HOW DO I KEEP GOLDFISH SMALL and gold?

dalomesser · 04-17-2007, 08:53 AM

Hi,

I was woundering if anyone could tell me the secret to getting my common goldfish fry to stay small (1 inch) and make them turn gold. I have seen goldfish at lots of garden centres and they are about 1 inch and gold. How do they do it? My fry take three years but are 2 - 4 inches long not 1. Please tell me.

Thanjks

Dalomesser

harif87 · 04-17-2007, 09:44 AM

Its impossible to keep it small and it still be healthy

MyraVan · 04-17-2007, 09:44 AM

Well, you'll never get them to stay small, no matter what you do. The ones you see at the garden centres are babies.

A much more interesting question is, how do you get them to be gold when they are still only 1" long. I don't know the answer to this question, but now that you mention it, it is a mystery! My hubby's parents have a little pond and their goldfish fry sometimes start out black, and then like yours, turn gold when they are maybe 3" long. Maybe it's the environment: maybe they have to be raised at a certain temperature to be gold at only 1" long.

redpaulhus · 04-17-2007, 09:56 AM

The only goldfish that stay less than 2 inches long:
http://www.tapirback.com/tapirgal/gi...stic-f1213.htm

I think the color of young goldfish is in part seasonal - depending on when they are born - since there are certain times of the year when all of the "feeders" we get show up bronze, the rest of the year they are the usual blend of orange, white, and bronze comets.
Feeding a diet high in astaxanthin, and providing lots of natural sunlight, would probably be helpful in getting more consistant orange fry, as would making sure that you are using good quality broodstock (ie - selectively breed successive generations from fry that color up early )

Danh · 04-17-2007, 09:56 AM

Color would depend on their genes, water quality and diet. You'd need to get goldfish with parents that were all gold, keep their water in good condition and feed them a quality flake/pellet that keeps them colored nicely.
You can't keep them small without hurting them and having unhealthy fish, and I don't know if you could do it for sure that way either.

harif87 · 04-17-2007, 10:06 AM

I remember having goldfish that were about an inch long that were gold........ it all depends on the fish

Zoe · 04-17-2007, 10:14 AM

Get a red platy instead?

**Fishfirst** · 04-17-2007, 10:37 AM

I don't think he/she was saying that she wants her fish to be small... but he/she wants them to be orange when they are small.

Zoe · 04-17-2007, 11:08 AM

Quote:

I was woundering if anyone could tell me the secret to getting my common goldfish fry to stay small (1 inch)

Sounds to me like they want to keep their goldfish small.

swordtailbreedr · 04-17-2007, 02:44 PM

Its Impossible!

Crayola105 · 04-17-2007, 08:15 PM

I think he's wondering how to make it turn the golden color early in life.

**Fishfirst** · 04-19-2007, 10:46 AM

Quote:

have seen goldfish at lots of garden centres and they are about 1 inch and gold. How do they do it?

Sounds to me like they are asking how to get their fry to color up at 1" in size instead of 4" in size like they're do...

Buggy · 04-19-2007, 11:49 AM

I believe it depends on the type. I had some common comets about 3" that were a nice bronze color and never turned gold. I now have 11 comet fry about 3/4" ( got them to cycle a tank at smaller then 1/2") and they were gold when I got them and are retaining their gold color. I don't know what the difference is exactly but species and genetics probably has a lot to do with it.

04-17-2007, 08:53 AM	#1
dalomesser New Breeder Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: South Wales Age: 18 Posts: 11	HOW DO I KEEP GOLDFISH SMALL and gold? Hi, I was woundering if anyone could tell me the secret to getting my common goldfish fry to stay small (1 inch) and make them turn gold. I have seen goldfish at lots of garden centres and they are about 1 inch and gold. How do they do it? My fry take three years but are 2 - 4 inches long not 1. Please tell me. Thanjks Dalomesser

04-17-2007, 09:44 AM	#2
harif87 Minor Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Age: 21 Posts: 996	Its impossible to keep it small and it still be healthy __________________ sorry for beating you senseless "The human torch was denied a bank loan"

04-17-2007, 10:06 AM	#6
harif87 Minor Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Age: 21 Posts: 996	I remember having goldfish that were about an inch long that were gold........ it all depends on the fish __________________ sorry for beating you senseless "The human torch was denied a bank loan"

