Goldfish Lifespan Information

Goldfish can live a long and healthy life if cared for properly.  Feeder goldfish have been known to be purchased from petstores to begin the bacteria process for a newly setup tank; however, they survive and grow to be nice looking fish. I have seen many feeders turn into some of the nicest, longest living goldfish yet.


Fact:  The oldest living Goldfish to date was a goldfish named Tish owned by Hilda and Gordon Hand of Thirsk, N. Yorkshire, England.  Tish lived for 43 years after being won at a fairground in 1956.


Goldfish can have lifespans up to 20+ years if they are fed a varied diet and housed in exceptional water conditions.  They need to be in tanks that are not overcrowded.  They need sufficient swimming room and do best if they are kept with their own types.

The below stories were sent by individuals...

I ran across your page on goldfish - great pictures. On your page, you said that Koi can live to be 70 years old. However, "The oldest captive fish ever recorded was a KOI Carp from Japan called Hanako she was born in 1751 and was 226 years old when she died in 1977. Goldfish & Koi both grow "rings" on their scales similar to rings in a tree. Counting the rings will give you the number of years that the fish has been alive. Just thought you might want to know. Mark J. Newcomb

This is a fun site. I bought my daughter two goldfish for her 7th birthday. One died after a few years but "Mr. Stinky" is still going strong at 7+ years old. I told my daughter if Mr. Stinky is still alive when she leaves home, he's going with her! Although, who knows, he's my buddy, I may not want her to take him! Jane, Vernon, CT

Just been reading through your page on ages of Goldfish and wanted to let you know that I have a Goldfish, Jaws who is nearly 14 years old. We bought him when I was 10 and I am now nearly 24! I have moved out of home now but he still lives with my parents. He is not quite as active as he used to be and likes to spend a lot of time ‘napping’ at the bottom of the tank, but is still quite healthy and perks up when it comes to feeding time. He has outlived several other goldfish. Over the years he has lost his Gold colouring and is now silvery white. Lucy Culverhouse Bristol, England

My brother Tommy had won a goldfish when he was 4 years old at a fair in 1997. From there we took it home and my mom took care of it. It is 2006 and our goldfish, which we had named ping-pong is still here. My brother is 13 now and the goldfish is 9 years of age going on 10.

My son won two goldfish at a school carnival 6 years ago. One died within a few months; the other is my old friend.It's gotten slowly bigger, to a couple inches length, and lost some orange on the body so it's kinda
silverish. But i've been keeping it in the simplest conditions-- no filter, just tetramin flake food, changing half the water weekly. Must be a tough cookie, huh? Now it has constipation, I guess, from the web-site; hope I don't over-do trying to help it... Fred

Santa, a female goldfish was born in 1991 owned by Karen

My two goldfish will be 3 yrs old the summer of 2001 sent in by Alex

My son brought his little sister 5 small goldfish from work. We learned as one by one they died, how to care for them. Goldie is the only survivor, but she is now about a year old, and about 4 inches long. Thanks for the helpful site. Karen

I purchased two feeder fish at the pet store for 7 cents a piece ten years ago. They have moved with me to three different houses and gone on a three day car ride to move with me where I am today. They now live in an outdoor pond with two young fish that they love chasing and playing with. I look forward to many more years with them. Janel of Chandler, Arizona

I am owned by two 4 1/2 year old goldfish, Schnapps and Cobbler. (Their mother was Peach....) That's not a remarkable age except Cobbler has a genetic defect where his mouth is totally on the side of his face, so who knows how boggled up his innards are. He is prone to swim bladder problems but aside from that seems pretty happy with life....Shelley

My goldfish Spot and Sparky just celebrated their 6th birthdays. They were tiny feeder fish and have grown to be 12"long and about 4 inched wide. Alice

I got a feeder goldfish when I was about nine years old. I am thirty one now. The goldfish (Buddy),died about eight months ago. For the last year of his life, I had to take him out of the pond. He had went blind and could not compete for food . I run a fish farm now and most of my breeders are from Buddy. The average lifespan of most my goldfish is six to eight years. I am glad Buddy stuck around to keep me company for so long. It is hard to believe how attached you can get to a pet, especially one that has been there for so many years. Thanks, Dan

I've had a Fantail live for 6 years that also produce offspring. She passed away almost a year ago with swim bladder problems. Her offspring are crossed with shubunkins. I also had 2 cory cats live for more than 16 years. One just passed away on me this week. The other one is doing pretty good. Tipper747

I bought a few goldfish to use as baitfish seven years ago & my son asked for three of them to keep as pets. One died and our Manx had another for dinner. We saved "Marigold" from our cat when we saw him heading for the door with the goldfish in his mouth! However, "Marigold" was three inches long at this time and is now nearly 10 inches long. We moved her from the proverbial fish bowl to a ten gallon aquarium. She now lives in a 30 gallon tank in our living room. I have long suspected that she is fed only once a day... by every member of the family. She does well and now the Manx leaves her well enough alone. Especially after he fell in to the tank and couldn't touch the bottom! Thanks, Jimmy & Cindy Edwards

I looked up your site while trying to find a solution to one of my ill fish. I have three feeder fish that I purchased at Wal-Mart May 31, 1993. They are now just over 8 years old. Sadly, I believe I am about to lose one due to an illness. But the other two are completely healthy and I hope will live many more years.  Danielle

I bought my 3 goldfish after a Boy Scout expo. in a nearby mall. One didn't last more than a year or so, but the other two are over 12yrs. old now. The fish have stayed at home while I am at college, but I faithfully clean their tank every time I'm home. Now my wife can't wait till I finish graduate school so we can buy a house and take the fish with us. Matt Dobberfuhl

I bought my two goldfish at a pet store. I feed them once a day, make sure they're healthy, and have filter and oxygen. They have been good pets and friends for three years! mailto:mcguire@midamer.net

I read about the age of goldfish we have 2 that are 18 years of age and 15 that age from 5-16, in summer they are in 2 ponds outside and winter they are in a large container, we have enjoyed our goldfish for many years. mailto: cap1@sk.sympatico.ca

I have a goldfish he now 29 years old I hope to spend many years with him !!!! I love him!!  Rick Begley

I have a feeder goldfish that was 1/2 inch long when I got him. He is now 2 years old and is about 7 inches long. Also, I had other goldfish in the same tank get sick, but he did not. Michelle

I have a fantail that is white and is 2 months and a lion head, comet, and another comet that are 5 months old. WinkleDdo

I have a fantail goldfish I won from a petstore 3 years ago. When I first won it, she was 1/2 inch long. She is currently over 4 inches long with a very long,heavy tail!. My only problem with this fish is that she always swims upside down. Other than that, its a pretty happy fish :) mailto:mcgltd@hotmail.com

I had a goldfish who was 6 1/2 years old. He died last week. I also had a goldfish about 3 years ago who was paralyzed for 2 years. He got caught in my Whisper filter overnight.  Hawanya Quarles

I had these goldfish since birth. My mom's friend gave it to me. And i had them since I was 3. They have been living for 13 years. However they died today leaving behind no offspring. Good bye Skipper and Birtha.   anonymously sent in

My goldfish had been in a little goldfish bowl being fed once a day and is not almost 6 years old. He's about 4 inches long.  Ben

I had two goldfish that lived to be about five years old and I have two goldfish that are about a year old. Matthew Millard

My daughter won Goldie (after spending $20.00 on ping pong balls) at a carnival 4 years ago. The next two (Oreo & Sam) I saved from my sisters pond before her fish could eat all their offspring 3 years. Goldie is now approx 11", Oreo is approx 10" and Sam is approx 8". Sam is missing a dorsal fin but does fine. It is amaizing how they recognize people. I have them in a indoor pond at work. When I feed them they come up to greet me, anyone else they hide behind their lilly pads. I enjoy them very much. Carol

I have two golfish. one is a "feeder fish" i won at a blockparty about 6 years ago. he's all white and very agressive! he eats anything elce i put in the tank with him-fish, plants, even a snail! the second fish is a black moor, which i bought a year ago from a cute boy named dan, who asked me out (and i still see him today) so i named the fish after him. Amy

In March, 1997, Best Buy filmed a commercial about me in my home office. They purchased some props for the shoot,including a lava lamp and a 10 gal. tank with 6 goldfish. After the shoot was finished, they said I could keep the fish if I wanted them. At the time I didn't know that 6 goldfish in a 10 gal. tank was way too many. It was sad watching the fish die off one by one. The last one remaining, "Survivor" is silvery with an orange/red spot on top of his head and full, lovely fins. My work takes me away from home a lot, but he seems to thrive on neglect. He is now nearly 5 years old and I had no idea goldfish lived so long until I found this site. Thank you for posting it. Lucinda Wierenga

