Hello, please excuse my lack of knowledge, but I was wondering how FAST my 2 fancy goldfish should be growing?

I have a telescopic and a normal looking fancy (i have no idea what the correct specie names are) and have had them for about 10 months now. I understand that they should get to about 5-8 inchs long depending on which site i've been reading. However, when I first purchased them, they where around an inch, maybe an inch and a half, and have grown maybe half an inch at most since. I've noticed a lot of people saying their fancies are 'growing fast' but should my two have grown more than half and inch by now? I'm worried that i've done something to stunt their growth. I don't expect them to grow big overnight but i can't find any information of how long they take to get to 5-8 inchs.

How large is the tank they're in?

How much sunlight or lamplight do they get each day?

How often are the water changes, and how much water do you change each time?

their tank is 70 litres which i think is about 15 gallons, and they get about 4-5 hours lamp light each day andI change a quarter of the water every 3-4 weeks.

The normal looking fancy, does it kind of look like a plain old feeder goldfish, but with a little longer fins? Or does it look like it swallowed a golfball, like most of the telescopes and such do?

And also, what food or foods do you feed them, and how often?

According to Google's converter, 70 liters is around 18.5 US gallons.

Ive had some fish for over a year and I havent noticed much for growth. Most of the fish purchased from fish shops are probably stunted and wont reach full growth. Genes also have a lot to do with it and who knows what the parents looked like that spawed the fish store babies.

I love my stunted fish as much as the big guys though!

the 'normal' one is the same swollen body shape as the telescopic, and has a double fin the same. the only difference to look at them is the eyes. I feed them on goldfish flakes every 2 days. I was feeding them twice a day until I saw my boyfriends 12 year old cousin's tank was so clear. He said he only feeds his once every 3 days but i don't think could leave them that long! should i be feeding them more often than 2 days then?

You really should feed them 2 times a day, i do and my tank is crystal clear, and also, 15 gallons isn't really big enough for 2 fancys, they need 10 gallons each

With a nearly 19 US gallon tank, it may be enough room for now...

If you're interested in seeing them grow larger, then as tropicana says, one thing to try is a larger tank.

Also, I've found that changing 25% of the water more often, say, every week, or every other week, may help on that as well. Some goldfish experts have theories about goldfish emitting growth-inhibiting hormones, though I don't have the link bookmarked.

Feeding them once a day, or twice a day, would not be likely to harm them, especially with an increase in water change frequency. It would also probably hasten their growth a tiny bit, if their genes and space allow it...

Good luck!

well, some of my fish are growing slower and some are growing rather fast.

yes, i think that you should try to feed them once or twice a day. It's best to do lots of small feedings in one day than one big feeding, to prevent overfeeding in one sitting, and for your water to stay clear. It usually clouds as a result of too much waste food. So increase the number of feedings per day, but cut down on the amount you feed. It's better for your fish that way, as they do not 'overload' on food in one big go, which can be bad for their delicate digestive system.

Also, i think your tank is probably big enough for two small fish like yours, but increasing the water changes to once a week or fortnight will help your water quality and hence help your fish's growth. (as suggested by Johnny five)

I know a lot of this advice was given already, i just wanted to add to it.

I have had a ryukin(3") and a fantail(2") in a 37 gallon for about 4 months now...I don't see any signs of growth ...they get omega one sinking pellets, bloodworms, hikari gold, and peas...15% water change every week. I don't know what I'm doing wrong

I always feed my fish twice daily. I drop in just what they can eat. And I ALWAYS clean my tanks every week. I remove about 30-50% of the water while vaccuuming the tank. The better you keep your water the better your fish will be! I think if you bump up your feeding AND cleaning you will see some changes.

I dont know much about goldfish growth. I just want to add i thought the same thing as you. I saw my goldies every day almost for a few months. I didnt think they were getting anywhere. And then i went away for about two months, and its a few weeks inbetween each time i see them (college). When i first came back from not seeing them... they looked HUGE, i realized just how much they had grown. I strongly believe- upgrading to a 38gal, and starting them on progold helped alot. But i just want to say, they may quite possibly be growing more than you realize you just dont see it cause you see them every day. Try taking a picture relative to something in the tank and then look back on it in three months. You may be pleasently suprised

Key to growth is food and water condition (genetics and water volume is also important).

So what u should do:

1. FEED, FEED, and FEED!!
2. WATERCHANGE, WATERCHANGE, and WATERCHANGE!! (75-100% per week is best)
3. Make sure u got at least 10 gallons per fish.
4. Lastly, genetics. If the parents of ur fish are tiny little weeny things not more than 3 inches long when full grown, then ur fish will likely to be a tiny little weeny thing also no matter how much food u give him or how many waterchanges u do.

hey d_golem,
where abouts did u buy your fish? Im from perth too..all the fish i have bought all dont seem to grow..
can you recomend a good fish shop?
cheers

UUUOOOOO A PERTH GUY!!!!!! NOW I'M NOT ALONE!!!!!!!

Where do u live in Perth? I'm in Waterford, near Curtin Uni.

I can recommend you Aquotix in Canningvale (splendid freshwater and goldie variety) and Veba's in Freo. There are a couple others worth mentioning but those two are the best.

hehehe yep!
i acutally joined these forums a few years ago! but didnt log in in ages... lol.
might pop down to aquotix, thats where i got my fish before..

Exactly what i was going to say. I didnt think my blackmoor had grown AT ALL over the months i owned him, but when i went to the lfs they had loads of babies just like he was when i bought him, and he's actually nearly triple in size!!! It's just an effect of seeing them everyday i think, you dont notice how much they've actually grown

Sorry that this is off-topic but I'm so happy there's FINALLY another Perthite here at koko's


Heheh hope to see you a bit more often now here at koko's

I like Aquotix cos they generally take care of their fish very well, their goldies' quality is generally very good, and the staff (well, the more experienced ones anyway) are very knowledgeable, plus I got discount there cos I'm a regular . They say they got their more expensive range of goldies from a dealer in Singapore but most likely the dealer sourced them from Thailand. I don't mind Thai fish at all, very solidly built they are.

Veba's is generally "less caring" of their fish stock (especially the goldies), but they sometimes surprises me by having VERY HIGH quality goldies and some of the more unusual kinds. Most importantly they sell the goldies (and the equipments) considerably cheaper than other stores.

Btw, where r u located in Perth, mate?

Yea i used to go Aquotix alot,they are good Got my tank and everything there. even got the ammoinia powder from them so i can have a fishless cycle. Peices is not bad too.
Will be heading down tommorow, to get a new fish.
i just get really frustrated when i put so much work into my fish and the fishes dont grow..............
btw im in winthrop(SOR)

I don't think feeding once every two days is enough. Some hobbyists feed five times a day and their fish are looking gorgeous, active and happy. But of course you must do necessary water changes and check your water quality as already others have adviced...

My fish were 3 1/2 to 4 inches when I first got them. But within 6 months they grew up to be 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 inches. Several times they got parasite infections (mind you with proper water changes...but still) and lost weight too...

Try Greenwater and feed alot with Bloodworms~ Bring from a baby fry to a full grown fancy in less than a year!!!!