As a goldfish keeper, you must be curious to know about the growth stages of your goldfish. It is necessary to know about the growth stages of your fish for their proper care and development. So, let us discuss goldfish growth stages.
Goldfish Fry, Juvenile Goldfish, Young Goldfish, and Adult Goldfish are the four goldfish growth stages. Favorable water conditions and parameters can help enhance your fish’s growth. Consider providing a good size tank and high-grade food to avoid the barriers that affect goldfish growth.
In the below article, we will discuss the growth stages of your goldfish. In addition to this, we will also discuss the factors that affect the growth of your goldfish.
Contents
Goldfish growth stages
Goldfish grows in the following stages:
- Goldfish Fry
- Juvenile Goldfish
- Young Goldfish
- Adult Goldfish
Goldfish fry
Goldfish are not livebearers as they carry eggs inside their body.
The Goldfish fry is born when the female goldfish lays unfertilized eggs, and the male then fertilizes it by releasing its milt upon the egg.
Goldfish can lay thousands of eggs at each spawning but only few of them get fertilized by the male goldfish.
The goldfish hatches in around four to seven days. The size of the goldfish fry is up to 0.2 to 0.4 inches.Â
The goldfish fry at this stage is not able to swim freely, and you will probably see them in the bottom of your tank.
At this stage, your goldfish fry is at risk of getting attacked by their predatory parents.
Therefore, placing the goldfish fry in a separate tank will be advisable to protect them from the adult goldfish and the other tankmates.
You should not feed the fry for about 2-3 days after they hatch as they will have about 2-3 days of food in their sacks. At this stage, they are called goldfish larvae.
You can start feeding your goldfish fry once you discover them swimming freely in the tank.
Once the goldfish larvae start swimming freely in the tank and can feed themselves, then they are called goldfish fry.
Goldfish require 40% protein in their diet for proper growth and development.
The best live foods you can provide to your goldfish fry are as follow:
- Egg Yolks
- Mosquito Wriggles
- Brine Shrimp
- Daphnia
It will be best to start by feeding egg yolks to your goldfish fry.
Just place a pinch of egg yolk in the small container of tank water and shake it up until it gets entirely dissolved in the water.
Once the yolk gets dissolved, you can serve it to your goldfish fry. It will be advisable to provide egg yolks to your goldfish fry for 2-3 days.
You can feed egg yolks 3 times a day to your goldfish fry.
After providing egg yolks for three days, you can give daphnia, mosquito wriggles, and brine shrimp to your goldfish as they are a rich source of protein required for the growth of your goldfish.
Avoid providing artificial foods to your goldfish fry as it does not provide all the necessary nutrients and can also pollute the tank’s water.
A water filter at this stage is not necessary. However, you should perform a water change of 5-10% per day, depending upon the water conditions.
Your goldfish fry requires a warmer temperature than an average fish to thrive.
The water temperature of your goldfish fry tank should range between 70-75 °F.
It will be advisable to add a heater to your goldfish fry tank to maintain adequate water parameters.
Juvenile Goldfish
Once your goldfish fry starts developing scales and has fully formed fins, they become juvenile.
It will take one month for your goldfish to turn into a juvenile.
The size of the juvenile goldfish ranges from 0.9 to 1 inch.
At this stage, you can serve the food of adult goldfish to your juvenile goldfish.
The diet of your juvenile goldfish should be a mix of meat and green veggies like a pea for their proper growth and development.
The water temperature required by your juvenile goldfish should be between 68-74°F.
At this stage, your goldfish will start gaining weight.
It will take around 3-4 months for your juvenile to turn into young goldfish.
Young Goldfish
The size of the goldfish at this stage will be around 1.25 inches. You will discover a 30% growth in your fish in the first three weeks.
The ideal water temperature for your young goldfish aquarium should be around 68-74°F.
You should provide a diet that is a mix of all the necessary nutrients for the growth and development of your goldfish.
You should add a water filter to your goldfish tank to maintain the water quality.
It takes around 6-7 weeks for your young goldfish to turn into adult goldfish.
Adult Goldfish
The size of your goldfish at this stage will be around 2 inches and can turn to 3 inches if placed in adequate water conditions.
The ideal water temperature of your adult goldfish tank should be around 68-74°F.
You should provide a well-filtered tank to your goldfish for their well-being.
