As most of you know, my Goldfish is stunted. My question is this, Is it stunted for life, or can I put it in a BIGGER tank (I plan on putting it in a 120 gallon anyhow) for it to grow?
Stunted Goldfish...
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Lupin
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like lupin said it dus happen but i think if the goldfish has been stunted for too much time its permanantly stunted right?
It depends on the age of the goldfish. Goldfish do most of their growing in the first year of life, gaining 6-8 inches in the first year. After that it begins to slow; average for the second year would be about 9-12 inches, third year 10-16 inches, etc. Adult size is usually obtained by the fifth or sixth year, although a goldfish kept in an optimum environment, such as a sparsely stocked, well-fed pond would continue growing and can reach monster sizes.
I would say that if your fish is younger than 5, it has a good chance of catching up and even possibly reaching 12 or more inches in the 120 gallon tank. If it is older than 5 then you can't expect to see a huge amount of growth but you will likely see a growth spurt as Lupin mentioned.
It also does depend, of course, on how bad the stunting is. A stunted fish kept in a 20 gallon will obviously be less stunted and have more growth potential than one kept in a 5 gallon.
I would say that if your fish is younger than 5, it has a good chance of catching up and even possibly reaching 12 or more inches in the 120 gallon tank. If it is older than 5 then you can't expect to see a huge amount of growth but you will likely see a growth spurt as Lupin mentioned.
It also does depend, of course, on how bad the stunting is. A stunted fish kept in a 20 gallon will obviously be less stunted and have more growth potential than one kept in a 5 gallon.
Lupin
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The thing I'm not sure I'm understanding about the stunted growth is it looks normal. Of course he's not as big as he SHOULD be, but he's not having any effects to being stunted.
Lupin
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What effects? Normally, in stunted fish, their body organs such as eyes become disproportionately larger than their body size. You cannot observe the internal organs growing but in some cases, they suffer distended abdomens which is also associated with other health issues instead of actual stunting. If you have noticed stunted discus, their eyes grow larger than their body size. This is a sign of stunting.