# My happy little pearlscale goldfish



## Tamyu

Today I managed to get some nice shots of my other fish.
In my big tank, I have two pearlscale goldfish. They are the cutest, roundest little balls of fishiness. They make me think of messy little puppies...
They are still babies, only about an inch and a half long. 


















This is my son's fish - named, uncreatively, Shiro.









This is a bit of a rescue. She(?) got caught in a friend's filter pipe when she was a bit smaller... It tore a hole in her side, ripped her fins off on that side, and shredded her tail. I did a lot of nursing, and now Poyo only has a big smooth scar where the worst damage was.









Jumping for food!


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## nicolaas

Wow! Nice gold fish.


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## thekoimaiden

Awww! They are adorable! And tiny! ^-^ I look at my goldies and can't even imagine them being that small once.


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## djembekah

aweee how cute!!!


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## Bombalurina

I miss having baby goldfish! So cute.


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## bettaboyshiva

they remind me of someone i know  lol


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## Tamyu

Thanks everyone. 
I hope they don't get bigger too quickly - we can't afford a larger tank at the moment. Right now they seem almost comically small in their big 15g, but I know that won't last forever.


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## Leeniex

Cute!!!!


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## Bombalurina

Goldfish do grow pretty fast - you are going to need to upgrade to a 30g ASAP.


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## Tamyu

Bombalurina said:


> Goldfish do grow pretty fast - you are going to need to upgrade to a 30g ASAP.


Not quite that fast - they are a year old as it is, and their parents are 3 inches at 5 years. If they get bigger than that in the next year they will be heading off to pond land to join them. (We know the breeder.)

They are from very small fancy goldfish stock (comets or wakin they are not), so unless they outpace their parents, they should actually be fine in the 15 gallon for a while. They have the heavily filtered, monitored, and cleaned tank to themselves. I just hope they don't outgrow it before we have a pond as I would like to keep them.


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## thekoimaiden

Oh my gosh! I had no clue they were over a year. It would be great to see a smaller breed of goldfish arise. I get many questions like "which goldfish stays the smallest." Plus I'll probably have to downgrade to an apartment when I go to grad school, and not too many apartments I know let people keep 55+ gal tanks. 

Also I would love to live by serious goldfish breeders. Goldfish are some of my favorite fish. You're soo lucky!


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## Wolfie305

OH MY GOD THEY ARE ADORABLE! I MUST HAVE. Hahaha.


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## 50galkid

Sooooo Cute <3


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## Tropical

Absolutely adorable!!!


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## Bombalurina

That's so cool, that they stay that small! I agree with KoiMaiden - having some goldfish selectively bred to stay small entering the hobby would be great, and would help those fish whose owners insist on keeping them in smaller tanks (not aimed at the OP, I think 15 gallons is fine if they stay that small . )


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## Tamyu

thekoimaiden said:


> Oh my gosh! I had no clue they were over a year. It would be great to see a smaller breed of goldfish arise. I get many questions like "which goldfish stays the smallest." Plus I'll probably have to downgrade to an apartment when I go to grad school, and not too many apartments I know let people keep 55+ gal tanks.
> 
> Also I would love to live by serious goldfish breeders. Goldfish are some of my favorite fish. You're soo lucky!


Well, I can't really say that they will _stay_ small. Goldfish continue growing as long as they are alive, and these guys live for around 15 years when healthy... So chances are the parents will be five or six inches by the end of their lifespan. They are just slow growers. I don't think any goldfish really stay small.

Most of the breeders around here breed for larger or better shapes - smaller goldfish tend to be inexpensive and don't have the same sort of prestige as larger do. My friend is aiming for tiny ones, but it is more hobby level.

ETA; Good luck on the large tank accommodations. We live in a condo and on the first floor so we sort of get the best of all worlds. A fairly large garden, great city location, and the massive concrete foundation below us. In terms of weight bearing, I could turn one of our rooms into an aquarium and have no trouble.


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## Tamyu

Bombalurina said:


> That's so cool, that they stay that small! I agree with KoiMaiden - having some goldfish selectively bred to stay small entering the hobby would be great, and would help those fish whose owners insist on keeping them in smaller tanks (not aimed at the OP, I think 15 gallons is fine if they stay that small . )


I think the big problem is that people who are just entering the hobby aren't the type to invest the level of money to make breeding them to be smaller worthwhile. People pay huge amounts for large ranchu, but not for goldfish for "My First Goldfish" kits. And, well, it is great when someone learns more and improves conditions for their fish... But I don't think the majority of people who pick up a goldfish do. 
It is also easier for breeders to raise more quickly growing goldfish outdoors - they tend to deal well with temperature changes and also less likely to be stolen by birds. Smaller goldfish don't have a good time making it through their first winter, so need an indoor shelter. (Which is where one mine was sucked into the filter.) 

