Breeding, How Often And At What Interval?

[Guest Prostetnic]

Hi,

I'm new to this forum and to the whole goldfish thing

I have two very basic questions regarding goldfish breeding.

1. How often can a mature female "lay" eggs? (Don't know the correct term since English is not my native tongue)

2. At what age / size does common gold fish stat breeding?

/Prostetnic

[daryl]

Welcome to Koko's!

There are no solid answers to those questions - they are all predicated on a whole collection of factors.

In general, the average fish will spawn at about age 2. If properly stimulated, a female will "lay" eggs once, or, perhaps each day for a week. She can and may repeat this several times throughout the spawning season - typically "spring" -when the air temperatures are rising gently.

Fish kept in indoor environments with artificial light that does not follow the seasons, artificial feeding practices (fall produces heavy protien in dead/dying insects available to outdoor pond fish), and artificial temperatures can and do spawn at anytime during the year.

It is often difficult to tell the age of a fish by looking at it's size. There are sooooo many factors that go into how large a fish grows in a given time. A fish kept in cramped quarters, competing heavily with its watermates for food/space can be substantially smaller at 2 years of age than a fish that is given large volume, ample food, and all the "good" life has to offer. I have fry that are about 8-10 months old that are 4 inchs big and spawning today. (ACK!). I have also had fish that did not spawn for many years, and then, from out of the blue, BANG, they spawn.

In general, it is a good thing to allow a fish to spawn whenever they can. Releasing eggs from a female's system can go a long way towards avoiding unstable swimming and "swim bladder problems".