For my 13th birthday, my parents bought me a dozen fantail goldish for my fishtank. Now I am twenty and two of the original goldfish are still kicki'n...er... swimming. One is about four inches long and the other is a whopping seven inches! Kleo1016

My goldfish was very sick the other day so my dad took another boal and put my fish,mickey in it. he started to feel better. we left him alone for more than an hour and we cleaned his tank when we came back. when we but him back in his tank he didn't swim at all unless he went to the top to get some of his food.he likes to swim when nobody is watching him. when someone is he doesnd do anything and just sits there. He swims very often. We think he is feeling better. I am very glad that my dad saved his life!! Mickey is 6 years old. Stacey

My sister and I have had Herman going on 8 years now. He was bought as a feeder fish for the soul purpose to be eaten by our Oscar fish. I suppose the Oscar fish was feeling lonely seeing how Herman was the only feeder fish he did not eat. My sister and I moved from South Mississippi to Dallas, Herman and the oscar fish made the move with us. The Oscar fish passed away a few years later and Herman took charge of the tank. I took Herman to the day care center where I worked with 2 year old children. He lived in a small 10 gallon tank where the children had easy access to him. (UhhhOhhh) Despite children putting their hands, cookies, crayons, and whatever else they could find into the tank for a year, he made it through. We moved him back home and put Herman in a 65 gallon tank where he was happy and free. Then, he came down with the "Ick" disease. He was near death and we weren't sure he was really going to make it. We started taking pictures of him thinking this will be the last time we will see him swim in his tank. The vet was not very hopeful of his survival due to his age at the time, but we did everything we could to make him better. Miraculously he pulled through!!! Herman is, to this day, alive and well... he is a strong willed fish, a true survivor!!!. What can you NOT respect about that? I have attached a picture of Herman. I hope you have enjoyed Herman's life story. Sandra, Sharon & Herman

Hi,  I just wanted to give you an update to my goldfish, Herman.  Herman was laid to rest on 06/16/02. He had developed a tumor like thing on the inside of one of his gills several months ago. After consulting with many people and treating him with several different medications, he was doing no better. All we could do was slowly watch him deteriorate. Herman had a long, healthy, and strong life. He will be truly missed! I still find myself walking over to his tank to feed and watch him. That will be an extremely hard habit to break.... I want to thank all the people who have emailed me regarding Herman. I have enjoyed reading each response to my story. Take Care,  Sandra Green Plano, TX

In 1983 I agreed to let my daughter bring her third grade classroom's 2 goldfish home for the summer. The teacher didn't want them back in the fall so they were ours. One died in 1999, the other, Big Earl, is still with us. Betty

I got Victor Davis, a calico, a little over a year ago. A month or so later I got Esther Williams, a pretty gold fantail. They are going strong, although, sometimes I worry about Victor - he's gotten ick once since I've had him and sometimes seems listless. But I think Esther is good at cheering him up. I keep them in my office and my colleagues love them - especially Richard; thankfully he feeds them when I'm away. Dated 8/19/03

I have got 5 goldfish, which age from about 10 -18 yrs old. I don’t know how they have lasted so long as I am no expert, I just keep them clean, feed them twice a day on Aquarium food and buy them bigger tanks when they grow out of the one they are in! on about their 5th tank now!

My goldfish is eight years old. My friend bought me two goldfish for my birthday eight years ago. Fat Jack and Ramona. Romona died. But Fat Jack keeps on going. I contribute his long life to Calistoga water. From the first day I got him he has always had a clean bowl of Calistoga water once a week. He loves to eat. He has even survived falling from the counter to the kitchen floor one cleaning day.  I thought that was it.  I look forward to many years with him and Im sure he with me. Cathleen E. Bramhall

My fish died on Saturday night after 14 years. It was a feeder fish that we got for a snake, but the snake died before we got around to two of the fish, so we kept them. One died after a few months, the other made it a little longer. During the 1994 Earthquake it lasted about 15 minutes on the carpet on shards of its own tanks glass. It used to be gold, but then slowly went silver, then white, and before it died it was missing all but a few of its scales and if you looked at it closely you could see its insides. And in 14 years he never had a name. We buried him the back yard (you don't flush a fish like that) and we miss him dearly. Chris

I had purchased 12 small feeder goldfish that I had bought for an outdoor pond 4 years ago. I don't bring them in during winter and the pond is 30" in the deepest. This year they started to breed after moving them into a big cement pond that is 10ft x 8ft and 32" in the deepest part. Over the course of the summer they have had batch after batch of young (all silver black in color). They now range from 3" to about 1/2" long. I can't wait to see what colors they are. The 12 original ones are Orange, Orange and white, and a all White. I have had one of them change it's color three times since having him.

Hello, I wish to write about my goldfish. When I was 5 I went to a funfair with my mum and dad in Lovedean, Hampshire England and I played a game where you had to throw a hoop over a goldfish bowl to win the prize ‘the fish’ well I did this 3 times and took home 3 fish. My mum wasn’t very happy as we didn’t have a tank or anything and for the first day or so they lived in a saucepan. WE bought them a small rectangle tank the next day about 15” by 10” and there they lived without stones or toys for the next 15 years. Bear in mind this all happened in 1974..when I was 5.. When I was growing up one of the fish jumped out of his tank and we found him the next morning, I thought he was dead but when I put him back in the tank he swam sideways and stayed like that for a while and then righted himself and the three of them remained like that until one dies when I was 20. Then one of them lost his colouring and ended up white and the other one got a huge abscess, I guess and he died when I was about 27. Well today I am 33 and I still have the white ‘gold’ fish, he lives in the same tank having the same food and is perfectly fit and healthy. I now live in Sydney, so sadly I am parted from my fish but he lives happily with my mum and dad in Cowplain England. Thank you for letting me share my story with you Clare Lister

I got two fish (Wilbur and Thor). Now about a year old. They like to eat the plastic plant that is in the tank, and tend to go long times without food (I acedently forgot about them when I went on a two and a half week long vacation to Mexico). But when missing food, they just eat plastic. They are pretty tough. Wilbur tends to move alot, and Thor floats to the top of the tank when he eats to much of the plastic plant, but within hours he is back in action and eats whatever food goes into the bowl. Roy

Dear Fish Holders My Name is Tony Crump and I would like you to mention our fish on your site. Our Fish are Chester and Ester they are 3days old bought from pets at home.Description of Chester,Chester is orange and silver Comet but more orange than Ester,Chester likes picking gravel up with his mouth and spitting it out.Ester,Ester likes hiding behind the plants, the castle,bridge and filter and swimming fast.She is silver and orange with a long tail. From Tony Crump

We bought our goldfish about the time of our first wedding anniversary. We named our two fish Mickey and Morgan. Boy did these two fish have personality. They made quite the pair, always playing by chasing each other. They had some rough times as well, they got sick and recovered and even survived a move to a larger tank. Over the years both Mickey and Morgan developed quite the relationship. Mickey was always the bigger of the two and tended to take care of Morgan. But alas this time Mickey could not protect Morgan from his fate. Morgan passed away today, June 20, 2003 after a short illness. He had stopped eating over the past week and we knew the end was near for him. Mickey tried to wake him up but couldn't. He tried nudging him but he was gone. Morgan is going to be missed by us, and most of all by his best friend Mickey. He was with us for about 4 years, but suspect he was a little older than that. We will always remember you Morgan. Rohit, Kameel and Ishana

I won two goldfish at a fair on July 2, 1995. I named one Lucky and the other Superfish because he was zipping around the little plastic bag. Luckily (unluckily) died a few days later. Superfish on the other hand (or fin,) lived long enough to outgrow his little 5 gallon tank. We had an extra 10 gallon lying around so we put him in that... and he outgrew it. Well, we had an old 20 gallon too, so he was in that for a few years. After his quarters got cramped again we bought him his only non hand-me-down tank - a brand-new 55 gallon aquarium! He has happily been swimming around in it for almost four years, and he'll celebrate his 8th birthday this July. Right now he is about 9 inches long and still growing! I don't think we'll ever get him another tank though. ~ Alisa & Supes

I have one goldfish that my nephew won at the fair 8 years ago. My sister wanted to flush him down the toilet, but I rescued him. He was in a 1 gallon bowl. My mother was afraid he was lonely, so bought him a goldfish friend a year later. About a year after that I bought them a 5 gallon bowl. Three years ago I put them in a 10 gallon tank. They share their home with a garden snail. They have survived a severe bacterial infection and probably around 10 plus moves! I am ready now to move them to a 20 gallon tank, hoping they'll grow larger. They are about 4 inches long. I feed them flakes, crumbles, tubifex worms, blood worms, krill, and aquarium plants. I absolutely love my goldfish. My husband is afraid that I will just keep wanting a larger tank, and you know what?...He's probably right!

