: 7 to 8
Hardness preference: Moderate
Salinity preference: 1 Tablespoon per 5-15 gallons
Compatibility: Males may tear off females' (or males' if no females to harass)
fins or nip her vent; generally ignore other species but may eat small fish
Life span: Average around 10 years for healthy fish but oldest fish ever was
43+ years at death (see below)
Ease of keeping: Easy IF you know what you are doing
Ease of breeding: Easy to moderate IF you know what you are doing
Carassius auratus, or the goldfish, is probably the most tortured fish in the world. There are nearly a hundred varieties of goldfish. They are all the same species and can interbreed (although sometimes difficult and not recommended to mix varieties). Goldfish grow large if given proper room and food. Common goldfish with 50+ gallons to swim in, grow easily to a foot long. Lengths of six inches or more for most varieties are not unheard of. Thus, goldfish are absolutely unsuited for life in bowls or small tanks. They are in fact the least suited of most commonly sold fish. If you want a bowl or small tank, keep small tropical fish with a heater or small coldwater fish without one. If you go so far as to desiring no electricity at all, a betta will do well in warm areas and a paradise fish in cooler areas. Even then, anything less than 2-5 gallons for a fish or two is cruel in my mind. Bigger is ALWAYS better when it comes to tanks. Bigger tanks are also easier to care for.
If you do not believe goldfish get big, here are photos of my poor dead Jack next to a yard stick. She was a comet I bought in 1996 that died on 9/1/04 in my 1800 gallon pond for unknown reasons (I think she got stuck in the shallows with her mouth out of water). She was 14" long! Jack top view, Jack right side, and Jack left side.
Goldfish Longevity:
In addition, goldfish have been known to live into their 30's at least. Life expectancies from
10-20 years are normal for well cared for fish. The oldest captive goldfish on record was Tish
who is in the Guiness Book of World Records. His owner, Peter Hand of England, won him at
the fair in 1956. Tish died the first week of August, 1999 so he was at least 43 years old
(probably 44 since most carnival goldfish are about 4 months to a year old). Tish only grew to
4.5 inches long and was silver. Since 4.5 inches is not that long, either Tish was stunted (he
spent many years in small bowls before moving into a tank), or he was a fancy variety of
goldfish. Peter Hand's mother, Hilda Hand, said after Tish's death, "I am very sad....Over the
years we have become very close and I could sense if he was happy or not." The oldest living
goldfish is also in England. As of 2003, "Goldie" is also 43 years old and will be in the next
edition of Guiness.
Room per goldfish and temperature preferences and tolerances:
What does it mean that goldfish can live for decades and grow to a foot? Most goldfish keepers
believe that for goldfish to thrive, they require at least 10 gallons per fish with more always
better. In ponds, 30-50 gallons per fish is better. Goldfish also desire (but do not require) a
change in temperatures over the seasons. Outside, mother nature provides this. Inside, either
using no heater or setting it in the 50's or 60's degrees F range (60's or more for fancier varieties),
provides enough of a change. This seems to make them happy. It also is the key to getting the
fish interested in breeding. Above about 75 degrees F, goldfish are unhappy. Never set the
heater this high. They can tolerate these temperatures, even into the 90's for a few days, for only
the length of a normal hot spell in summer.
As mentioned above, the larger the tank, the better. I have 1 small, 2 medium, and 1 large goldfish in 50 gallons which works well. Temperatures from the high 30's to high 80's degrees F are tolerated by common goldfish. Fancy goldfish may die below 50 degrees F (although many overwinter some fancy goldfish outside and they can survive). All varieties may die above 80 degrees F, actually most likely due to the large decrease in the oxygen carrying capacity of the water at these higher temperatures. Goldfish seem to do best at a moderate hardness. Mine are in soft water. I add one Tablespoon per 10 gallons of aquarium salt (for freshwater fish) to increase the ions in the water and lessen the osmotic differentiation between the fish and its water. (Sorry, I am talking like a chemist!) Goldfish eat just about anything including most flake and pellet foods, live plants (yum, anacharis!), cucumber (cut in half and weighted down), boiled and peeled peas, earthworms, insect larvae, and fish eggs and fry.
Since goldfish are large, they poop a lot. Thus, not only is good filtration and aeration a necessity, but their water should be partially changed EVERY week (with dechlorinator, salt, etc.) in tanks. Change between 25- 50% every week (I know some other aquarists insist that this will kill fish but I do it, and my fish thrive.) on a tank stocked at maximum capacity. This pertains to tanks in the 20-200 gallon range. Smaller tanks should change more and larger tanks and ponds only need change small amounts, and less often. In bowls under three gallons, the water would need daily changing. In large ponds, water changes may only be necessary on rare occasions. The amount changed and frequency also depends on how many fish there are, how big they are, what type of filter there is, what the temperature is, and how big the tank or pond is. There really is no exact percentage to be changed at an exact frequency.
Mental and Physical Stimulation:
Aquarists often say that goldfish need stimulation which is why they do poorly in a small bowl or
tank. While all fish need stimulation to thrive, goldfish seem to especially need it. Mental or
intellectual stimulation arises from having other fish to interact with; things to play with like
plants, rocks, etc.; a variety of foods to eat; places to explore; etc. In a tank, to provide the fish
with more excitement, about once a month, rearrange the fake plants and ornaments in the tank.
Also, provide a variety of foods from flakes to pellets to live foods to frozen to freeze dried.
