[Tamyu]

Today I managed to get some nice shots of my other fish.
In my big tank, I have two pearlscale goldfish. They are the cutest, roundest little balls of fishiness. They make me think of messy little puppies...
They are still babies, only about an inch and a half long.

This is my son's fish - named, uncreatively, Shiro.

This is a bit of a rescue. She(?) got caught in a friend's filter pipe when she was a bit smaller... It tore a hole in her side, ripped her fins off on that side, and shredded her tail. I did a lot of nursing, and now Poyo only has a big smooth scar where the worst damage was.

Jumping for food!

 

[nicolaas]

Wow! Nice gold fish.

 

[thekoimaiden]

Awww! They are adorable! And tiny! ^-^ I look at my goldies and can't even imagine them being that small once.

 

[djembekah]

aweee how cute!!!

 

[Bombalurina]

I miss having baby goldfish! So cute.

 

[bettaboyshiva]

they remind me of someone i know lol

 

[Tamyu]

Thanks everyone.
I hope they don't get bigger too quickly - we can't afford a larger tank at the moment. Right now they seem almost comically small in their big 15g, but I know that won't last forever.

 

[Leeniex]

Cute!!!!

 

[Bombalurina]

Goldfish do grow pretty fast - you are going to need to upgrade to a 30g ASAP.

 

[Tamyu]

Goldfish do grow pretty fast - you are going to need to upgrade to a 30g ASAP.

Not quite that fast - they are a year old as it is, and their parents are 3 inches at 5 years. If they get bigger than that in the next year they will be heading off to pond land to join them. (We know the breeder.)

They are from very small fancy goldfish stock (comets or wakin they are not), so unless they outpace their parents, they should actually be fine in the 15 gallon for a while. They have the heavily filtered, monitored, and cleaned tank to themselves. I just hope they don't outgrow it before we have a pond as I would like to keep them.

 

[thekoimaiden]

Oh my gosh! I had no clue they were over a year. It would be great to see a smaller breed of goldfish arise. I get many questions like "which goldfish stays the smallest." Plus I'll probably have to downgrade to an apartment when I go to grad school, and not too many apartments I know let people keep 55+ gal tanks.

Also I would love to live by serious goldfish breeders. Goldfish are some of my favorite fish. You're soo lucky!

 

[Wolfie305]

OH MY GOD THEY ARE ADORABLE! I MUST HAVE. Hahaha.

 

[50galkid]

Sooooo Cute <3

 

[Tropical]

Absolutely adorable!!!

 

[Bombalurina]

That's so cool, that they stay that small! I agree with KoiMaiden - having some goldfish selectively bred to stay small entering the hobby would be great, and would help those fish whose owners insist on keeping them in smaller tanks (not aimed at the OP, I think 15 gallons is fine if they stay that small . )

 

[Tamyu]

Oh my gosh! I had no clue they were over a year. It would be great to see a smaller breed of goldfish arise. I get many questions like "which goldfish stays the smallest." Plus I'll probably have to downgrade to an apartment when I go to grad school, and not too many apartments I know let people keep 55+ gal tanks.

Also I would love to live by serious goldfish breeders. Goldfish are some of my favorite fish. You're soo lucky!

Well, I can't really say that they will stay small. Goldfish continue growing as long as they are alive, and these guys live for around 15 years when healthy... So chances are the parents will be five or six inches by the end of their lifespan. They are just slow growers. I don't think any goldfish really stay small.

Most of the breeders around here breed for larger or better shapes - smaller goldfish tend to be inexpensive and don't have the same sort of prestige as larger do. My friend is aiming for tiny ones, but it is more hobby level.

ETA; Good luck on the large tank accommodations. We live in a condo and on the first floor so we sort of get the best of all worlds. A fairly large garden, great city location, and the massive concrete foundation below us. In terms of weight bearing, I could turn one of our rooms into an aquarium and have no trouble.

 

[Tamyu]

That's so cool, that they stay that small! I agree with KoiMaiden - having some goldfish selectively bred to stay small entering the hobby would be great, and would help those fish whose owners insist on keeping them in smaller tanks (not aimed at the OP, I think 15 gallons is fine if they stay that small . )

I think the big problem is that people who are just entering the hobby aren't the type to invest the level of money to make breeding them to be smaller worthwhile. People pay huge amounts for large ranchu, but not for goldfish for "My First Goldfish" kits. And, well, it is great when someone learns more and improves conditions for their fish... But I don't think the majority of people who pick up a goldfish do.
It is also easier for breeders to raise more quickly growing goldfish outdoors - they tend to deal well with temperature changes and also less likely to be stolen by birds. Smaller goldfish don't have a good time making it through their first winter, so need an indoor shelter. (Which is where one mine was sucked into the filter.)

In my opinion, fancy goldfish aren't really all that hardy to begin with... And bred to be smaller makes them even less so. There are also a lot of things that have to be considered when keeping them in a smaller tank - this type totally sucks at swimming so they never leave the feeding corner, but a more active body type would be cramped at this size. They are also very dirty, even when tiny, so tons of filtration is a must. All in all, goldfish really aren't a good first fish.

 

[thekoimaiden]

Oh don't worry, I understand indeterminate (but really slow in your pearlscale's case) growth. I know a lot about goldfish and fish in general. I studied fisheries science in university and have been keeping goldfish for about 5 years. I know there is no such thing as a small goldfish (but babies are still adorable). I just get that question a lot and have to explain that the fish you see in stores are often very young, and keeping them in a 10 gal tank is like locking a great dane in a closet.

I wonder why there is such a drive for larger goldfish. Personally if I want something giant I will either go for koi or sturgeon (now those are monsters). I get goldfish to have something between 6 and 10 inches, large but not monstrous. I would think there would be a market for small goldfish in people like me who love goldfish but might not be able to do anything over 55 gallons.

I'm actually in the market for a larger tank. I would love to be able to upgrade to a 75 gal and a canister filter as I would like to add another 3 goldfish to my little school. I better get looking for either a townhouse or a bottom-floor apartment. :lol:

I completely agree with you that goldfish are terrible beginner fish. I will always suggest a betta over a goldfish as a "first fish." Now if only we could stop the large corporations from pushing goldfish as "easy fish."

 

[Bombalurina]

The number of people who buy goldfish as first fish....me included...and keep them in a tank that is too small. At least Fishy is going in a pond soon.

One day, my dream is an 8 foot fancy goldfish tank.

 

[aqua001]

Soooo cute! I love how they look so chubby! The 3rd is my fav! Like Tamyu (and all the other fish people, I hate, hate, HATE the "first fish kits"! I put my CT in one and he died in their...for real.) I caught a customer at petsmart with 2 of the most beautiful HM in her hand. I figured she was a hobbyist until...:
I saw she picked up goldfish food to feed them.
Picked up a "tank" that was less than a cup of water AND divided!!!
And lately she told her kids the were ready to go!!!

I winced at the thought of the two soon-to-be-dead fish and, oh yeah I forgot to mention the items she bought was what the employee suggested!