Episode 34: How Big Comet Goldfish Get and Why You Should NOT Use Them as "Feeder Fish"!

Sandy and Shiva, with the help of a comet goldfish named Patches, show you exactly why you should never buy goldfish to put in small aquariums. They'll also talk about what great pets these fish are and why you should never use them as food for other fish.
Our "Relaxing" Hobby posts new full episodes every two weeks. If you have a question about this video or a suggestion for future episodes, please feel free to comment below! For more information about us and our aquatic buddies, please visit our website at www.ourrelaxinghobby.com
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[@mekylieme]

I tend to be one of those people who speak up when I see people choosing poor choices for their fish. Especially bettas. Thank you for your insight and info! I have three comet goldfish, all three from the "feeder" tank. I about flipped when one started losing the black coloring until I did some research. I love these guys!

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

We're glad that you found the show useful! The color change threw us for a loop when we first started too! Garith even named one of our original goldfish "Shade" only to be disappointed when she started turning from gray to orange. You might find that some of them change color patterns well into adulthood! We had an orange and white one turn completely white over the course of six years.

[@saraparker4082]

I bought a goldfish today on impulse. Now I need to make a pond for it. My daughter had a pond for her koi but when she went off to college she drained it and gave the fish away. I am going to get it started again but I have a lot to learn.

[@shivarodriguez13]

If it's still a young fish, you have some time. (We usually keep goldfish in large aquariums until they get around 5" long before moving them to ponds.) I would really suggest getting it a friend or two since goldfish are social animals. We have a few videos on getting ponds up and running. If you ever have any questions, feel free to ask!

[@Tokyblaze]

This touched my heart

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

We are glad that you enjoyed it. The mistreatment of goldfish is something we're trying hard to prevent!

[@RoyalMetal9]

Always get more than one. They need friends in order to thrive properly.

[@kasieleow3165]

Today I plan on rescuing two comet goldfish! I can't wait to see them evolve!

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

Please let us know how it goes!

[@kasieleow3165]

@@ourrelaxinghobby I have them they are settling in well! For now they are in a beautiful little 10 gallon aquarium until I leave the foster house I live in

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

@@kasieleow3165 Okay, you are going to want to be careful about not over-feeding them, as two comets can produce a lot of waste that can fill a small tank with ammonia very quickly. we'd suggest doing at least a 15% water change every week to keep your water levels in the safe zone. You'll also want to give them small meals, as you don't want them to grow too quickly. Eventually they will need a larger tank. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! And have fun with your new fish!

[@kasieleow3165]

Thank you so much 💕

[@mypetvelociraptor]

I love goldfish!❤ I got 5 feeder goldfish fish for my pond and two years later they’re big and beautiful. They would even eat from my hand. Unfortunately a blue heron got all of my fish except for one. In the process of restocking. Great video! Thank you 🙏

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

Goldfish do make great pond pets. We have an episode on herons and other predators that might give you some ideas. (We have hawks that really want to get at our fish.) kzbin.info/www/bejne/a4a5cqx3r7CZY5Y

[@carleneway1833]

Great video Thank you

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

You're very welcome. Glad that you enjoyed the show!

[@davidmuser1466]

Great video, I have an indoor pond with about 20 goldfish. Some have grown to about 14 inches long. My pond is about 440 gallons. Thanks

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

Thank you! Very glad that you liked the video. Sounds like you have a good setup for goldfish! How old are they?

[@crittersofearth9914]

Two ace sweet persons and wonderful fishes my best animals I’ve got so many and some are really thirty some of my goldfish

[@StarTexaspets]

Just found y'alls channel. Love your content and pets!!

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

We're glad that you enjoy the show! (Our pets are happy about that too!)

[@saraparker4082]

Great information on goldfish

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

Thank you! We're glad you found it informative.

[@WilliamNemetIII]

Very informative! :)

[@shivarodriguez13]

Thank you!

[@chphqchef8000]

I agree back when my uncle had a shop we didn’t keep feeders only live worms and Brine shrimp

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

We're glad to hear that!

