I just lost my beautiful Ryukin because of egg impaction. She was only a little over two years old. Can someone tell me (1) when the goldies start making eggs and (2) how to avoid this happening to my other females [I am 99% sure I don't have a male in my tank]...

Female goldfish start at the age of about 2 years old. Most girls will reabsorb them, some for some reason don't...I think Ranchu girl would be better to help you with this ?

Yeah, for some reason a lot of females have troubles with their eggs if they aren't released. I tend to think that with developing deeper bodied fish, and all those fancy breeds around, they just have trouble expelling them, and once the passage is blocked, it is just so difficult for them to get rid of those eggs.
Some people for that reason try not to buy any females, especially those higher priced fish. One fish of mine, a calico oranda girl, took 3 months to reabsorb her eggs, and during that time she was basically motionless on the bottom of the tank, not moving up much at all, and even swimming alongside the bottom was hard for her. It just takes out so much energy, that there isn't much left for anything else. One morning, she just got up and swam again like nothing happened.

If you suspect that you have another female that carries eggs, I'd fast her for a week or so. That helps any reabsorbtion, since the body is forced to use the eggs for survival, since you aren't supplying the food for that. Either that, or get a male. But even then, some males aren't interested in breeding, so I'd try the fasting thing first. Prevention is better than the suffering and heartache later.

Are you sure your ryukin was just two years old? Some fish seem young, just because they are small, but in reality are just not fully grown to their potential. I am raising fry at the moment thinking that two of the fish were "too young" to breed. I have a few fish that I know are not babies anymore, simply because I have them for a number of years. Yet, if you would see them, you'd think they are babies, since they are so small.

Hey Ranchu girl....how are you? I am guessing that my sweet little Elizabeth was about 2 1/2 - she was purchased by my mother in law for my daughter in April of 2005. When she came to us, she was the size of my daughter's thumb which is why I assumed she was a baby...I still miss her. As for my other three fish they are fantails, not Ryukins. One of them has a fatter belly than the others so I freak about egg impaction with that one...it's never ending! One day at a time I guess -

Well, if the fish grew in your care, then most likely she indeed was young when you got here. I would worry more about the ones that don't grow much - those are the stunted ones.

The fat belly of one of your fish - if you look from above, is one side bigger than the other, or is the belly about equal?

Hi...yes, one side is a little bigger, not much...do you think something is wrong with her?

No, nothing wrong with her - it is just a usual sign of a female with eggs that one side of her belly is wider than the other due to eggs. The belly doesn't necessarily grow bigger equal on both sides.