Telescopes and pom poms

[goldiegeek 523]

Hi Guys,

Just doing the rounds with my tanks to check up on everyone and it occurred to me that my pom pom and my telescope don't seem to be growing…or are growing very slowly. Do these guys just stay smaller?

[rai-nbow 363]

Hello! It's probably the issue with the telscope and pompom not seeing as well and not being able to find as much food before everyone else gobbles it up. I had this issue and went to a strictly telescope tank and my fish suddenly grew 3 inches in about a month. [not kidding]

[goldiegeek 523]

Hello! It's probably the issue with the telscope and pompom not seeing as well and not being able to find as much food before everyone else gobbles it up. I had this issue and went to a strictly telescope tank and my fish suddenly grew 3 inches in about a month. [not kidding]

These guys are with 2 black moors. Thought Ii had it covered. I'm going to pay extra close attention to who gets what:) Thanks!

[Georgia 3,820]

How are the black moors growing? Faster?

Every goldfish is different. Some grow like weeds, others grow slower. As long as they are getting enough food as the other fish and not being underfed, they should be fine.

If you want to aim for growth, feed them .5- 1% of their body weight in small increments 4-6x daily. How old are the fish in question?

[goldiegeek 523]

How are the black moors growing? Faster?

Every goldfish is different. Some grow like weeds, others grow slower. As long as they are getting enough food as the other fish and not being underfed, they should be fine.

If you want to aim for growth, feed them .5- 1% of their body weight in small increments 4-6x daily. How old are the fish in question?

The moors are growing "normally". Everyone gets in on the food. They aren't tiny. I just sort of realized that while I marvel at my other guys and how fast they are changing/growing…these two are sort of staying the same. They are rescues, so I don't know exactly how old they are. With the info I did get, I am guessing the telescope is about 1.5 years and the pom pom is about 2 years old. I'll definitely try your feeding suggestion. I recently switched to Hikari Lionhead. The other fish are growing like crazy on it. Maybe they are just stunted and are close to fully grown. If fish are stunted, do they grow to a more normal size once they are in a good environment? The telescope was in a 2.5 gallon aquarium and the pom pom was in a bowl:(

[Georgia 3,820]

Hm. Okay. How long were they in small tanks? My two single tails lived in a 5 gallon for the first year of their lives, and their growth rate now is considerably slow. So that probably was a factor. Stunting is not a permanent situation. When the fish are introduced to better environments, their bodies will adapt and begin to grow again, slowly. Of course, they will never reach their full potential, though. Just give them some time.

For now, you can try out a .5 % body weight feeding schedule and increase it to 1% if you feel they need more food. Hikari Lionhead is great! It really helps growth in all kinds of goldfish. They are still fairly young, so they can still have a quite a bit of protein in their diet. Feeding sparsely several times a day is key.

[Georgia 3,820]

Also, I you need any help with the measurements of food, our mod Tithra made a wonderful topic on specific food brands and how much they weigh: http://www.kokosgoldfish.invisionzone.com/forum/index.php?/topic/105915-food-weights-by-brand/

[jmetzger72 6,976]

My Moors have always grown to be quite large. And they seem quite able to compete for food. So, I think it depends on the fish.

[goldiegeek 523]

Hm. Okay. How long were they in small tanks? My two single tails lived in a 5 gallon for the first year of their lives, and their growth rate now is considerably slow. So that probably was a factor. Stunting is not a permanent situation. When the fish are introduced to better environments, their bodies will adapt and begin to grow again, slowly. Of course, they will never reach their full potential, though. Just give them some time.

For now, you can try out a .5 % body weight feeding schedule and increase it to 1% if you feel they need more food. Hikari Lionhead is great! It really helps growth in all kinds of goldfish. They are still fairly young, so they can still have a quite a bit of protein in their diet. Feeding sparsely several times a day is key.

Glad to hear the little guys started growing. We are just about the weigh these wimps:)

Also, I you need any help with the measurements of food, our mod Tithra made a wonderful topic on specific food brands and how much they weigh: http://www.kokosgoldfish.invisionzone.com/forum/index.php?/topic/105915-food-weights-by-brand/

Perfect! Thanks again Georgia.

[goldiegeek 523]

My Moors have always grown to be quite large. And they seem quite able to compete for food. So, I think it depends on the fish.

Absolutely, I figure out of fifteen, two little guys are probably in line with the natural odds:) I hope it's the DNA, I hate to think of the suffering they must have gone through in such tiny space. I'll start the new feeding schedule and see if anything happens *fingers crossed*.

[Pearlscaleperfect 3,561]

Regardless of their past conditions they certainly aren't "suffering" from it now! Just give them the right amount of food and clean water Health is not necessarily determined by the amount of growth a fish exhibits. This is also true for humans; just because I am 5'2" doesn't mean I am any less healthy than someone who is 6'2"! Genetic variation plays a huge role in each individual regardless of species. Especially a variable like growth, which has so many sides and contributing factors.

[goldiegeek 523]

Regardless of their past conditions they certainly aren't "suffering" from it now! Just give them the right amount of food and clean water Health is not necessarily determined by the amount of growth a fish exhibits. This is also true for humans; just because I am 5'2" doesn't mean I am any less healthy than someone who is 6'2"! Genetic variation plays a huge role in each individual regardless of species. Especially a variable like growth, which has so many sides and contributing factors.

Very true. I love seeing them in their big, fat tank:) I'm hoping they are just small. I've heard of some situations where organs become compressed. They seem very happy and healthy though:) We weighed them last night and I was so happy to see that they have put on a little weight since I switched to Hikari Lionhead.

[Hidr 4,961]

I have the same problem with Angel she is not growing. She is getting as much food as the others I just think she is a small goldfish.

[tithra 4,917]

If you have a kitchen scale around you could weigh them to get a more objective measure of their growth

[GoldenSpoiledRotten 6,786]

I have the same problem with Angel she is not growing. She is getting as much food as the others I just think she is a small goldfish.

Elvis didn't either. I think they are smaller genetically.

Right now I would throw the notion of 'stunting' out the window. It has been found that even fish considered to be 'stunted' will continue to grow and develop when placed in a better environment within a period of time.

I wouldn't worry about them getting bigger as long as they are happy and healthy.

Edited October 10, 2013 by ChelseaM

[goldiegeek 523]

I have the same problem with Angel she is not growing. She is getting as much food as the others I just think she is a small goldfish.

Elvis didn't either. I think they are smaller genetically.

Right now I would throw the notion of 'stunting' out the window. It has been found that even fish considered to be 'stunted' will continue to grow and develop when placed in a better environment within a period of time.

I wouldn't worry about them getting bigger as long as they are happy and healthy.

Thanks Chelsea, you guys are all great at setting me at ease:)

[dnalex 13,633]

Hi Guys,

Just doing the rounds with my tanks to check up on everyone and it occurred to me that my pom pom and my telescope don't seem to be growing…or are growing very slowly. Do these guys just stay smaller?

How much have you been feeding? The key to good growth, in addition to the right kinds of foods, is to feed small amounts, but many times a day.

[goldiegeek 523]

I feed my guys Hikari Lionhead as well as Hikari Oranda three times daily (maybe I should feed a bit more per serving), a veggie once/day and frozen bloodworms once/week. I rotate on cucumber, green beans, lima beans, oranges, pumpkin and greens. I'd love any other suggestions on the veggies:) Your direction is invaluable.