[@vinnygraziano1318]

I loved your video. I have rescued and rehomed many comet goldfish and I've gotta say these fish get huge and have amazing fin structures and color morphs. My current former Feeder goldfish are now between the ages of 7-10 yrs old and about the size of a Bounty paper towel roll. But not to worry though, all of mine are currently residing in an amazing all natural 300 gallon aquarium. Goldfish are awesome, one of mine named Luna (Confirmed Female)who recently passed due to old age would splash water out of the tank until I hand fed her otherwise she wouldn't eat the rest of the day they are like water dogs

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

It sounds like you have some very happy goldfish! They do get huge! Patches has gotten even bigger since we shot this video.

[@vinnygraziano1318]

@@ourrelaxinghobby Thank you, I'm pleased to hear Patches is doing well. I like to believe mine very happy. A little over 2 months ago I decided to upgrade their aquarium from 75gallons to 300gallons all 35 of them are in constant motion with flared fins and a bright, lively, vibrant aura to them. I kinda feel this is one of the best "in home aquarium" situations for comet/common goldfish 🐠 🙌

[@shivarodriguez13]

That is fantastic to hear!

[@wesleasmith1491]

here's a fun story: so i work at a large chain pet store (so we aren't allowed to refuse sales on animals because corporate greed) and was working the fish department. a lady came in and wanted to buy 20 feeder goldfish. i assumed she was feeding a turtle or something, because that's normally why people get so many feeders. i asked her what she was feeding, and she's said that they're going in a 10 gallon for her kids to look at and enjoy. i immediately explained to her why this was the worst decision to make. i told her just how dirty these fish are, how big they get, and how dangerous it is to keep them in such a small tank. woooosh. she didn't care. she ended up not only getting 20 feeder goldfish, but she also wanted 15 rosy reds (used as smaller feeders). i literally couldn't believe my ears, i asked her to clarify like twice that she wanted 36 fish in a 10 gallon tank. she was really sure, and there was nothing i could do about it. :(

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

Unfortunately, we hear stories like that a lot from people who work in chain pet stores. The only advice we can give is to try to point customers to more suitable fish for ten gallons, like guppys, rasboras, or neon tetras... but they will often balk at the big price difference.

[@blackriflex39]

ive been buying them and quarantine them and have noticed about 70% of whatever quantity i buy dies... the ones that tend to survive are all the orange ones .. i ve had one calico to make it out of 100s .. youre right about one thing theyre are very friendly pets

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

Have you been buying them all from the same place? If so, I would be questioning the breeding source. Many comet breeders expect that their stock will be used to feed other fish and therefore tend to breed from poor stock (and inbreed a lot!). Otherwise, another culprit could be water quality. You may need to up your filtration and frequently check for ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite while establishing a large aquarium or small pond with comets.

[@blackriflex39]

@@ourrelaxinghobby yes all are from the same source . i suspect inbreeding turning out weak stock... the ones that do survive are usally healthy... i tend to leave any new fish i get in my quarantine tank for atleast a month by then the weak and sick have died off .. after about week two i get no more dead but leave them a extra week or two just to be sure .. the majority of my comets arrive with mouth rot or bloody gills

[@caverock.1]

What kind of loach is the green w/ black around the neck? It's shown in the beginning of the video. Thanks for talking about comets. I just got 3 for my small pond.

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

I think you might be talking about the ropefish. Long green with black fins close to the head. kzbin.info/www/bejne/epelhoWfZbpprtk

[@whataboutrob442]

Thank you for the goldfish channel!

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

You are welcome! It's not always about goldfish, but we do tend to do a lot of episodes on them.

[@whataboutrob442]

@@ourrelaxinghobby I know, but I haven't seen anyone speak of gold fish with the same gleam in their eye.

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

@@whataboutrob442 Ahhh... you got us! We really do love goldfish and really hate how a lot of people treat them.

