Yay! Goldfish! My older sister won a goldfish at our tiny town fair. We named him Al. He lived in our large fish tank with some algae eaters, tetras (I think that's what they were), and one other type of fish we didn't know what they were. For the most part, we did everything the article said to do.
He lived around 11 years, got to be nine inches long. He was pure white by time he died and was blind, so we never moved anything around once his eyes started showing cataracts since he would run into things.
If you'd tap on the top of the fish tank, he swim to the top. When he could still see, he'd eat out of your hand.
Now he's fertilizing the soil underneath a plum tree.
RIP Al.
Seven years ago I bought two 2 inch feeder fish to throw into the horse trough. They are now six and eight inches long and show no signs of slowing down. I don't bother feeding them, they get bugs and horse the leavings in horse slobber.
What they don't tell you is the larger the tank, the bigger the fish get. Mine look like $300 koi. The grandkids like 'em.
They also turned out to be male and female, but I only saw them spawn once, from which survived one lucky (now three inch) fish-child. I'm thinkin' they occasionally have fresh fish snacks which is why I don't see more chillins.
Which reminds me, I need to go out and change the water--it's getting a little thick. With plenty of surface area on top, they don't care how green it gets, after all, they're carp.
I had no idea! Every goldfish I ever knew was extremely short lived.
Hmmmm, too many horses in that first para.
Water's changed and sparkling, and so are the fish!
(With 150 gallons of fishy fertilizer water, the trees are happy, too.)
Man, now having fish seems like a ton of work.
BearGuy: The FISH are easy, it's the horses that are a pain!
Lemme know when they can make chickens live forever. Then I'll be in high cotton.
Unhhh, stirfry, that's not cotton. It's either pinfeathers, or depending on the color, could be chicken ooky.
Captains Bligh and Henry just turned five, and they're doing well. Up to their usual tricks of playing dead.
Ahhhhh, the cute widdle fishes.
You need to post pics, Capt!
Does the one keep flipping over still?
I love how the title is How to MAKE a Goldfish Live for Decades. It brings to mind a mad scientist fretting about a table to which is strapped a little yellow creature.
To me, the most horrifying thing about Wal-Mart is the shelf where fish (bettas, usually) are sold in tiny plastic tubs. I can't imagine that goldfish are happy in their tiny little bowl.
I am personally tired of seeing betta fish in tiny little vases with a lily plant, and being told "they like that better". I can't imagine any living creature likes being in a container it can barely turn around in for its entire life.
I also hear "goldfish only have a three-second memory, so they don't know they're in a tiny bowl" all the time. At least on Mythbusters, they showed this to not be true, and the fact that fish in larger tanks live longer seems to bear that out.
sof playing dead.