I thought goldfish always showed theyre breeding starts. That is to say, once the got them, the may fade a bit when out of season, but you could basically see them all the time. Well when i got my shubunkin, he had breeding stars, im sure of it. Now i cant see any. Not a single one. I even scooped him up for a better look and nothing. So is it becuase my tank is so cold (60-62 degrees) that he lost his stars becuase he isnt in breeding mode? Should i heat the water up a bit? They love it cold like that, and they really dont seem to get along very well in a 70 degree tank.

hi meg. males tend to only show breeding stars when they are ready to breed which is triggered by a temperature change. if the tank is a constant 60-62 then i doubt breeding would be triggered sucessfully although it is possible. the stars do fade after a while. my shub had them and you could feel them faintly for about 9 months but they seem to disappear in winter. the temp of the tank should naturally increase enough in the summer for them to be visable again. hope this helps you!

ok, lol i thought you could always see them. I was starting to think i was going mad and i got another female. Thanks a bunch!