[@whataboutrob442]

@ourrelaxinghobby Not me. I just upgraded my setup because my fishbowl with filter and heater is just too small. Question - how come all I see is videos that say the tank has to cycle forever when I would keep enough water out for a few days and they were okay in the bowl for a year now

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

@@whataboutrob442 It has to do with cultivating the bacteria that is crucial for the nitrogen cycle in the aquarium. If you are changing water very frequently, the ammonia from the fish waste hasn't built up to lethal levels. There are ways to cheat and kick-start the cycle so you don't have to wait forever. We did an episode on that: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5THZYKcm7-Eg8ksi=6SUgRLahAPzY_vHN

[@alfredmurillo1394]

Love the loki shirt 🥰

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

Shiva is a big fan of Tee Turtle. They have a lot of different Loki shirts. www.teeturtle.com

[@Tokyblaze]

I got a comet orange and white i didn't buy it a tank I got it a toy bin 40 gallon to start out

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

That should keep it happy for a while. We'd suggest putting in a good filter and lots of air. (A large sponge filter does both.)

[@whataboutrob442]

I did subscribe and like.

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

Thank you!

[@annabanana7566]

Love the video and as goldfish mum myself I can tell it really is your passion, ponds look amazing and fish look happy. Where are you guys based? Liked and subscribed.

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

We're glad that you liked the video and thank you for subscribing! We are based in Florida, USA.

[@annabanana7566]

@@ourrelaxinghobby greetings from London GB

[@raisinggoldfishonabudget7058]

@@ourrelaxinghobby I have 9 feeder goldfish in a 110 gal stock tank & in the 2 yrs I've had them they have doubled in size from when I got them from 2 inches to like 6-9 inches & started breeding. I have a 800gph pump & a 64qt diy filter connected up to it, I have them inside my cabin & keep the water SUPER CLEAN, I clean the filter once every month or more depending on how dirty the water gets, I feed them 2 X's a day & I was wondering if I should rehome like 3 of them so the others have room to grow out more cause I don't have a good place for a pond.

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

@@raisinggoldfishonabudget7058 It sounds like you have taking great care of them! I would cut feeding down to once a day if you want to slow the growth down a bit. Rehoming a few of them wouldn't be a bad idea, but with as good of filtration as you have you should be able to keep them all for a while longer. If the fish get too big to turn around in their tank easily, or if they just seem to be too crowded, that's usually a good indication that it's time to get a bigger tank or rehome some.

[@Riley095]

I love you're goldfish.

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

Thank you!

[@mypetvelociraptor]

Subscribed

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

Thank you! We're glad that you enjoy the show!

[@Tokyblaze]

There's so many reasons ya u said it parasites its good some fish like Oscar's but I would go dig up worms instead so I saved many fish

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

We're not very familiar with Oscars, but we know that a lot of folks feed them comets. We're glad to hear that you don't!

[@Meilingsueyoung]

Hey guys just subscribed

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

Thank you! Glad that you enjoy the show!

[@faribaomari1982]

Hi I have 4 feeder fish in 75 gallons I was just wondering if I can take them outside when it rains for few hours in a bucket of water ? Please let me know I want them to have fun but I don’t want to harm them by changing there atmosphere

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

Any time that you transfer fish from one container to another, it subjects them to stress. Keeping them in a small container without proper filtration and air can easily case a chemical spike that can harm (and even kill) your fish. To keep your fish entertained, switch out your aquarium ornaments once in a while to give them something new to explore. If you don't have live plants in your tank, goldfish love having plants to tear up. (We suggest not getting expensive aquatic plants for this reason!) Fish games are very different than human games, and the four of them should be able to entertain themselves quite well without needing a complete change of environment.

[@petersmith5915]

Do all comet goldfish reach patches size if given the room or is it more a genetic potential thing some individual fish have? My 2 lone goldfish i separated for fighting are now in a 310 litre tank n getting on alright just chasing each other alot.