Goldfish are omnivores species that require meat and green veggies needed for your goldfish to grow.
| Goldfish Diet | Serving Quantity | No. of Times |
|---|---|---|
| Veggie Pellets | One pinch at a time | 2-3 times a day |
| Bloodworms | One pinch at a time | 1-2 times a week |
| Tubifex Worms | One pinch at a time | 1 time a week |
| Brine Shrimp | One pinch at a time | 1-2 times a week |
| Leafy Greens (Kale, Spinach, Lettuce) | A piece of leaf | 3-4 times a week |
| Mosquito Larvae | 10-15 | 2-3 times a week |
| Blanched peas | Half a pea | 2-3 times a week |
At this stage, you can determine the gender of your goldfish. It is not possible to decide on the gender of your goldfish before it turns 3 inches.
Your male goldfish will have a thinner body, whereas the females will have a rounder and thicker body shape.
Also read: What Do Goldfish Eat?
How can you detect that your goldfish is about to lay eggs?
There are many signs that your goldfish shows when it is about to lay eggs.
Your female goldfish getting more broad than usual indicates your fish is about to lay eggs.
If you discover your male goldfish chasing the females indicates that your fish is about to lay eggs.
Female goldfish signal the male by releasing pheromones in the water, indicating to the male that she is about to lay eggs.
The male goldfish rub himself against the female to make her release the eggs.
Also read: Can Goldfish Get Pregnant?
What factors affect the growth of your goldfish?
The factors that affect the growth of goldfish are as follows:
- Overcrowded Tank
- Poor Water Quality
- Inadequate Water Parameters
- Stress
- Low-Grade Food
Overcrowded Tank
An overcrowded tank can affect the growth of your goldfish.
You should always provide ample space in the tank for your goldfish to develop properly.
Experts suggest adding one gallon of water per inch of fish.
| Types Of Goldfish | Minimum Size | Maximum Size | In A 10-Gallon Tank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comet Goldfish | 2 inches (5.08 cm) | 12 inches ( 30.48cm) | 1-2 small Goldfish |
| Sarasa Goldfish | 4 inches (10.16 cm) | 14 inches (35.56cm) | 1-2 small Goldfish |
| Shubunkin Goldfish | 9 inches (22.86 cm) | 18 inches (45.72cm) | 1 small Goldfish |
| Fantail Goldfish | 6 inches (15.24cm) | 8 inches (20.32cm) | 1-2 small Goldfish |
| Common Goldfish | 4 inches (10.16cm) | 14 inches (35.56cm) | 1-2 small Goldfish |
Also read: How Many Goldfish Can You Keep In A 10-Gallon Tank?
Poor Water Quality
Inadequate water conditions also affect the growth of your goldfish.
Poor water conditions can lead to significant health issues for your goldfish, like constipation.
It can also lead to a spike in the ammonia level that can make the tank’s water acidic, eventually affecting the gills of your goldfish.
It will be advisable to provide adequate water conditions to avoid severe health issues and your goldfish’s well-being.
Also read: Can Goldfish Survive In Dirty Water?
Inadequate Water Parameters
Inadequate water parameters can also affect the growth of your goldfish.
Sudden temperature changes can shock your goldfish and lead to significant health issues like dropsy in your goldfish.
| Particulars | Goldfish |
|---|---|
| Water Temperature | 68-74°F |
| Ph Level | 7.5 |
| Ammonia Levels | 0-0.25ppm |
| Nitrate Levels | 0-40ppm |
Also read: What Is The Ideal Water Temperature For Goldfish?
Stress
Stress can also affect the growth of your goldfish.
Many factors like aggressive tankmates, overcrowded tanks, and poor water conditions can lead to stress in your goldfish.
It will be advisable to provide a stress-free environment to your goldfish for their proper growth and development.
Also read: What To Do If My Goldfish Is Stressed?
Low-Grade Food
Poor quality food can also affect the growth of your goldfish.
Your goldfish diet should contain all the necessary nutrients required for their proper growth and development.
Goldfish do not have a stomach to digest their food, and they digest food through their intestines.
So, it will be advisable not to serve excess meat to your goldfish as it can lead to digestive issues in your goldfish.
Can goldfish fry survive in a community tank?
Your goldfish fry will not be able to survive in a community tank as they can get attacked by their predatory parents and the other tankmates in the aquarium.
Goldfish can eat anything that fits in their mouth.
It will be advisable to place your guppy fry in a separate tank to protect them from adult goldfish and other tankmates.
Also read: Lifespan Of Goldfish
Conclusion:
- Goldfish grow in four stages.
- Goldfish fry requires a high protein diet for their proper growth and development.
- Avoid providing artificial food like pellets to your goldfish fry as it holds fewer nutrients than live foods.
- Juvenile, Young, and Adult goldfish require similar dietary needs for their proper growth and development.
- Poor water conditions, inadequate water parameters, and stress are some factors that affect the growth of goldfish.
- It will be advisable to place your goldfish fry in a separate tank to protect them from the other tankmates.
Reference: NCBI ResearchGate