Hi and help

[Macosie]

So, bought a new tank hoping to put some simple guppies in it. Previously, our daughter had a bowl before with two poor ill fated little fantails. They unfortunately perished in the undersized, too quickly fouled bowl. I like fish, and I found the tank I wanted, but no guppies. However, there was a nice looking goldfish for sale. I thought, "Ah, I'll buy the goldfish now, and after it dies, get the guppies." I know, not such a positive attitude.
I called it Charlie, my daughter called it Gretta! It morphed into Gretchie.
Now, Gretchie has lasted longer than any goldfish I've had. I had to Delouse her twice, but she's been really healthy since.
She has personality. She's active, and has won us all over. We live and work in India, but don't expect to be here more than 2 more years. Already, we're hoping to find a way to bring her with us to our next posting. We didn't know how long goldfish are supposed to live. Wow, 15 to 35 years?
Anyway, my daughter was trying to figure out what kind of goldfish Gretchie is.
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could Gretchie be a single fin Ryukin? Any other ideas?

[Macosie]

Another pic or two:
When she was little
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And now
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[wgoldfarb]

I cannot help identifying the goldfish, but I wanted to give you a heads-up that your tank might be way too small for it. Goldfish can grow quite large, and in addition produce a lot of waste, which makes such a small volume of water hard to maintain and keep clean. Goldfish require a pond or a very large tank to thrive and have adequate conditions. You are correct that can live very long lives, but only under the right conditions.

Let's wait until more knowledgeable users chime in, but if I am correct your best course of action might be to return the goldfish to the store, and exchange it for fish more suited to the tank you have. I know it might be hard to return a fish you have become attached to, but if you keep the fish you are forcing it to live in inadequate conditions, which will put the fish in permanent stress and mak it much more prone to disease.

[Gogi]

Might be a shubunkin, but not a 100% sure. Im sry but the tank is way to small. I understand u wont be in that location long but that fish is a pond fish. You can keep 1 fancy goldfish in a 20 gallon tank and add 10 gallons for each additional ones. The fancy goldfish are the double tail type. I know this is not what you want to hear but I can only advise on what's best for the fish.

[Stlouisfish]

I'm not good at identifying goldfish but I do know that the smallest goldfish grow to a minimum of 6 inches - if they have the space - otherwise they become stunted growth-wise - that's why people recommend they go into ponds.

[Macosie]

When I was a kid, we'd have goldfish in a little 2 litre bowl. I was proud when I bought my first big bowl which was 4 or 5 liters, when I was about 8 years old. (Long, long ago, in a land far away.) I've had fish on and off for more than 30 years, and have had some nice tanks(usually fresh water tropical). Once, I found a 300 l tank in the garbage, took it home, cleaned it up, and used it for several years. Sold it to the person who moved into my apartment when I left. All that said, my point is that it's been almost 40 years, I have never been told until now that goldfish get so big, need so much space, and live so long. I feel like a bit of a dope.
We'll be looking for a new tank set up for Gretchie as we don't want to get rid of her. Also, we had a fish sitter who wants the current tank when we want to sell it.

Still like to know what type of fish I have. Thanks for the responses.

[Cliff]

The important thing to remember is that you now know how big they get and you are doing something about it. That is excellent news

Your goldfish looks like a fantail to me, but I am not 100% sure on that


http://www.goldfish-as-pets.com/fantail-goldfish.html

[Tiari]

This appears to me to be a fancy fantail goldfish. Though it will stay smaller than some breeds, such as Common, Comet, Shabunkin, the tank really is too small for it. Lady Hobbs on this site has a goldfish growth chart, that can give you an accurate idea of how big this fish is supposed to get, but if memory serves, this type of fish can grow around 7 inches. I have seen these fish resemble small coconuts in size, just for a reference.

Though the fish, at the moment, seems happy and healthy, do know that stunting is already going on. The thought that goldfish only grow to the size of the tank they are in is a myth, their internal organs continue to grow, and they will be stressed if unable to grow adequately. This makes goldfish not "ideal" in a home situation, and less so if you require small space, and travel capabilities.

[mermaidwannabe]

At the absolute minimum, 40 gallons. Much better, for a goldie, 75 gallons or larger. Ideally, a large pond.

I would think it would be very difficult to travel great distances over an extended period of time with a goldfish and keep it alive during the transit period, especially if you are flying. Pets are usually kept in the cargo hold of an airplane, which gets very cold and if there is turbulance during flight, a bag or other container could tip over, leak water, and result in disaster. That's assuming they'll even let you take a goldfish onto an aircraft.

On top of that, baggage handlers and those responsible for boarding animals on aircraft aren't always the most careful or conscientious folks. They're often in a hurry, and, unfortunately, a lot of them just don't care.

I've heard horror stories about people's dogs dying during air flights, or escaping while still on the ground, or becoming lost when the plane reaches destination. And fish are much smaller and more fragile than dogs, and much easier to lose track of.

My point -- you shouldn't try to travel with this fish unless you are only going a short distance and can remain on terra firma, and stay in control of the situation.

Best kindness you can do Gretchie is to find a nice large pond to release him/her into, and visit the fish in its much more desireable environment. You and your daughter can take food there and feed it, now and then, although it will have plenty of nice, natural stuff to eat in a pond setting. The fish will be happier, and in the end, so will you and your daughter.

[Macosie]

I wouldn't release any fish into the ponds I've seen here. This is Bangalore, and most of the water I've seen isn't remotely clean. If anyone knows a place, I'll consider it, when it's time to go. For now, I'll look for a hotel or restaurant with a nice clean tank or pond and see if they would be ok.

But alas, I'm still on the hunt for a decent tank, but the point of this thread is fish identification. No definitive answers yet. Body doesn't seem to fit common fantail, or am I wrong?

[Macosie]

Oh, about the fantail thing, are fantails not a multple fin tail? Gretchie's tail is single, like a comet's tail, just huge.