04-17-2007, 10:14 AM	#7
Zoe <·)))< Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Ottawa Age: 22 Posts: 1,030	Get a red platy instead? __________________ 90g pltd: angelfish [black, leopard, platinum, silver zebra & gold vt] · glass catfish · harlequin rasbora · neon & rummy nosed tetra · sterpai & spotted cory · bristlenose pleco 28g pltd: scarlet badis · oto cats · bristlenose 16g pltd: flame & honey gourami · cherry barbs 8g (soon to be 18g): 15 lbs LR · 10 lbs LS · YSP · zoas · shrooms · flame & hammer corals · brittle star · scarlet & electric blue hermits · firefish

04-17-2007, 10:37 AM	#8
Fishfirst Fish Guru Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Northern Wisconsin Age: 24 Posts: 3,546	I don't think he/she was saying that she wants her fish to be small... but he/she wants them to be orange when they are small. __________________ 210 Gal Reef w/ 55 Gallon Sump/Fuge, 125 Gal Fish Only, 65 Gal Seahorse-29 Gallon Sump, 55 Gal FOWLR, 54 Gal Corner FW Community, 20 Gal Nano FOWLR, 55 Gal Piranha, 29 gallon QT "All the yellow tangs and clownfish in the world can't save you now! hahahah" Peter from Family Guy

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04-17-2007, 09:44 AM	#3
MyraVan Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Cambridge, UK Posts: 864	Well, you'll never get them to stay small, no matter what you do. The ones you see at the garden centres are babies. A much more interesting question is, how do you get them to be gold when they are still only 1" long. I don't know the answer to this question, but now that you mention it, it is a mystery! My hubby's parents have a little pond and their goldfish fry sometimes start out black, and then like yours, turn gold when they are maybe 3" long. Maybe it's the environment: maybe they have to be raised at a certain temperature to be gold at only 1" long.

04-17-2007, 09:56 AM	#4
redpaulhus fishgeek Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Boston Age: 38 Posts: 456	The only goldfish that stay less than 2 inches long: http://www.tapirback.com/tapirgal/gi...stic-f1213.htm I think the color of young goldfish is in part seasonal - depending on when they are born - since there are certain times of the year when all of the "feeders" we get show up bronze, the rest of the year they are the usual blend of orange, white, and bronze comets. Feeding a diet high in astaxanthin, and providing lots of natural sunlight, would probably be helpful in getting more consistant orange fry, as would making sure that you are using good quality broodstock (ie - selectively breed successive generations from fry that color up early )

04-17-2007, 09:56 AM	#5
Danh Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Age: 24 Posts: 612	Color would depend on their genes, water quality and diet. You'd need to get goldfish with parents that were all gold, keep their water in good condition and feed them a quality flake/pellet that keeps them colored nicely. You can't keep them small without hurting them and having unhealthy fish, and I don't know if you could do it for sure that way either.

04-17-2007, 02:44 PM	#10
swordtailbreedr Banned Join Date: Mar 2007 Age: 16 Posts: 400	Its Impossible!

04-17-2007, 08:15 PM	#11
Crayola105 Fishy Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 21	I think he's wondering how to make it turn the golden color early in life.

04-19-2007, 11:49 AM	#13
Buggy Room Mother Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Oklahoma Age: 42 Posts: 745	I believe it depends on the type. I had some common comets about 3" that were a nice bronze color and never turned gold. I now have 11 comet fry about 3/4" ( got them to cycle a tank at smaller then 1/2") and they were gold when I got them and are retaining their gold color. I don't know what the difference is exactly but species and genetics probably has a lot to do with it. __________________ Fish are people too! *My Animal Family* Dixie - Boxer/Lab Peanut -Chihuahua Cali - American Short-hair Cat B.B. - Parakeet Flower - Western Ornate Box Turtle Loki - White Ferret Odin - Brown Ferret *Aquariums* 55 gal tropical Fresh Water - 23 various fish 29 gal tropical Fresh Water - 4 various cichlids 10 gal tropical Fresh Water - 1 Red Male Betta, 3 black neon tetras, 1 Asian Glass Catfish

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