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i work at a petsmart and everybody wants goldfish! but most of them have little bowls for them so i hardly sell them. i just want to make sure im giving the right information.

is it true: goldfish can get up to 10"
one gfish is too big for a 10usg
they need 12usg per fish
they grow their whole lives
and they can only be with goldfish

this is what i tell almost all of my customers. should i continue or do i need to change my goldfish lecture?

Yes, goldfish can get VERY big. Check out a picture of Bruce the Oranda.

They cannot be kept in bowls, and a 10 gallon is too small for them. They require more along the lines of 30-50 gallons each, depending on who you ask.

I don't see a problem with keeping them with other fish, but IMO they look better on their own for the most part.

-Formerly known as the Ferretfish

Q: goldfish can get up to 10"
A: More like 16"+ for common (torpedo) goldfish. Fancy goldfish can get up to the size of a large grapefruit.

Q: one gfish is too big for a 10usg
A: Very much so, a fancy (ball shaped) goldfish needs 55g by it's self. Common (torpedo) goldfish need 125g+.

Q: do they need 12usg per fish
A: They need a bit more...
55g: 1 Fancy
75g: 2 Fancy
125g: 4 Fancy or 2 Common
I don't think anyone who shops at a chain store will have larger aquariums then that...

Q: do they grow their whole lives
A: Yes they do, they are carp. They will stop growing if they are stunted in which case they will die a slow horrible death where their organs will press against their stunted bodies and eventually fail resulting in dropsy.

Q: and they can only be with goldfish
A: Goldfish are cold water fish... So that basically limits them to other cold water fish as tank mates... White clouds sometimes work, but may be eaten by the goldfish.

Q: Do goldfish need special food?
A: Yes they do, they need a low protein diet or they will get bloat and could die.

Last edited by john.stone at 01-Nov-2004 10:19

Not that this hasn't been covered, but always best to have a clear mandate, right?

is it true: goldfish can get up to 10"
Whoooooooooo, yeah! Bruce:


one gfish is too big for a 10usg
Yes, see above. Indeed, I find that carrying a copy of the Bruce picture helps people understand. And that's just a fancy goldfish - commons like most people buy for bowls get MUCH bigger.

they need 12usg per fish
Personally, I'd prefer to see a lot more than that - but 10-15 gallons per fish will work for a good while, so that's good enough. With 10-15 gpf, the owners will get good enough growth that they'll soon see it might be inadequate!

they grow their whole lives
Yup - but to be fair, growth slows to nearly a stop after a while.

and they can only be with goldfish
A more debatable point but as someone who kept a number of species with them - I wouldn't do it again, and I'm glad I'm no longer doing it. In terms of temperature, diet, aggression, behaviors, aesthetics, a safe envirnment, etc - it's a bad idea.[/font]

Last edited by LittleMousling at 01-Nov-2004 13:45

-Molly
Visit shelldwellers.com!

thanks for all your help everybody!!!

One more thing to keep in mind with goldfish: They are very messy, requiring very good filtration.
I applaud you for informing your customers of the proper care for goldies. If the chain stores had more dedicated persons such as yourself, they wouldn't have such a bad rep.
Several years ago I got some feeder goldies from Petsmart to start my first pond. You know the ones: crowded into one of the lower tanks on the end. My bigest female goldie is now over 10 inches long and has been breeding for the last 3 years.