My goldfish is called bubbles he lived until he was 23 Im called Charlotte. I brought him at a garden centre he died by jumping out of the fish tank.

I've got six goldfish that are all about a year old. They are Biscuit, Bob, Tipsy, Pop, Milo and Splotches. I started them off in an outside pond, and about a month ago moved into an aquarium in my living room. They're all quite happy there, especially Biscuit, who has a thing for swimming throungh the samllest gaps he can!

I have had many goldfish, but only one survived through the years. His name was Goldy. I went through all kinds of fish tank problems, but Goldy was a tough fish, he lived though them all! I had Goldy for 8 years and when he died he was 36cm long. Ruth Ford

I got ''Goldie a year ago along with 3 other goldfish. We put them in a twenty gallon tank. One day when we got home they were at the bottom of the tank. The next day one was dead one was floating and one was swimming sideways Goldie was fine. I took them all out of the tank and put the alive ones including Goldie into seperate goldfish bowls. The one that was floating died after a few minutes the other one lasted a little longer. But goldie lived and is still alive today. Tough Fish!

I won a goldfish for my 1 and a half year old daughter two and a half years ago. We named her Dorothy after my daughter's favorite movie, "The Wizard of Oz". She thrived happily in a 3 gallon tank with a little pump. Last week I won another goldfish at a carnival. We named her Emily. Today Dorothy died because Emily gave her the ick. I feel so guilty for putting a sick fish in with Dorothy. I just know that Dorothy would have been with us many more years. A hard lesson learned.

When i was 3 i won 3 goldfish from a fair and there now 12 years old and over 8 in. in a 50 gal. p.s. one was a feeder and 2 were comets.

Hello, Fourteen years ago my then 4 yr old brother-in-law won a goldfish for me at a church fair by throwing a ping pong ball into its tiny little bowl. (I am 33 today) Bubbles came home and lived a simple, yet enjoyable life in a 1/2 gallon bowl spared the conveniences of decor or even stones. His water was changed regularly with tap water left to stand overnight. He was fed the most convenient of flakes for food and never complained. For the last 6 years Bubbles lived under my mother's care as my family feared he would not survive being moved to a new locale. My mother called me today and informed me that Bubbles had passed away in the night. 'He' was 14 years old, and the longest living goldfish I ever knew. R.I.P. Bubbles.

Hi, I would like to write about my goldfish. I remembered getting tons of feeder fishes, and most of them died quickly probably because I wasn't feeding them enough. One of the surving fishes, whom I later named Ralph, would certainly let me know if I was under feeding him. He'll come up to the glass and start shaking his head vigorously begging for food. Since then I proably overfed my goldfishes. Ralph got really fat and big, but was nevertheless energetic and had the cutest "face" when begging. I'd always feeded him Hartz bread-based feed, but since I introduced Japanese flakes, he wouldn't even touch the Hartz feed and kept begging for the flakes. Didn't know goldfishes had tastebuds! Ralph was a good buddy and died at the age of 9. - Steve

While camping near Lake Michigan 11 years ago, we walked past a shallow creek on our way to the beach. We spotted a small bright orange goldfish swimming and an empty plastic bag on the creek bank. (We later learned it was "kids week" at a nearby large food/department store. They gave free goldfish to all kids... one of which most likely brought it back to the campground only to learn their family didn't want to deal with it while camping. Most likely, they let the fish go into the creek!?). We rescued this fish and kept it in one of our cooking pots throughout the rest of our camping vacation. We've had it at home since our youngest son was 4 years old. Our son, Jeff is now 15! "Goofy," the fish is now 11 years old and still growing. He has outgrown 2 fish bowls and we finally moved him into a 5 gal. aquarium (mom got tired of constantly cleaning the fish bowl). He eats strictly flaked food and must like his life... I tell my 15 year son that he may end up taking Goofy off to college with him in 3 years!!!

My girlfriend and I, who is now my wife, purchased Tubby ( a red oranda) and Comet ( a comet) in 96 when we lived in Australia. In 2000 we got Blacky ( a black Oranda). We decided to move to France in 2002. We couldn't bear to part with our babies so they got to fly to France as well. Every one thought we were mad. Saddly Comet died a few weeks later but Tubby and Blacky have grown to monstrous proportions and seem to like French cuisine...Our overseas move was made possible by BlackBurn Acquarium who prepared our babies for air travel a full 2 weeks ahead of our departure. I can't tell you how high our anxiety levels were when we finally got them out of the Geneva customs, took them to their new home and openned their transport box. I must have smoked about forty cigarettes, my eyes were red and my hands were shaking. Comet had laways been of weak constitution and we were sad to lose him 3 weeks later; Flash ( a french yellow comet ) has joined the other two since then and Blacky has turned orange...

I bought 10 feeder fish to "start up" my 2000 gallon pond for my Koi that had outgrown their aquariums and small pond. The majority of those fish survived and spawned!! I now have at least 50 large goldfish (five of which are the original, I know because of their markings) that are 6-12 in long. They have spawned every year since. To accomadate all I now have 2 ponds, 5 aquariums and an ornamental whiskey barrel!!!!!! Suzin at TNSCLARK@YAHOO>COM

I bought my goldfish, "Queen Elizabeth," almost nine years ago from a department store. Elizabeth has seen many friends come and go, but she is still holding on strong. She lives alone now in her almost 40 gallon tank. She has grown very big. She seems like a happy fish, and I am very happy to still have her around.

I won my son a goldfish at the Puyallup Fair 4 years ago. I have adopted him as mine. This might sound weird but I love this goldfish. His name is Dot. I ran into your page and think it is really neat. Thanks for the opportunity to send this letter to you. Steve Johnson

The last of our 4 goldfish died this morning aged just short of 7 years.  The first died 18 months ago after having a growth on the side of his head.  The second and third died almost together in the summer of this year for no apparant reason.  Finally, for some reason "Charlie" decided to take a jump out of his tank last night.  He was still breathing when we found him on the kitchen floor but all attempts to get him going again failed.  It's amazing how attached you get to these little fish and the little personality traits they all have.  RIP the four of you, especially high jumping Charlie!  Phil and Liz

I have had one common goldfish for 2 yrs. I won him from a carnival when he was just 1/2 in. long, today he is close to 7in. He has lived in 3 homes, the first was a very small plastic tank,the 2nd was a 1 1/2 gallon aquarium(plastic),and today he lives in a 5 1/2 gallon aquarium(glass) with ALL the accessories. He is today living with a 6mth. old calico faintail, a 1mth. old black moor, and a 2mth. old Chinese Algae Eater. They all get along VERY well and share their food in equal amounts. Their primary diet is dry Wardley flake food , and twice a week I drop in a couple of cooked baby carrots and cooked & peeled baby peas which they throughly enjoy. Bran977

Hi! Love your site! Eric and Eric, my two current goldfish, are both only 3 years old. I previously had two that were 7 years old at time of death*. Crayola was a Calico Oranda who was 10" long, and most of that length was tail. Monstro was a Black Moor, who, when he died, was over a foot in length, 5" from top to bottom, and weighed nearly a full pound! (*they both died at once. I tried out a new brand of water conditioner that they weren't used to. The day I tried the new stuff in a water change, they both went into shock almost immediately, and were dead within three hours. I'll never switch again! They should be alive today :( ...)-Lara

My sister and i came along three baby goldfishes last October. When our grandparents moved to our neighbourhood in the early fall, we became quite fond of their neighbour's pond. When the weather became cold, she asked us if we'd like to take care of some of the younger fish for the colder part of the year, until she put all her fish back in the pond. Of course we automatically said yes, and went out and bout a fish bowl and food. i came up with their names, Larry, Curly, and Moe, after the three stooges, who i loved when i was little. Now that we've had the fish for about about 4 months, we're getting curious about the fishes genders. i mean, we could end up with litttle babies ourselves! our fishes have grown bit by bit, and are now about twice the size as when we first got them. we haope to get more babie in the fall this year too! - Katelyn and Emily Hope

My son got a small 3/4" fantail goldfish 4 years ago. He named her "Princess" and she ia now a whopping 5" long. He got "Spot" and "Flash" for Christmas (3 weeks ago) and now "Princess" and "Flash" have what I believe are anchor worms. Hope I can treat these guys and get them back to normal. "Princess" already survived a nasty bout of ick. Hope she's a tough gal. Joan