In my opinion, fancy goldfish aren't really all that hardy to begin with... And bred to be smaller makes them even less so. There are also a lot of things that have to be considered when keeping them in a smaller tank - this type totally sucks at swimming so they never leave the feeding corner, but a more active body type would be cramped at this size. They are also very dirty, even when tiny, so tons of filtration is a must. All in all, goldfish really aren't a good first fish.


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## thekoimaiden

Oh don't worry, I understand indeterminate (but really slow in your pearlscale's case) growth. I know a lot about goldfish and fish in general. I studied fisheries science in university and have been keeping goldfish for about 5 years. I know there is no such thing as a small goldfish (but babies are still adorable). I just get that question a lot and have to explain that the fish you see in stores are often very young, and keeping them in a 10 gal tank is like locking a great dane in a closet. 

I wonder why there is such a drive for larger goldfish. Personally if I want something giant I will either go for koi or sturgeon (now those are monsters). I get goldfish to have something between 6 and 10 inches, large but not monstrous. I would think there would be a market for small goldfish in people like me who love goldfish but might not be able to do anything over 55 gallons. 

I'm actually in the market for a larger tank. I would love to be able to upgrade to a 75 gal and a canister filter as I would like to add another 3 goldfish to my little school. I better get looking for either a townhouse or a bottom-floor apartment. :lol:

I completely agree with you that goldfish are terrible beginner fish. I will always suggest a betta over a goldfish as a "first fish." Now if only we could stop the large corporations from pushing goldfish as "easy fish."


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## Bombalurina

The number of people who buy goldfish as first fish....me included...and keep them in a tank that is too small.  At least Fishy is going in a pond soon. 

One day, my dream is an 8 foot fancy goldfish tank.


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## aqua001

Soooo cute! I love how they look so chubby! The 3rd is my fav! Like Tamyu (and all the other fish people, I hate, hate, HATE the "first fish kits"! I put my CT in one and he died in their...for real.)  I caught a customer at petsmart with 2 of the most beautiful HM in her hand. I figured she was a hobbyist until...:
I saw she picked up goldfish food to feed them.
Picked up a "tank" that was less than a cup of water AND divided!!!
And lately she told her kids the were ready to go!!!

I winced at the thought of the two soon-to-be-dead fish and, oh yeah I forgot to mention the items she bought was what the employee suggested!


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## helms97

Im not a huge goldfish fan, but these just changed my mind!


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## Tamyu

helms97 said:


> Im not a huge goldfish fan, but these just changed my mind!


I am not a fan of traditional fancy goldfish at all. They all seem so... sterile? There is nothing that really sets them apart from all the other fancy goldfish out there in my eyes. Pretty but no substance - nothing to get me attached to them.

I do like Ranchu, Pearlscales, and Celestial Eyes though - they have a really unique and cute look. Celestials are very fragile and there is a lot to be careful with as they can't really see well... Ranchu get too big.... So it is these little guys for the family tank.


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## Bombalurina

Tamyu, those pictures are extremely cute! Would you consider letting me use them in a goldfish care pamphlet (all credit to you)? Here's my thread about it.  http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=97078&page=2


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## Wolfie305

Oh god, I didn't event think about the weight from the tank being on an upper level floor. Would the 55gal in my room, which is upstairs, come crashing through the floor? D:


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## thekoimaiden

Wolfie305 said:


> Oh god, I didn't event think about the weight from the tank being on an upper level floor. Would the 55gal in my room, which is upstairs, come crashing through the floor? D:


While it is something to think about, a 55 gal should be fine in your room. I have mine in my room on the second floor. If you know where the main supports in your room are you could try to place it in line with those.


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## Tamyu

Bombalurina said:


> Tamyu, those pictures are extremely cute! Would you consider letting me use them in a goldfish care pamphlet (all credit to you)? Here's my thread about it.  http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=97078&page=2


You are welcome to if you would be kind enough to mail me one of the pamphlets. 




thekoimaiden said:


> While it is something to think about, a 55 gal should be fine in your room. I have mine in my room on the second floor. If you know where the main supports in your room are you could try to place it in line with those.


I would say that unless your house is very old or has structural issues, a 55 is probably fine. I would still try to make sure it is along a wall and above the main supports. It probably won't go crashing through the floor, but over time it can cause a warping of the floor if there isn't enough support.

I would like to eventually get a very large tank (200+) and plan to take up part of the floor and sit the stand directly on the concrete to make things safer. Nothing to warp or move below the tank. I guess that it may be a bigger issue for me as I have earthquakes to be concerned about.


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## Bombalurina

Thanks, Tamyu! I'll definitely get you a copy.


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