![]() Reproduced with kind permission of Nathan Hill and Jeremy Gay of Practical Fishkeeping Magazine. This photo shows a fully grown goldfish next to a domestic cat – you can see the goldfish is a big chap! The real adult size of goldfish – Avoid a BIG Mistake! The photo of Swimmie, shown below, was sent to us by a lady in the US. Howie isn’t some sort of special giant goldie, he’s just a normal goldfish that’s grown to the sort of size that they grow to. Howie is fifteen years old, 30cm long and VERY chunky They can get close to a kilogram in weight, or more. They have very deep, wide bodies and can gain a lot of bulk. Rocket was 30cm long and 30cm tall from fin tip to fin tip, She weighed over 1lb.Ĭommon goldfish can reach larger sizes at least 30cm in length, and often longer, especially for long finned versions like comets. ![]() Taking this adult size into consideration, we can already see that a 100 litre tank of 90cm x 35cm x 30cm will barely allow an adult fancy to turn around. Shorter finned varieties may have less total length, but will still have large, bulky bodies. Potential adult sizeĪ fully-grown fancy goldfish can easily reach 30cm long and 30cm tall or more (including fins and tail), with a body the size of a grapefruit and weight approaching half a kilogram. Let’s take a look at some of the points to consider when choosing a tank size for goldfish. Why are the tank dimensions so important? By understanding the fish, we are better able to see why they need the tank sizes they do. It’s important to look at the bigger picture of goldfish requirements and really start to understand how these fish work, how they behave, their physical and biological characteristics, their need for an enriching environment and their need for social interaction. The dimensions of the tank are very important, and it’s the dimensions that will dictate the minimum volume for one fish, let alone more. It’s the maximum potential adult size of the fish that should be multiplied by six, not the baby size at which you buy it. The ‘ six times the length‘ rule is a good one for goldfish as it provides them with adequate swimming room and water volume. This volume is nowhere near sufficient for a single fish and the dimensions of the tank will be inadequate the average 100 litre tank is approximately 90cm x 35cm x 30cm. It’s not uncommon to see 100 litres, or thereabouts, quoted as the minimum for one goldfish, with varying amounts of additional litres for additional fish. They are likely to have much more rounded and compact body shapes. Fancy goldfish have been line-bred to develop particular body shapes and usually have a double caudal (tail) fin as well as a variety of other physical traits such as headgrowth and oversized eyes. A common or singletail goldfish has a single caudal (tail) fin and elongated body shape the ‘traditional’ style of goldfish. Goldfish can be divided into two broad types singletails (often referred to as commons) and fancy goldfish. The difference between common or singletail goldfish, and fancy goldfishĭifferent tank sizes are often quoted for common or singletail goldfish, and fancy goldfish. Poor accommodation and inadequate care can contribute to them failing to reach their true potential, but it is unacceptable to deny an animal an appropriately sized home, and the right amout of food, in order to keep them small. There is a lot of out of date thinking surrounding goldfish and it’s high time they were given the understanding, recognition and respect that they deserve. I cannot stress firmly enough that you should not believe the ‘ grow to the size of the tank’ myth. I’m hoping that my experiences of the problems caused by inadequate accommodation, and my experiences of keeping full grown adult goldfish, will help others understand the needs of these large fish and help avoid heartache. I’ve also been fortunate to have been given goldfish who grew into stunning, and very large, adult fish. Having taken on many ‘adoptees’ I’ve seen the terrible health problems and stunting caused by other peoples’ poor care and lack of understanding of their goldfishes’ needs. I have a particular interest in goldfish behaviour and ‘psychology’ they are remarkably interactive and individual creatures and often exhibit interesting behaviours. On a personal note, I’ve been keeping goldfish for many years now and have had the delight of sharing my world with nearly forty of them in that time. It’s something we feel strongly about at INJAF as goldfish are a species that suffer rather more than most when it comes to misconceptions and poor information regarding their care. ![]() ![]() What size tank for goldfish is a question that often arises on fishkeeping forums and usually results in a wide variety of opinions and suggestions. ![]()
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