I have two fish named Tic-tac and gizmo, they are feeder goldfish. I have only had them for about three months but they are very healthy. From: emily

I have a goldfish that I got from my fiance, who got it from his sister back in college. I think the fish is immortal! He's travelled more than I have, and he's almost 7 years old. I don't do anything special, I even think that some fish have it better than he does. He lives in a bowl on my shelf. -Luna

I have had two of my goldfish "feeders" that I rescued from the petstore almost 3 years ago. I feel awful, I got the first one to feed my betta that wasn't eating. But the beta didn't eat him so I was able to keep her. I named her Sydney. Now she is happily swimming at 4 inches long with her old friend Viper which I believe is also a girl, and 3 new additions to the tank. Little baby feeders I also rescued from the pet store. I look forward to many more years!! Thanks for this site!!--Chelsey

My First pet ever was a gold fish named "White tummy" because it was all orange except for a white stomach it was the cutest fish and lived almost 9 years and recently died last summer. taylor1@attbi.com

I got 'Spalding' when I was 2 years old and I'm now 19! He/She(I still don't know) survived jumping out his tank twice(one of those times he was accidently trodden on because it was dark!),my little sister tipped over the tank twice, it has had two serious illnesses (both of these were cured by putting Brandy in the water!), 4 car journeys, it nearly got eaten by our cat, it got hypothermia,suffered from depression (probably a midlife crisis) and it is blind in one eye! Spalding has also learnt to communicate by making a strange squeaking noise!?My life wouldn't be as exciting without Spalding and I hope she/he stays with me for many years to come. mailto:Rob.Abbott@btinternet.com

My mom's goldfish was bought in 2001,and was kept outside for one summer,it is about 2 inches long. Levi

My goldfish Fingers passed away yesterday, about day under 8 years of age (I think he could be just over actually). He has moved house once and been on many car rides. When we bought him, we also bought another fish which died within 3 years. I'm glad Fingers lived so long (not sure what breed of fish he was, but he remained very small throughout his life) and am very sad that he has died. He was the only real pet I ever had. Alex

My dad got 24 feeder goldfish when I was 3 and now its been 11years and only 9 of them deid. They have cost alott of money from switching the tanks because we have so many and all of them are more than 8 in. and the tank is 150 gal.

I had my goldfish Ethel for 10 years. She passed away on August 19, 2003. I nursed her through Ick and she was the nicest little fish there was. I miss her very much.

I have Barney, my black moor and a cory cat,l named "Cat" I bought them when I was about 35 years old, I just had my 50th birthday. Yes Barney is 16 years almost, and what a joy he is to me. I think he is dieing. so I must say Barney you have broguth much joy and you are my buddy  Mike

I bought 2 feeder fish from Walmart one day. i bought a quiet fish--Silent Bob, and a big, fat fish--Jake. Unfortunatly, i found Jake floating on top of the water, so i buried him... Bob is still alive. he has grown in to a nice looking fish. i can tell that he has grown alot in the past few months. he eats like a pig, and sometimes he'll come out and visit me. i cant believe i love Bob as much as i do, he's my favorite pet. Allison McGraw

I just wanted to write about my gold fish named Bubba. We got Bubba about six years ago at Wal-Mart for twenty cent. Bubba has been through a few scary times. But, he is doing well. Bubba is fourteen inches long and four inches wide. He is a big part of our family. Lisa

I won my goldfish on a fairground three years ago. Its name is flipper. It is getting bigger all the time and it`s very healthy. Adrienne age 6

My wife and I sadly announce that one of our three goldfish, Fred, passed away last night. Fred was approximately five years old and was the best fish a person could want. He was born in Great Britain and was purchased by my wife in a small corner pet store in Cardiff, Wales. After meeting my wife, I grew attached to Fred and we decided to bring him to America. We contemplated releasing him into a local pond, but my wife would hear nothing of it. After a four hour car trip to London, eight-hour plane trip and five hour car ride after landing in America, Fred and his two tank-mates, “the boyz” were poured into their new tank. I swear, by the look on their faces, they thought they had died and gone to Goldfish heaven… Needless to say, we shared many good memories and we will both miss him very much. I never thought I could get so attached to a little orange fish… reidellgroup@resultsontheweb.net

Wow! I have had goldfish for 8 years now and had no idea that there was so much to know. Thank-you so much for your web site. My only original fish to have survived the eight years has recently become ill, and thanks to your extremely informative site I think I have narrowed down the illness to either dropsy or egg binding. I'm going back to the site to have a closer read and see if there is a treatment. I just wanted to express my thanks. If we can save Whitey, my children will be ecstatic. Sarah Johnstone.

I also have a really cute goldfish named Gobbles because she likes to eat so much. She's just a feeder fish I got with 4 other fish for a dollar to feed Bufo, my African clawed frog. Turned out, the other fish all died or got eaten and she grew too big for the frog to eat, so she lives a happy and frog-free existence in the other aquarium. Gobbles goes crazy when I even walk by the tank, and she even likes to eat the guppies I put in the tank with her to entice the baby ACF. One time she hopped out of the tank and was found on the floor at least a half hour later, sticky and hardly moving at all. However, when we put her back in she remarkably recovered and she is still alive to this date! She's about 4 1/2 inches long, and in my eyes, the cutest goldfish in the world. Just a simple light orange with a few scales missing (probably because of her trip outside the tank) but she has the cutest round little fins and adorable, (seemingly) intelligent eyes that melt your heart. Since your site said that goldfish like to eat fresh vegetables, I gave her a tiny bit of lettuce and she seemed to enjoy it. Thank you for the information regarding diet and species. I never realized the number of fish species that exist! AND that goldfish enjoy eating cucumber, I might try that with Gobbles!  Malia

I have now had my two goldfish for seven years. They are Simon & Garfinkle. My husband bought them from a bait shop, on fathers day. He took the kids fishing. The two were the biggest thing he brought back .  Melissa Morgan

Hi, i really enjoy this site alot. i have two 220.gallion tanks set up with only three fish in them. the one tank i have two goldfish, one is a 8 and a half inch jet black moore { female } named blackberry and the other is a bright red/white ryukin { male } about 9 and a half inches and his name willy. in the other tank set up, i have a showa koi about 17 inches long and his name is ruddy. they are about 4 years old and still growing more and more beautiful by the day. they are my pride and joy and i love them more then anything else. i am 32 years old and raised fish all my life. Carolkaycocoa1@aol.com

My two original goldfish are 5 years old. I picked out the two best looking feeder fish at the store and they lived at college for a year in a small fish bowl. I built a pond at my inlaws house where Marbles and Blackie(who is orange!) lived with several others for 2 years. They have lived in three ponds and are back in their original pond waiting on me to finish their new 1000 gallon playground! Marbles is about 7.5 inches long and Blackie is 6 inches. Thanks, Adrian Bauer

Meshach, my 8 1/2 year old fantail, died last night of no apparent cause. He had been battling popeye for a while, but he was looking good, so we were shocked when we found him passed on this morning. He has been a great friend to me, and I will miss him very much. Good Bye, Little Meshach. mailto:lawlib@bu.edu

Hi I got 3 goldfish(about an inch long) from my friends fathers pond about 5 years ago an orange with black spots, a white, and a gold black.They started out in a small bowl until they started to grow and chase each other out of the bowl. Within the year they were moved into a 10 g which they out grew,this brings them to a 35g for the last 2 yrs.Guess what they are out growing that,sadly one died this summer and it was 9 inches long including its tail,and it was the little one.I just got a 75 gallon that will be set up soon I'm hoping that this one will last awhile before I have to start digging a pond in the back yardrd..lol :) P.S don't tell the goldfish they shouldn't be in the tank with the tropicals.They have been sharing the 35 g for the 2 yrs with a very large pleco,a 9" long weather loach and 3 giant danios. angalotapaws@netscape.net

We recieved our goldfish 3 years ago from a friend. We barely ever change its water, maybe once a year or so. We feed it ordinary fish food and its been doing fine.nattybalia@yahoo.com

I have 5 goldfish all exept buster, my shubunkin, are about a year old. One has lived well even though he has big time swimbladder. Two of my 5 goldfish died, larry died of swimbladder or acute dropsy, we don't really know. My other one, dark Moe, died of ichthyopthirius(ich). My other two Torpedo Moe(shubunkin koi mix) and curly a bubble eye pom pon brown oranda with some calico in him. Triplehunter3