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

It's generally a combination of genetics and quality of care. Patches was one of the 24 juveniles we started with, and out of that bunch about half of them exceeded 10 inches after a few years. How fast they grow can also depend on habitat size. You'll probably notice some growth on yours in the coming months.

[@petersmith5915]

@@ourrelaxinghobby yes im sure i will lol, id say what size tanks they were in before but its embarrassingly small compared to now, so it is genetics/habitat then like with people etc, its something to consider for me if i ever get some more fish, i wouldnt want to get anything that could be unsuitable for my current tank, i have 1 comet n hes about 7 inch round body with a huge tail, hes a great looking fish i call him dandy, but not sure if id want another cos of size, thanks for replying.

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

@@petersmith5915 Dandy sounds like he could do some more growing! :)

[@80sGAMER]

So the feeder goldfish that you see at the pet stores are always considered to be Comets?

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

They usually are. We've gotten some gorgeous long-finned goldfish out of feeder tanks (who were too young to see that they'd grow up like that.)

[@gfi4495]

That’s a monster of a comet.

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

She is... and she's still growing! We are guessing that our largest comet is around 14" long, but that one lives in our deep outdoor pond and we would have had to drain it in order to catch him!

[@KurtWagner64]

Greetings from germany

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

Hi there! Hope that you are enjoying our humble little show!

[@KurtWagner64]

@@ourrelaxinghobby 🐒💨💨💨

[@mypetvelociraptor]

Patches is beautiful by the way!

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

Thank you! We have to get some updated footage of her soon because she has grown even larger after that video was shot.

[@JamesDickson-vs5of]

Who saw the spider at 16,08 ? 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Happy healthy peace ✌️

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

Don't say the s-word around Shiva! She's not a big fan of them!

[@JamesDickson-vs5of]

@@ourrelaxinghobby hey gals regards from Scotland, may I ask a question? 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Happy healthy peace ✌️

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

@@JamesDickson-vs5of Of course! :)

[@JamesDickson-vs5of]

@@ourrelaxinghobby thanks folks, so will a 90 gallon tank be okay to grow 6 orandas, and one more question, when breeding fish do you get " hybrid vigor" ? Thanks 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿✌️

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

We'd be a little worried about six orandas, but only because of how big they can get. If they stay under eight inches, you should be fine... but if they start pushing past that it could get a bit crowded for them. As far as hybrid vigor, it's hard to say. In goldfish, not really. But with koi... maybe. We've had two incidents where the koi spawned without our permission and some of those offspring have grown at a much faster rate than some of our store-bought fish. It's just our favorite guessing game when it comes to who the parents are.

[@arabs83]

Can you keep 2 common goldfish in a 72*18*18 aquarium

[@shivarodriguez13]

Is this a 100 gallon tank? You can keep two in that.

[@arabs83]

@@shivarodriguez13 no I live in Scotland. It's probably around the 80 I would think.

[@shivarodriguez13]

@@arabs83 Is it a long tank or a tall tank? With a long tank that gives them room to move around, it would be okay. But if it's a tall tank I would go with the fancy (double-finned) variety of goldfish instead since they are slow-moving and don't need as much "run space".

[@arabs83]

OK thanks. It's 6 ft long and 18 inches high and wide. so will stick to 2 fish.

[@shivarodriguez13]

@@arabs83 That would be perfect for two fish. Just be careful about how you decorate it. You don't want to put in anything soft and bushy, just in case you get both a male and female. Otherwise you'll accidentally end up with far more than two!

[@petersmith5915]

I've reached the conclusion that goldfish have been kept by people for so long they have become domesticated fish, that is why they show personality to humans n look to humans so much unlike many other fish still wild in their nature imo.

[@shivarodriguez13]

I have to disagree with half of that. I keep ropefish (aka reedfish) which are caught wild in Africa and all of mine display distinctive personality traits. (even the wild animals we have around the house are easy to tell apart because of their individual personalities and habits.) However, I can agree that goldfish look to humans so much because they have been domesticated... but I believe that is because their keepers are the source of their food and comfort. I think that holds true with any animal kept as a pet.

