# HOW DO I KEEP GOLDFISH SMALL and gold?



## dalomesser (Nov 25, 2006)

Hi, 

I was woundering if anyone could tell me the secret to getting my common goldfish fry to stay small (1 inch) and make them turn gold. I have seen goldfish at lots of garden centres and they are about 1 inch and gold. How do they do it? My fry take three years but are 2 - 4 inches long not 1. Please tell me.

Thanjks 

Dalomesser


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## harif87 (Jun 5, 2006)

Its impossible to keep it small and it still be healthy


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## MyraVan (Jan 19, 2005)

Well, you'll never get them to stay small, no matter what you do. The ones you see at the garden centres are babies. 

A much more interesting question is, how do you get them to be gold when they are still only 1" long. I don't know the answer to this question, but now that you mention it, it is a mystery! My hubby's parents have a little pond and their goldfish fry sometimes start out black, and then like yours, turn gold when they are maybe 3" long. Maybe it's the environment: maybe they have to be raised at a certain temperature to be gold at only 1" long.


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## redpaulhus (Jan 18, 2005)

The only goldfish that stay less than 2 inches long:
http://www.tapirback.com/tapirgal/gifts/friends/fish/goldfish-fantail-translucent-plastic-f1213.htm 

I think the color of young goldfish is in part seasonal - depending on when they are born - since there are certain times of the year when all of the "feeders" we get show up bronze, the rest of the year they are the usual blend of orange, white, and bronze comets.
Feeding a diet high in astaxanthin, and providing lots of natural sunlight, would probably be helpful in getting more consistant orange fry, as would making sure that you are using good quality broodstock (ie - selectively breed successive generations from fry that color up early )


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## Danh (Feb 19, 2007)

Color would depend on their genes, water quality and diet. You'd need to get goldfish with parents that were all gold, keep their water in good condition and feed them a quality flake/pellet that keeps them colored nicely. 
You can't keep them small without hurting them and having unhealthy fish, and I don't know if you could do it for sure that way either.


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## harif87 (Jun 5, 2006)

I remember having goldfish that were about an inch long that were gold........ it all depends on the fish


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## Zoe (Feb 26, 2006)

Get a red platy instead?


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

I don't think he/she was saying that she wants her fish to be small... but he/she wants them to be orange when they are small.


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## Zoe (Feb 26, 2006)

> I was woundering if anyone could tell me the secret to getting my common goldfish fry to stay small (1 inch)


Sounds to me like they want to keep their goldfish small.


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## Guest (Apr 17, 2007)

Its Impossible!


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## Crayola105 (Mar 3, 2007)

I think he's wondering how to make it turn the golden color early in life.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

> have seen goldfish at lots of garden centres and they are about 1 inch and gold. How do they do it?


Sounds to me like they are asking how to get their fry to color up at 1" in size instead of 4" in size like they're do...


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## Buggy (Oct 17, 2006)

I believe it depends on the type. I had some common comets about 3" that were a nice bronze color and never turned gold. I now have 11 comet fry about 3/4" ( got them to cycle a tank at smaller then 1/2") and they were gold when I got them and are retaining their gold color. I don't know what the difference is exactly but species and genetics probably has a lot to do with it.


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