I recently found your site and i find it very helpful with the diseases section which i have had to resort to since my 4yr old Oranda named Shubuki has swim-bladder and it has gotten worse. So now i'm trying the treatments recommended by a couple of your fans and praying that my cute little shubuki will at least remedy himself so he won't be swimming upside down as often. Back in Feb 2002 i had to move from my apt and i was very sad that i had to get rid of my babies....7 goldfish which i had in a 30gal tank, 3 were adults and 4 were babies. I had planned to keep them until i could get a 50 gal tank which wouldn't have been very long. Unfortunately, my situation was sudden and I had no choice but to leave and my first concern was my babies. They were like my children and I fussed over them all the time, so imagine my sadness when I found out I couldn't take them all with me to my new place. I tried several methods of finding them good homes and I was almost giving up when I contacted an employee @ Petsmart in my hometown who was an avid Goldfish fan. I explained my situation and asked if he would want them since I knew he had 3 goldfish tanks of his own and we would often talk about the fish for hours on end everytime I was at the pet store. I knew I made a good decision but I still couldn't shake my sadness and knowing I missed them already. I kept them until the last day to move out so I could spend time with them every day and see how beautiful they were becoming. Finally the day came when I went over to the store and took my babies with me and you should have seen his face light up when he saw the fish since they were all healthy and huge. Of course I cried on my way home especially when I saw the tank empty but deep inside my heart i knew I had made the right decision to give them a good home in which they would be cared for by someone who was a fish fan like Carlos. To this day I still think of my beloved goldfish and I always feel sad thinking of how much i still miss them. However, I still call Carlos and ask him all about the fish and how they're doing so that is still the good side for me. In the end I realize my fish are in good hands and I wouldn't want it any other way. Thanks I've never told another soul about this until I found your site. Keep up the good work.  Letty

I had an aquarium in my back yard with some gold fish in it. The tank was attacked by raccoons, I am sure the fancy ones were the first to go. The only survivor was one small grey feeder. Then a few months later the tank broke, I had to toss him and his new friends into a bucket that was part of the filter. There was another raccoon attack, and I thought they were all dead this time. A few months later I was in my back yard; I looked in the bucket and there was my little grey feeder, living, in about 2 inches of muck. I was shocked. I moved him into another tank. Then him and his new pal "a larger feeder" got ich. I cured them of the ich and put a pond in my back yard where they are living happily with plenty of swimming room and hiding spots to avoid the raccoons. gaharford@verio.net

My goldfish 'Fishy' has very sadly just died at 12 years old. He was a lovely friend and I will miss him very much. R.I.P. alib80@yahoo.com

My one golfish named Goldy has been alive for 9 straight years after being won at a pet store! Matty169

Hi im Steven , i bought a goldfeederfish when i was twelve yrs. old. Now im 25.Ihave had my best fish freind Alliuog.Can u please put this on your very best fishweb site in the whole web.  Thank u very much . mailto:Reidtwo@aol.com P.S i will tell my freinds al about the fabulos site !!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello, I just wanted to thank you for hosting this site. My Piggy Fish (A comet I think) is about 8 years old, and recently he was stuck to the bottom of the tank like a lead weight. I read and followed your directions and now, about a week and a bunch of chopped peas later, he's back to his old self :)  chiomi@yahoo.com

Hi, I love your site--it has helped me innumerable times! I have five goldfish, an Oranda (8 y.o.) a Shubunkin I rescued from Wal mart and had to treat for every fish ailment known to man,(now very big and strong, 2.5 y.o.) A red ryukin, who is beautiful, 3 y.o, a fantail from a pet store, 5 y.o, and a "fair fish" from the Erie County fair some 7 or 8 years ago. I know they say that it is a bad idea to put slow swimmers with fast ones, but I've never had a problem with anyone being under fed. Some have had problems, others haven't. The Oranda has bouts of swimbladder disease, but I have changed their diet to Sho-Gold food as well as peas, frozen Krill and Brine shrimp. Swimbladder can make you crazy looking for a cure. I have had good luck with diet and keeping the tank clean as possible. When all else fails I put him in a bucket with an airstone and about four inches of water,(enough to cover the fish and fins--not much more) and some salt, overnight. This works well until his next bout. On a related note, my parents have a feeder fish who is over ten years old. I got him and when I moved out, I left him there, as they were attached to him. He had a bout with dropsy last year that was so severe that he had hemorrages all over his body, when the swelling went away. We never expected him to make it. We treated him with lots of salt, antibiotics and MELAFIX...I think it is a miracle product! If you're ever at a loss with a debilitated or sick fish try that stuff, it works!!! (No I don't work for Aquarium Pharmaceuticals!) Thanks for your great site and keep up the good work!!!! Jennifer

I have had 5 fish overall. My first I got when I was very young, 3 I think. His name was George and he was pretty big for a comet, I cant remember the exact measurements though. I then got him a friend that i called Cleo. I dont know what type of fish she was, but she was reddy orange with black fins and a black tail. They passed away when George was 4 and Cleo was 3, they got a foreign disease, when I looked after two foreign fish in the same tank. In memory of them, my next fish were two sisters called Georgina and Cleopatra. Georgina died at about 2 months, but Cleopatra went on to live to be 6 with her new friend Chandler. Chandler died last year and Cleopatra just died last week. All 5 fish are missed. RIP George, Cleo, Georgina, Chandler and Cleopatra. Joe

I bought a goldfish for our young children, along with the basic fish "stuff" (large bowl, rocks, frog statue, food). My 8-year-old daughter, Michaela, named it Harry Potter. Several months later, we discovered that Harry wasn't "Harry" after all, but "Harriet." She had two babies. We debated what to name the two offspring. I wanted to name one "Herbie" after Herbie Husker, but didn't know what to name the other one. Unfortunately, I didn't have to choose another name. One of them died. So, Herbie and Harriet had their own bowls, and we decided to get a fish tank, and a couple of other fish. We discovered that Harriet had Ick, so we treated her, and we thought she got better. One evening I noticed she was swimming close to the bottom of the tank trying to burrow into the rocks. I took her out and watched her until I fell asleep. When I woke up she was dead. She lived about 6 months from the time we brought her home. Herbie, however, seemed to be flourishing. Then about 6 months after he was born, he, too, started to try to burrow into the rocks in his bowl. By the end of the day, he had also died. Now we have a fan tail, who will probably live to a ripe-old-age, since he/she loves to eat and swim, and looks Ick-free so far! (We call her/him "Piggy!") Chris, Jeff and Kids

I have two goldfish that I got in August 2001. Every golfish I ever bought died but these two survived everything. I have still got them as well as eight others. My oldest two will be two years old this year. I have never lost another one since I go them two! mailto:reindancer@hyper.net.nz

When I was about 6 years old I asked my dad for a dog and I got a 50 gallon fish tank. Who knew then that I would fall in love with Goldfish. My dad passed away 12 years ago and I wanted to set up the tank again. It had been out of commission for awhile so I went bought 10 comets for a dollar, everyone said the buy comets to get the bacteria levels right and then usually the comets die off. Well 12 years later I still have one of the originals left. His name is Sidwell. He is a great fish. The other one of the originals was Moby and he was a little comet and turned into a huge fish. He was 9 years old when he died. I love my goldfish and when I saw your site I had to write about my pets. I think goldfish are the best. Not
only that goldfish are good Feng Shui! I think that I will always have goldfish. I love buying comets and watching then turn into beautiful fish.  Thanks for letting me share, Sandra

hi my name is krissy i am 12 years old and i have always liked fish so one day me and my mom went to the store and bought a very small 3 or 4 gallon tank and then i bought a calico fantail that seemed to swim apart from the other cailco fantails so i wanted him. finaily we got home and i placed him in a fish bowl so i could let his tank water sit over night the next morning he was swimming around very happy and i put hom in his new home well i have had him for about 2 months i hope i get many years with him.