Ponds over a few hundred gallons provide plenty of excitement with new places to explore, live
food around every corner, and other fish. Physical stimulation comes from having room to swim,
other goldfish to touch, and a chance to spawn. Without both types of stimulation, a goldfish
may become ill, swim little, or generally do nothing (act bored or, personifying it, seem
depressed).
1. Myth: Goldfish can live happily in a bowl.
Fact: Goldfish may survive in a bowl, sometimes even for years but certainly cannot reach their
full potential in a container under 10 gallons. Consider that a mature goldfish may reach 6 to 12
inches, and it is easy to see that such a fish could not even fit in a so-called "goldfish bowl."
Keeping any fish in a tiny bowl (even the poor tortured betta) with no physical or mental
stimulation leads to a very sad and bored fish (assuming that you believe fish can feel) as well
as one prone to illness and weak in strength. Without aeration or filtration in bowls, the water
will always be dirty and low in oxygen even with daily water changes. The goldfish will not stop
growing to fit the size of the bowl as many people think. The fact is that most bowl-kept
goldfish die in their own waste long before they can fill out the bowl but it has happened.
2. Myth: Goldfish are hard to breed.
Fact: Goldfish provided with the right conditions are very easy to breed. In a pond setting, it is
impossible to stop them! That is why so many innocent goldfish are sold as "feeder fish." To
learn about the cues needed to induce spawning in an indoor tank, visit my goldfish breeding page.
3. Myth: A tank with goldfish will always be filthy and unsightly.
Fact: That is like saying that an infant in diapers is always dirty. The tank is only as dirty as you
want it to be. The more water that you change, the cleaner the tank is. The better the filtration,
the cleaner the tank is. My 50 gallon fish tank is crystal clear year round. I change half of the
water every week. Even a goldfish in a fish bowl could have clear water if half of it were
changed every single day.
4. Myth: Goldfish are too "dirty" to live with other fish.
Fact: Yes, goldfish like to stir up the gravel and chew on any live plants. Yes, they poop a lot but
not any more than another species of similar weight. If the filter is strong, the tank has few live
plants, and the water is changed weekly using a gravel vacuum, the tank should be just as clean
as one containing another species. Other species may not be compatible with goldfish for
reasons listed on my goldfish page two but not because goldfish are
dirty.
5. Myth: Goldfish are stupid, boring, and/or ugly.
Fact: Well, this is more of an subjective assessment. I find my goldfish to be both gorgeous and
highly intelligent as well as entertaining to watch. Most of the enjoyment comes from watching
the goldfish interact with one another.
There are many photos of my own goldfish on my goldfish page.
Here are four photos of other people's goldfish that were sent to me that I thought interesting enough to put up here. If you have interesting photos, you can send them too.
Laura sent these two photos of her goldfish on 9/9/07. She wanted me to identify if the fish had a
problem with yellow bumps. You cannot really make them out in the photos (I think is on the
top of the beginning of the caudal/tail fin) but I told her they were probably cysts. Since you
cannot see the problem well, I did not put these photos on my fish health pages but instead finally
linked them in here on 1/26/08 more to just show the goldfish. The goldfish has some scales
missing (she says he had an accident a few years previously) and perhaps some minor septicemia
and fin damage.
White goldfish with yellow fins - left side
view
White goldfish with yellow fins - right side
view
Pauline sent these photos of her goldfish on 10/12/06. The goldfish are a bit anorexic and may
have medical problems but the black spotting is a color change in progress. I put these photos on
my site to show what a goldfish changing color looks like.
Goldfish changing color
Goldfish changing color and two
shubunkins
Golden telescope-eyed goldfish - this photo sent to me by Jennie on 7/22/03 is of a fish that was purchased as a black moor but changed color. I think this fish is a gorgeous color!
Underwater pond goldfish - here are some goldfish taken with an underwater camera by Sonny and sent to me on 1/28/02. Join the world of the fish!
There are some photos of goldfish with medical problems on this page.
Goldfish Page- excellent site, including most information one might need on goldfish; this site may no longer exist, please e-mail me if you know what happened to it.
Goldfish Page for Beginners - this web page no longer works, does anyone know the correct address if it still exists?
Goldfish Connection - sell fancy goldfish, some health information, etc.
Puregold goldfish disease site
Glimmering Goldfish - site on many aspects of goldfish and their care
Fantastic Fantails - a bunch of goldfish stuff from a fantail lover; this site may no longer exist.
Goldfish - goldfish information
Big Fat's Goldfish Website - a fun goldfish site
Koko's Goldfish World - nice goldfish photos, live cam, and information
Bristol Aquarists' Society - includes descriptions and photos of many goldfish
Unofficial rec.aquaria.freshwater.goldfish FAQ
Goldfish - "A kids' guide to keeping this fun and easy pet!"
The Goldfish Sanctuary - it is not in business but there is information on the site.
Goldfish Paradise Society - "a global community of goldfish enthusiasts that share a common bond: our affection for goldfish and our desire to share our knowledge/experiences to further goldfish health and well-being."
Goldfishvet.com - part of the koivet.com empire.
Le Poisson Rouge - a page on goldfish, in French. It includes a gallery of photos.
Wiki Goldfish Article - I was asked to edit this article written by someone else so I made some minor changes and a few major ones but tried to do as little as possible to make it valid enough.
Not Trash Pets - a site dedicated to spreading the word that small animals are not trash pets.
See the Glimmering Goldfish Web Ring at the bottom of my main fishy page.
This site used to have a counter. The total number of visitors from 9/25/00 until 9/27/03 was 59100. The counter at the bottom of all the pages is for all the pages.
The server reset the counter on 9/25/00. The last recorded hits was 10002 on 9/1/00 since March 31, 1999.
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