expected growth rate?

[jessfish]

I have 5 goldfish (fantail, pearlscale, 2 orandas, ranchu) they range in age from 1 1/2yrs to 5 or 6 months.

I was feeding twice a day, but have realized that it wasn't enough & I have changed to feeding 4-6 times a day (small amounts) it comes out to about 4grams (if they get 6 feedings)or a little less (its about 3% of their combined body weight).

Interestingly enough they are much more active

I have been doing this a week & plan to do it for another week before i weigh them to see if they have gained any weight.

I don't know if they will gain weight in 2weeks or if they gain a lot slower & i should be thinking more of waiting a month or something.
I am mostly monitoring the weight of one goldie in particular that i've been worried isn't growing.

Do they have a slower growth rate than what i am expecting? (by no means do i plan on feeding more if they haven't gained in 2 weeks - so no one worry about that)

[Brhino]

goldfish are slow growers. I've yet to find someone willing to give a hard and fast number for their growth rate - I've always seen that it depends on a ton of conditions. What size tank are they in?

Also, how are you weighing your fish? I'm curious.

[jessfish]

goldfish are slow growers. I've yet to find someone willing to give a hard and fast number for their growth rate - I've always seen that it depends on a ton of conditions. What size tank are they in?

Also, how are you weighing your fish? I'm curious.

They are in a 46g - soon to be a 90g, so im thinking they will all have little growth spurts once in there.

I figured not many people would have a clear cut answer on growth rate since they r goldfish & there are many diff ideas on even feeding them

I got advice to weigh them on a kitchen/food scale (basically anything thats sensitive enough to show grams)

What kind of conditions do u know of? There is one oranda that i am worried about - he's skinny in terms of a fish (but he may have grown in length & not girth)

[Brhino]

factors influencing growth, as far as I've been told:

food: amount and quality (higher quality food = better growth rate)
tank size (more space = more growth)
water quality (cleaner water = better growth)
genetics*

*genetics is the real wild card here, because unless you got your goldfish from a serious breeder it's hard to say what you're dealing with, especially given all the selective breeding that goes into fancy goldfish. One goldfish may have strong healthy genes and be destined to grow large and healthy, while another one may not have healthy genes and may be prone to illness and never grow very big.

[jessfish]

factors influencing growth, as far as I've been told:

food: amount and quality (higher quality food = better growth rate)
tank size (more space = more growth)
water quality (cleaner water = better growth)
genetics*

*genetics is the real wild card here, because unless you got your goldfish from a serious breeder it's hard to say what you're dealing with, especially given all the selective breeding that goes into fancy goldfish. One goldfish may have strong healthy genes and be destined to grow large and healthy, while another one may not have healthy genes and may be prone to illness and never grow very big.

The genetics thing is interesting - i have 2 orandas (one from a really crappy petsmart & one from the best big al's i've seen) they are about the same age, but the petsmart oranda has serious health issues but weighs more then the other...the big al's oranada seems to have good health but doesn't seem to be growing much & is the 'skinniest' goldfish i've ever seen lol
i never knew genetics played such a role in fish!

as far as the other things they get the best food ive read about (omega one, bloodworms & hikari pellets), im working on their biggier tank & the water has been great for a long time...guess it will take more than 2 weeks for the weight to change at all...i think im just excited to see them grow into those chubby goldies i see at the store.
I wish weighing them had crossed my mind when i got the first over a yr ago - then i would have a better idea of their growth! he sure wasn't 43grams when i got him LOL

[Scrup]

IMO temps are the biggest factor in growth.

I have a few fry I brought inside for the winter, they were close to 1/2" in november. Two were left outside to see how they fare.

The ones outside are still about 1/2", the ones inside, living at tropical temps are close to 3".

The parents all grew from 1" to around 8" in about a year, growing only during the warm months.

[Brhino]

were those common goldfish, Scrup?

Of my four fancy goldfish, one is new, one I've had for 13 months, and two I've had for 8 months. I can't say I've really noticed an increase in size in any of them since I've got them, though I certainly haven't been weighing them.

[jessfish]

IMO temps are the biggest factor in growth.

I have a few fry I brought inside for the winter, they were close to 1/2" in november. Two were left outside to see how they fare.

The ones outside are still about 1/2", the ones inside, living at tropical temps are close to 3".

The parents all grew from 1" to around 8" in about a year, growing only during the warm months.

REALLY!!!!!
what type of goldfish? Orandas? my fantail hasn't grown that much in a yr lol & he was in warm water for a while (but only getting fed small amout twice a day)
What temp is ur tank at, i keep mine at 22.5C

[Scrup]

The commons are the ones that grew fast, so that may have something to do with it. Fancies tend to grow a bit slower, but the point was that from what I gathered temps have the biggest influence on growth rate.

the ones indoors are kept at about 78. Outdoors the temps get up in the high 80's in the summer,low thirties and twenties in the winter.

[Brhino]

most people would tell you that's too warm for goldfish, but obviously you know what you're doing. Do you see or have you experienced any downside to keeping them at that temperature? Mine are kept at more like 71 degrees, and I wouldn't mind boosting their growth rate unless it's going to cause other problems.