Thanks for your generous site. When younger I kept lots of fish but now I can keep in touch with their beauty and culture with your site. I have just heard of the death of my Mum's last remaining goldfish aged 32 years. He lived in a tank on her balcony in London for all those years having been won at a fair ground. I know it's not a record but was amused to hear the longest living goldfish was also won at a fairground in England. Are they particularly hardy I wonder to survive those conditions. Natural selection at work perhaps?  The Big Fella as he got to be known (can't remember his actual name) lived in a murky, green tank which was partically cleaned every couple of months, topped up when necessary and cleaned out totally once a year maybe. In the early part of his life when England's Winter's were harsh his whole tank bar a few inches would freeze. He'd become inert but appear in the spring with reniewed vigour just like he'd been hibernating. My Mum was really fond of him. We'd all try and spot him through the green murk and he'd come and visit us at the top of the tank every day for food. An amazing companion. He'll be missed.  I've always been very fond of fish generlly. They seem very friendly and enjoy human company. I am now fully vegetarian but even though I only ate white meat for years, I actually gave up fish early on as I couldn't look any of them in the face in various aquariums I love to visit. I live in New Zealand and for anyone who like fish I recommend Kelly Tarltons in Auckland and the Paihia Aquarium in the Bay Of Islands. By the wayKoi are concidered a real threat here for our waterways and lakes. They are listed as an official Pest. People do keep them and at Auckland Zoo, where I am a volunteer, they have some really fine ones. Are Koi classified this way in other countries?  Thanks again.  CLARE KELSO

Sharky my feederfish had gone through alot through the years,First when i just got him he was acting very slow , but eventuly he came back to normal . I have Sharky For seven years already .thank u , Love your site From Steven

Our goldfish freddy was sick yesterday and died. we recieved freddy free from  a fish store. he lived only 5 years and was about 4 inches long. we all loved the way he used to follow us back and fourth as we walked past his tank and splashing when he wanted to be fed. we will miss you so much my friend. joe,linda,gina,kevin

Five years ago I owned a Great Snake Head, yes the south american fish that threatened U.S. rivers, lakes and streams this past summer. He was over a foot long and ravenous. I feed him feeder goldfish a dozen at a time, which where usually gone within twenty minutes. Then one day during a routine feeding he croaked, leaving two feeders with their lives. I was kinda glad I didn't have to go to the pet store every week to buy goldfish(and so was my wallet). So Snake went to the landfill and the two remaining feeders took up residence in his 20 gal. tank. Five years later both fish have grown to over 7" long. They are healthy and so easy to care for. I have owned every kind of freshwater fish out there and killed them all, except these two and I would have never thought that for about $.08 each these fish not only survived an almost fatal ends but hove grown to be such beautiful and loved pets. Chris F.

Hi, You have a great goldfish site! I have a goldfish named TurtleFood "Charles" and he is about 4 years old. He was originally supposed to be food for my turtle..hence "TurtleFood" but the turtle did not eat him, so I decided to keep him as a pet. He is a wonderful pet. :o) Thank You For Your time! Messed Up Clown

I took my daughter Lindsay to University of Montana last fall to set her up in the dorms. She had grown up with many pets, and begged for the only pet allowed- a goldfish. I bought three at Wallmart in Missoula, Montana. Two quickly died, but one has survived the school year- and traveled home on the airplane to Anchorage, Alaska in my daughter's Nalgene water bottle for the summer. He is soon moving back to Montana for the school year- but this time he will reside in the Alpha Phi sorority house! twoteachersinak@gci.net twoteachersinak@gci.net

My goldfish will be 7 years old in march. i won him at a school fair when i was in first grade. he never was in any kind of filtered tank or anything just in a bowl on top of my TV. i never had heard of a goldfish living so long in just a plain old bowl well i wander what the record is? *Eric*

Frank and I inherited Goldie and Lox, two goldfish, from Mariah. She worked as a vet tech and had tried to pull an April Fool's joke on the vet by saying "look what we pulled out of this cat." The joke didn't work, and the fish came home to live with us. I renamed "April" and "Fool" Goldie and Lox.  Less seasonal I thought and equally clever. Goldie and Lox lived with us for 10 years, advancing from a small cookie-jar shaped home to a 60-gallon tank. Goldie recently died, having developed a small growth on her back. We had been trying medication but weren't successful in treating her. Lox is the bigger of the two, far more than mere pan-sized now. Let's hope he has at least another 10 years with us. Thanks for a great site. not so swimmingly, sad over the recent loss of our Goldie, Carla

...was named Peter, and he was an orange pearlscale. Such a beautiful fish! He was given to us when he was about a year old by a friend who was moving out of town. He was ten when he died from a tumor. We enjoyed him so much, that we refused to buy any fish which was not as beautiful as he was. It took us two years of searching to find one, but we've had Ernie and Bert for almost two years now and still enjoy them. We're looking forward to many more years with our two friends (who don't mind sharing a home with three dogs, two cats, and two children -- now six and eight). Thank you for the information on your website. Last night, Ernie managed to get himself trapped inside a Conch shell. I still don't know how he did it! Anyway, I yanked him out by the tail (the only part I could grab), and he seems to be mostly fine. He did suffer some bruises to both sides and one of his eyes, and his fins show signs of wear and one small split. I've followed the recommendations from your site and he already seems to be better. With some luck, he should be back to his old self within a week or two. Thanks again for having the information on your website available to all. I know I appreciate it... and so does Ernie!

My oldest goldfish, Comet, I got from the county fair in August of 2000 and is now four inches long. I recently got him some tankmates a Shubunkin, a Sarasa, and a pair of yellow-orange and black goldfish that look like twins. Kindest regards, Amy Wooden

Have just purchased my two first pet goldfish, William and Wallace, as may be able to tell by their names i'm Scottish! William is a common and Wallace is a Blue Oranda. Unfortunately they only live in a relatively small tank for now but that will all change this weekend! I hope to have many years of pleasure from them andalready feel attatched to them! Thanksfor a fabulous site! Neil, 31 yrs, UK andrew.barnhill@ntlworld.co.uk

Hi, I just wanted to tell you my goldfish story...

In 1991, my family went to a fair where my brother and I each got one dollar to throw ping pong balls at the fish bowls. I didn't win any, but my brother won two fish. When we got home, he said that he didn't really want them, so I took over caring for them. In the morning after a few days, one of them had gone off to fish heaven and I was left with "Goldie". For a fourth grader, taking care of a goldfish is a lot of work, so Goldie's bowl didnt get cleaned very often...once every two months in fact! But he doesnt seem to mind. To make a long story shorter, Goldie was later named Mr. Fishy, and Mr. Fishy is now living with me at college 11 years later in his mucky yucky bowl! I didnt even know that fish could live this long! Thanks for letting me share! -Lindsay

We live in Wisconsin, which isn't the best place for goldfish to live in ponds, but we always enjoy relaxing next to a pool of goldfish in the summer. We moved in 1999 and in the spring of 2000 I added a pond to our yard and we added 7 feeder goldfish. In July I noticed what I thought were hundreds of strange parasites and caught some in a jar. Imagine my surprise when they were identified as goldfish fry! In the fall I kept a few the inch-long brown fish and sold the rest. The same thing has happened each year after! Sadly, one of the our original fish, Spot, a beautiful orange and white goldfish perished last summer in a cold spell, but one of the fry has colored out in almost exactly the same markings. It is a lot of work to bring the fish in each fall to winter in the house but it is worth the effort to enjoy the beauty of the goldfish outdoors in the summer. The Talleys

Just put to rest our goldfish that my son won in a first or second grade fair just shy of 14 years ago. Never did anything special for it, quite frankly hardly changed the water much. But, it hung in there for a long, long time, just it and the stones in the bottom of the tank. Surprised me when I actually misted up a bit at his passing. Thanks. Jan

I got about 7 goldfish when I was 2 when my brother was born, 3 of them died, 2 mysteriously disappeared (eyes cat), but my 2 remaining goldfish are turning 12 years old in August. -Nathaniel

I have a goldfish bought in November 1986, he's still swimming round the tank quite happily today 4th August 2002. The Cumming family. Inverness, Scotland.

My husband bought me a moor goldfish for christmas last year. He is huge and I have to feed him at least 3 to 4 times a day. He likes when we put our clock radio up to the side of his 5 gallon tank . All he does is swim around and around in his fish tank. I call it shock therphy! But, he does know who his feeder is . Because he only likes me. Elizabeth& Pacy the fish

My son won our goldfish at fair when he was 11years old, he is now 22. He once jumped out of the bowl and was out for a while, my son picked him up and pushed him through the water until he starting swimmming again.The fish lives in regulr bowl no filter just flake food and we clean the bowl 1x week. When the light goes on next his bowl his swims up to the top for food. Theresa Melville NY

In 1999 I got together some money and bought two feeder fish and the whole tank thing and everything. I named them "Simon" and "Says" because they followed each other everywhere. About a year later I bought another fan-tail fish that was orange with black dots all over him. I named him "Speckles". Then a year later I bought a fourth one, "Shrimpy". Obviously he was the smallest because over the three years prior to him joining the gang, they grew.....IMMENSLEY! They went from about an inch and a half to 4 and a half. Un fortuanetly they picked on him at first, but accepted him after about a week. "Shrimpy" died last year, and "Simon"-the largest-died soon after. I'm 15 years old now and "Says" and "Speckles" are holdin' on strong! I go back and forth between FLA. and CA. for my "acting career" and god forbid my mom clean the tank, so often I come home to FLA and the tank is a mess, but those little fish just wait for me to clean it, I've never had a problem with them.....we'll see just how long they live!