[@petersmith5915]

@@shivarodriguez13 yes youre right about wild creatures still having personalities, it's more how much goldfish focus on humans, even when they get sick they seem to try to show u or just look at u or something, maybe just my imagination lol, I think it can be seen even more when its a lone fish in a tank, with other fish they pay attention to u less imo, mine ignore other people but react everytime they hear my walking sound or see me, they know their owner imo.

[@shivarodriguez13]

@@petersmith5915 I can see how a lone fish would get very dependent on a human keeper, especially since goldfish are social by nature. When it comes to having several, I think it also depends on how humans interact with them (besides just feeding them). The goldfish and koi in our indoor pond get excited as soon as they hear someone come into the room. When they find out it isn't feeding time, some will swim away while the friendlier ones will stick around to play. (We really need to do an episode on how we play with the fish!)

[@astrataway7077]

I bought a comet by accident I didn't know better. I wasn't planning on keeping fish until my stupid drunkard friend shows up to my house with a bag of fish im not joking. He said '' it's just temporary you just keep em in a bowl and they only live 2 weeks most''. He acts as if they were freshly ccut flowers I swear I almost slapped him. I decided to keep them proper within my means which was no means. The fish I actually had was a common gold fish but I wanted him to have a companion so I asked the pet store staff to just fetch me another baby common goldfish but instead they gave me a comet with larger tail fins. I literally have them both in a 5 gallon water cooler with all purpose gravel quickkret fishponics but it isn't enough. The common goldfish is bigger and won't let the little comment eat. He is a much faster stronger swimmer and more muscular in every way. I don't understand how they can keep th3m in th3 same tank like that. N3ither I nor they knew any if the differences between th3 2 fish I only found out when it was too late. Im thinking these fish need at least 10 gallons a piece between themselves. I love the common gold fish it's so smart and no scared of anything but I like the other one as well and want to see th3m thrive. The pet store sold me a crappy 2 gallon tank and said it was more than enough, it only took 1 day for me to notice this was cruel and just cut up a 5 gallon water cooler until I get some plexiglass and make my own real deal tank. I change their water with a soda machine vein pump with a safety mesh. I actually am very fond of keeping these fish but holy crap how 30cent fish can make you go crazy trying to keep them alive and well off the cuff is not easy

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

Honestly, if you can get a 55 gallon and keep them together, they will be happy for quite some time. Goldfish are social by nature. You might get lucky and have fish that won't grow quite so big, but you can expect them to get a minimum of 8" long. (We have quite a few goldfish that are the same age as Patches who are just over 8 inches.) Ours are a mix of commons and comets, and they get along fine as long as food is scattered around enough for all to get some.

[@astrataway7077]

@@ourrelaxinghobby My fish are about 2 1/2 inches the biggest and are very active. It seems like the container I have them in right now is working for their size but not for long. How often should I change their water? It's only 5 gallon I do let the water sit in separate containers for days before I change it. I measure with multimeter thermal couplers until I get purpose built one. I have a plastic drum that's actually allot bigger than a 50 gallon. It didn't even cross my mind to use it.

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

@@astrataway7077 What type of filter are you using? That's very important when you have goldfish, and the better the filter, the easier it will be to care for them. For such a small container (5 gallon) I would do a 20% water change at least twice a week. Goldfish produce a lot of waste.

[@astrataway7077]

@@ourrelaxinghobby I don't know much about filters but it's made by Koller and came with a 2 gallon tank. I didn't want to put them in a 2 gallon even as babies so I only use it for water change after letting water sit in it for days. The filter is the smallest cheapest thing so I do water changes allot.

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

@@astrataway7077 We have a video that shows how we make our own box filters for small ponds/large aquariums and the basics on why it's important. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rWeqZXqwgs2Ees0

[@ttp519]

Horrible they are used as bait I have six my pets

[@ourrelaxinghobby]

While we understand that they are part of the food chain, we're not thrilled with how breeders keep them. We agree that they make much better pets than bait.