My friend won two goldfish at a Valentine fair at university in 1998 but didn't want them cos they kept jumping out of the tank, so I adopted them. Every start and end of term they would travel the 300 miles in the car with me, and seemed not to mind. They are still alive despite not getting cleaned out as often as they should! One has gone white and the other is going that way, and neither of them has a name (known collectively as The Fish), but they are very friendly and will even sit quietly in your hand in the water. Some people might think they are boring, but I love watching them just doing their thing.         High Priestess

Hi I have 9 fish and 5 of them are gold fish the biggest is 9in and is 10 years old going on 11 this sept 13 2004 the other gold fish are arond 7-9 yaers old and the other onens are 1-2 years old the 5 gold fish live in a 20-30 gallen tank they live with 2 other gold fish they othe fish live in my room in a 10 gallen tank .Amy kuenzig

My fish passed away just last night, "he" was a little over three years old and was a feeder fish that i won at my school carnival, as a freshman. He was suffering from swim bladder problem for the 24 hours prior to his death. He was my longest living fish to date, he will be missed by the frogs and myself. -Michael of Chicago 11/9/03

I have enjoyed reading the advice to others. I have two goldfish, GIll who is nearly three and Oprah who we got just before Christmas. They are terrific and I never knew there was so much to goldfish, BUT loving it! It is fun and interesting to know so much about these beautiful creatures. Ours have terrific personalities! Anyway, best of luck to everyone out there! Take care of your various fish! Linda

My "baby" is a gold fish my mother had left me after her death, she got it when she was about 30 years old, after buying it at a nearby pet shop. It is now aproximatly 48 1/2 years old. She is living happily in a pond, with many of her children, but her husband (Kenny) had died aproximatly 5 years ago, sadly. I am 21 now, and my fish is older than I am. Hopefully she will live hapily the rest of her life. -Kelly

Hi just found your site, loved reading all the letters from people. Just wanted to tell about my fish I had 2 fedder fish that i had for 6 years they were about 7 inches, Just went to the store a week ago and bought 6 feeder fish for 24 cents each. They live in a 30 Gal tank with a 6 inch eel and a 7 inch pleco, and one small snail. I don't think i will ever buy any other kind of fish, i love the colors of my feeder fish, I think my little 24 cent fush are great David, NH

I also had my goldfish 'goldy' from the fair about 18 years ago so they can live longer that most people think, Heidi

Recentlky my brother bought 3 gold fish which he named, neo, nemo and spot, he really loved his fish, he sat n watched them all the time, but one night he went up to see them.. two were liein on the top, and one floating on the bottom, he refused to buy any more and named himselfthe ''goldfish murderer'' bless him!!!  Mellie

we just bought two fantails, captain scales and first mate haloha, we thought fish didnt live very long, but we were proven wrong! they're only two, but they get as much love as the dogs. tash and jamie

have two goldfish, one from the fair and one from the jockey lot. I have had them for around 11 years. Although one seems sick now.

I have a fantail goldfish who is 17 years old. She is a very strong fish, living through about 6 moves. When I bought her in 1987 she was orange from head to toe, now she is almost all white, and about 5" long. She spends most of the day lying in one spot at the bottom of the tank. Sometimes I think she is dead. I've been thinking that for about 2 years now, but she is a fighter! I wonder how long she is going to live. Jennifer

I bought for feeders in 1996 and 1997. There names are Percy, Barney (female), Sumsin, and Ghost. I feed them twice a day and I change there water completely, once a month. I never let the water sit for 24 hours. I usually perform a direct change, while they are still in the tank and I use a chlorine neutralizer. They have never been sick and they are still going strong. They were an inch long when I bought them. Now they are all 4-6 inches, not including the tail. They are in a 20 gallon tank. I'm buying them a 55 gallon tomorrow. They started off as a test trial, before I buy tropical fish to raise. This has been a eight year test. Sidney Jones

I found your site when I was trying to figure out how long my feeder goldfish are going to live. I rescued 4 feeders from a highschool science class, and am now a junior in college. I assumed at the time that feeder fish live about a year, and apparently I was really wrong! They're about 5 years old now, and have survived me moving twice, the occasional green tank, some nasty looking growth on one of them (that thankfully went away), and my curious cat. Vito, Napoleon, Gimpy, and Pretty are now huge, and from reading the other testimonials on this site, will probably be with me for many more years. :)  Charlotte

My goldfish Fat is around 6 1/2 years old. (he was originally called Tiny, coz he was so small, but now......well.....we renamed him Fat! hehe!) he's just like a dog! swims around wagging his tail when he sees you! i'm sure he's got more than a 3 second memory!

The oldest goldfish i ever had, Freddy, lived to be 11 years old. He was won at a fair in France when i was 2, and when we came to live in the UK a year later, my dad had to go through a great big rigmarole to get him brought over on the ferry, coz ur not allowed to bring animals over just like that. all these forms and papers and stuff had to be signed. He eventually died when i was 13 because this elderly lady that lived with us (my mam was a carer) went a bit wappy and fed him sleeping tablets thinking they were fish food! i was well gutted! anyways, at the moment ive got Fat, and a 6 month old chipmunk called Nutter!  Nat (aged 20)

My goldfish is a little squirt! He lived for 16 years. He died because of that stupid ick. Ick!

Hi, Came across your site and thought I would drop a line. I work on a Semi-Submersible Oil Rig in the North Sea. 4 years back the chef brought out a goldfish whilst the Rig was in dry dock, it came in a small tank with a cheap pump. The chef left the Rig some three years ago so I 'fostered' the fish. Deciding that he looked somewhat lonesome I decided to get him a partner (Saying him I have not a clue what sex it is) with the permission of the helicopter pilot (our mode of getting to work) I brought out another goldfish in a small plastic tub, the fish survived the 90 minute flight with apparently no ill effects! They both now live in a converted 50 liter water container with a new h dor pump/filter - and have been the last three years. Chris Arctic III

Goldy is 1 years old and my whole family had a wonderful anniversary to my little fishy friend. I really love Goldy!

Oscar is about 15 years old now. I got him for my kids along with 2 or 3 other "feeders" from a school carnival here in Anchorage Alaska. He just keeps on living and growing. He is about 8" long and 2 1/2' thick. My wife named him. Little did she know that people feed goldfish to their oscars.  Greg Solomon

I won my goldfish at a fair 14 years ago. Its funny when all the college kids return and see the same fish when they were little.

It is with profound sadness that I have to say that our 12 yrs and 8 months old goldfish Golderella passed away today, February 25/2005, after 5 months of being ill with many different diseases. We got her at a park fair as a prize on May 1992, when our daughter was 5 yrs.old (now 17). She named her after Cinderella. First she got fungal infections, after that, bacterial. We treated her also for parasites and for everything we thought she might have. We researched all the information we could find about illnesses, diagnose, medicines and treatments. She took many and different antibiotics. We never lost hope and rejoiced at every improvement she had. Her dropsy was very evident the last 2 months and by this time we were mouth feeding her. The only things I regret we didn’t have a chance to do are: go to a Veterinarian, raising the temperature of the water to help treat her dropsy, using more epsom salts and giving her tank a general clean up much sooner. My husband faithfully changed 25% of her water every week or every other week. We gave the aquarium a general clean up after the first 6 years, when we had to move to our new place. I think the aquarium was due for another general clean up and feel so bad that we didn’t do it much sooner. I feel bad thinking of the possibility that because of this she began to get ill in first place. By the way, thank you for the great information you have here in your site. I wish I had known about it long time ago. It is wonderful and comforting reading the stories of other goldfish lovers, kind people that care so much for their little ones. We miss Golderella swimming close to us. She used to stare at us when we were sitting here at the computer. We have cried a lot looking at her weakening and now that she is gone. How much you can love a goldfish. She really was part of our family. Truly they are smart, get to know you and show excitement when you arrive back home. We noticed she could get depressed and then ill if we ignored her for a period of time out of busyness. Since then we made the habit to talk to her frequently during the day when passing by her aquarium. We love you Golderella forever, and God willing, we hope to see you in heaven. Mississauga, Canada.   Leonore, Adolfo & Sarah-Cristina

I bought my goldfish 16 years ago when I was 8 years old at a KMart for $.58 each. At thetime they were about half an inch and now grew to be 17 inches long there abouts. One was a dark grey that changed to a white and the others were orange and changed to white as well. I first started them off in an aquarium that was one gallon and as I grew up they did as well. I have them in a 100 gallon aquarium now and they have survived hurricanes and power outages of up to 72 hours. People believe that fish are a stupid aminal but my fish have their own personalities and feed from my hands on command. I have a friend who had goldfish that are 30 years old and seem to be doing fine so far so I hope I grow old with my fish too. Keagen Miller

My first most beautiful fan-tailed gold fish, Vida.... I got at midnight at a 24-hr store and she died at the old age of 4 1/2 years after spending all of my undergraduate years keeping me company. The second goldfish I got were a pair named Zen and Asia. Asia a bright orange (fat-head) oranda died almost immediately, but her partner in crime Zen happily swam along. Zen who was a metallic grey fan-tailed oranda, died today after 1 1/2 years, and I am sad to see him go.

I bought my goldfish, Shrimp over five years ago at a local walmart! When I got him he was about a half an inch long. I've put many fish in the tank with him, but they have all died. Shrimp just keeps on living! He's not a shrimp anymore, he's grown to a couple of inches long. I look forward to spending many more years with him!  Erica

My gold fish Marla died last night. She was a 15 cents feeder fish from Petsmart that my sister got to keep me company. She sure was a survivor going through 4 fish tanks in 5 different houses in 3 states. She grew from 2 inches to a whooping 9.5 inches in 4.5 years. I kept buying a larger and larger fish tank to keep her happy. Her latest home is a 55 gal tank that is now ghostly without her swimming in it. She will be greatly missed. RIP, my good friend, Marla.

My family and I bought a goldfish named silver/ Mr.bubbles in 1999. He now recently died in 2004. We loved him as a family member. He died two times but came back to life. R.I.P

This is to commemorate my 'traditional' type goldfish, who died this morning. He lived to be around 15 years old, by my calculations. He didn't win a place in my heart right away.... he bullied (to the point of  extinction!), his silver-coloured cousin - right after I introduced them to each other (after buying them from the local pet shop). Nevertheless, the years still made him a beloved pet; even though he clearly preferred life as an only-fish! Apparently, he made his way to a spot behind his stone this  morning (27th August 2004), and began to pass away. My mum looked on, knowing his end was near, saying a final goodbye to the little tike. He twitched a little, as if to say 'Don't look at me' or maybe... 'goodbye'. Funny how these little guys can really find a big place in your heart! Goodbye little guy from that tank in West Cornwall, England! Hope the oxygen is good in that big tank in the sky!

my name is corey ellenberger, and i have these 2 gold fish i got from the pet shop, one of them is 4 months older than the other, there names are tank and bowser. bowser is 5 years old right now, and tank is 4 and something months old. it is 2004 when i sent this:) . I still find that the oldest goldfish recorded was 43 years old, that shocked me! who ever owned that fish, you are a really good goldfish owner. lol. I am 14 by the way.

My grandfather is 96 years old. When he immigrated here from Italy, in 1916, he was seven years old. One of his first stops was a fair near what is now Coney Island in NY. He won a goldfish. When he was in his thirties he gave the fish to my father!!!! My father gave me the fish, named lucky, when I was 8. I'm 32. He now lives with his buddy, named Fat Boy, a Black Moor, who I bought when I was 15. That would make lucky 88 years old! Fatboy is a youthful 17 years old. I keep both in the same 10 gallon tank, that gramps had. It's sprung a few leaks, but I've fixed those with silicone. As far as the water it's always distilled, treated with 2 tablespoons of non iodized salt, and store-bought "Start Right" water treatment. I change it (100 %) religiously, every 90 days. Twice a year I dissolve fish tetracycline, as a preventative, in the tank. I haven't had any problems with these guys. They eat flakes, and an occasional chunk of a nightcrawler I use when I go.........eeehhh.....fishing. (I know that's a little bit of an idiosyncrasy) I feel guilty every time I reel one in (Seriously)! I just make sure my buddies don't see me cook or eat them (their cousins). I will likely give the big boys to my son Antonio (who's 4) when he gets a little older. He already helps dad feed them every day! Gramps still comes by to visit my fish, (or his pasano, as he calls Lucky). I'm not kidding but that big guy recognizes gramps, and excitedly splashes around the tank when Gramps speaks Italian to him. I think he (Lucky)speaks Italian. I gave him a small (tiny) piece of a spaghetti noodle once, and he ate it. (Must of thought it was a worm.) I haven't tried that again since. Anyway, this fish will probably out live me!  Ron

Hello! I have 2 goldfish in a 40 gallon tank here at the trash removal company where I work. "Rearloader" is now 7 years old and he actually lets me pat his head. "Toter" is about 4 and he is a little bit jumpy so he doesn't get too much affection. These fish are so full of personality! They beg from everyone who walks by, and they love a little nibble of chicken now and then. -Laura

My goldfish Rosetta was 1 year old...she passed away today from a water change during an apartment move. When I first got her and realized she was sick, the pet store took her back to heal her...when I came back to pick her up the store had put her back in the tank with the others. I recognized her immediately and took her home. She has been a hardy, loving fish and I feel bad I couldn't save her. Rosetta will be missed.

Hi I want to tell you about my fish hailey, the comet (HINT HINT) any way hailey has been alive since 1988 16 years, WAY before i was born. If i am not mistaken my dad bought this fish for my brother when he was sick in the hospital (he had bad heart problems) hailey traveled with my brother to lots of hospitals in a 5 gal. fishbowl .officially she has been to more than 4 states and over 10 hospitals. anyway she retired to a 29 gallon fishtank in my room and dines on live worms and live vegetables and if she is lucky some leftover small pieces of chicken(shhhhh don't tell her that) and so far i think she likes it. she has jumped out of a tank or bowl at least more than five times well thanks for letting me share haileys life story dated 6/13/04 ~~~Jon~~~

have 2 koi, and there over 10 years old this summer <2004> Kenney

I purchased two Ryukins in August 2001, after losing one quiet soon after, I  still have the other one. Gus is going on his third tank change as he has been outgrowing the tanks he has been in, from 7 1/2 gallon bow front with two 1" fish, to a 15 gallon with just himself. I'm working on moving him from the room he is in to the living room in an Oceanic 30 CUBE to give him a little more room to move around. I hope to continue to keep him for a long time to come. Jeff

my goldfish was 38 before it died. i got it as a birthday present when i turned 10. It died when the heater in my tank malfunctioned and made the tank up to 91 degrees, which killed the fish. he was one fo a kind.. his left eye was blind and he had two tails.

In march 2003 my cat Luciano (17years) passed away. He was an old cat but i loved him dearly. Every day around 5 he would come to me and asked to be fed. In the summer of 2002 I was working on my computer on the first floor. While I was working Luciano came in and started pestering me. I looked at the clock and it was only around 2o'clock. I told him that it was not feeding time yet. But Luciano kept pestering me, he jumped on my bueaux and walked around over my keyboard. I was getting a bit angry with him but then I saw him walking on and on from my chair to the door, up and down, up and down. This was not just my old cat asking for food, I got the impression something was wrong. I got up and Luciano ran down the stairs. I followed him threw the hall, into the kitchen. Luciano did not stop but went outside into the garden. I followed him and then I say Lorenzo (now 10 years old) sitting next to my pond, looking at a big goldfish that problebly jumped out of the pond. Luciano walked towards Lorenzo and looked at me. Then he sat down next to the goldfish and looked at me again. Also Lorenzo looked up at me. I put my hand in the pond, picked up the goldfish and put it back in the pond. The 2 cats just sat there looking at me. Luciano passed away but now Lorenzo is (thinks) he is the head of my family. Every day he drinks from the pond with the goldfish swimming beneath him. No I have 2 new cats, Lucifer and Ludovic and I hope Lorenzo will teach them how to live (and not eat) the 40 beautiful goldfish in my pond. Ah, the goldfish that I put back survived and is doing fine. Ronald. U hoort nog van mij, bis 120,

My goldfish, Ken renamed to Nemo lived 5 long years. He was an explorer. He will be remembered. He explored my Grandma's kitchen floor, the Kitchen sink (including the garbage deposal), and left his mark in my room under my dresser. He will be missed. He caught on the porcelain express today. I dread the thought...

I won a goldfish at a fair in 1996. It is now 5 times its original size and 8 years old!

Just stumbled onto your website looking for help about my gold fish Tom. I rescued Tom from my junior high school Ecology classroom. We were doing tests on feeder goldfish, seeing how they would react to pollutants in their enviroments. Our group did motor oil. After he survived that I rescued him and cleaned him up. Now I am a sophomore in college, and Tom is ill with either Dropsy, eggs are bound up, or s/he has swim bladder. If Tom doesn't make it through this he has been a great companion for the last four years and I hope that more people experience the joy that I have.

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