It makes me mad whenever I hear this:
“Yeah, we tried keeping a goldfish once. But of course, it didn’t live more than a few weeks.”
While it’s true that goldfish do have a reputation for being short-lived pets…
… do they deserve it?
No way!
In this article I’m going to blow your mind about how long a goldfish can live – and the REAL reason so many goldfish die early.
Let’s cut to the chase!
Goldfish can Live to be 40+ Years Old
There, happy I didn’t keep you in suspense? 😉
Yep, in fact:
Goldfish are the longest lived of all aquarium fish.
Just take a look at the chart below:
They are also one of the longest living of all popular domesticated pets!
Goldfish can easily outlive a cat, dog or even a turtle.
Now isn’t that absolutely amazing? 😀
The Secrets to a Healthy Goldfish Revealed
Learn how to keep your goldfish alive and thriving using the only complete, accurate goldfish manual available today –
The Truth About Goldfish.
Oldie Goldies: Check Out these Long-Lived Fish!
Let’s have a look at the proof.
A goldfish called Goldie passed away at the ripe old age of 45 several years ago.
That’s nearly half a century old!
Sadly, Goldie was disqualified from the title of the world’s oldest goldfish in The Guinness Book of World Records because his owners couldn’t provide the necessary documentation…
… So the official crown (get it? off-FISH-ial? Sorry, I couldn’t resist 😉 ) ended up staying with Tish the goldfish.
Tish had passed away a while before Goldie at age 43.
And these aren’t the only champions:
Recently, two comet goldfish fair friends (Fred and George) were recognized for passing the 40 year mark in Britain, outliving the family dogs.
There is no question that goldfish have the ability to live for a very long time.
Now:
This brings us to the more puzzling fact…
Most Goldfish Always Die Rather Quickly
So, exactly what is the average lifespan of a goldfish kept in captivity?
I’ve been unable to find any stats to offer a definite answer.
However:
It’s a safe bet that most goldfish don’t make it past a few years once acquired (many don’t last more than a few weeks). Those who manage to make it to even twice that are somehow seen as “superfish.”
That’s still nowhere near 40 years!
But people think this is normal – that goldfish don’t live long because they can’t.
(We now know that isn’t true.)
By now you should be beginning to see that something isn’t right with this picture. We have goldfish can live long, but they usually don’t.
What gives?!
Well, good news:
I’m here to shed some light on the 2 main reasons why goldies are only making it to a fraction of their potential lifespan.
Reason #1 Behind Such High Goldfish Mortality Rates
It’s true that some goldfish just aren’t able to live out their full lifespan because of factors out of our control, such as undernourishment during the early years of a goldfish’s life or even the more sinister use of anabolic steroids by farmers.
But high death rates in most cases are caused by one major thing…
BAD CARE.
Most people – even those at pet stores – honestly have no clue about the needs of the fish they are buying or selling, and in many cases hold to outdated and downright false ideas about what it takes to make this species thrive.
So it is rare that a goldfish will be able to survive in the conditions they are kept in – it isn’t right for them.
Here is a handful of all-too-common no-no’s that cause untimely deaths:
1. Keeping their fish in the wrong living space, such as a bowl or small tank
Put your goldfish in a bowl?
You are just asking for it to die quickly!
Bowls are extremely dangerous environments for a goldfish. Because they get dirty so quickly, the small space makes the level of toxins so high that it literally burns the fish alive, often leading to sickness and infection (if they don’t die from the burns first).
They need a properly sized tank in order to do well.
It’s amazing they last as long as they do!
2. Feeding them an improper diet and/or overfeeding
Goldfish (especially the fancy ones) have very specific needs when it comes to what to eat and how often to eat it.
Sadly, goldfish flakes are the go-to staple that often causes constipation, excess protein and overfeeding (it’s about impossible to tell how much you have actually fed!).
Overfeeding causes a host of problems, from throwing off the biological balance of the tank to terminal conditions such as dropsy.
Not good!
3. Not cycling the aquarium first
All aquariums are closed environments. They need filtration, and that filtration has to have a colony of beneficial bacteria built up over time in order to work.
That’s why we need the cycling process – to give us that good bacteria.
Not cycling the tank is a huge mistake that causes goldies to die from the totally imbalanced water parameters that result from a lack of “good bugs.”
Contrary to popular belief:
You can’t just walk home from the pet store with a NEW fish and put it in a NEW tank that doesn’t have a good bacteria colony and sit back, thinking everything will be fine.
Reason #2 Behind High Goldfish Mortality Rates
This one is something most people never think of.
Picture this:
You do everything right for your new pet, care-wise. You are the epitome of a perfect goldfish owner.
BUT…
The fish gets sick and dies within a few months (or less) regardless.
What happened?
Well, it could be that your fish got stressed out from the whole pet store ordeal.
See, they ship the fish around a lot from place to place, and it stresses their immune system. Then they are exposed to a bunch of other fish, many which are carrying diseases. When the fish is weak is when it is susceptible to picking up a problem.
So what happened in this case only could have been prevented by buying your goldfish from a reputable supplier or breeder (which is the only way to buy goldfish that I recommend).
Admittedly, this doesn’t happen to all pet store goldfish.
Some are treated better than others.
Some are also hardier than others.
But you eliminate a lot of the risk by not shopping at the pet stores. 🙂
The Secret to Having Your Goldfish Live to the Max
People don’t necessarily do these things because they want their fish to suffer – they just don’t know any better 🙁
In fact:
Most fish owners are horrified when they learn what they have been putting their beloved pet through!
But it gets worse:
There are way more care mistakes than what I’ve brought up in this article – mistakes that people make at the expense of their pet’s life.
I don’t have time to cover all of them in this article, which is why I spent the last 2 years of my life pouring my wealth of goldfish care knowledge into one resource, The Truth About Goldfish.
It has EVERYTHING you will ever need to know in order to master the art of goldfish care to ensure your fish lives its life to the fullest.
Check it out here:
The Secrets to a Healthy Goldfish Revealed
Learn how to keep your goldfish alive and thriving using the only complete, accurate goldfish manual available today –
The Truth About Goldfish.
In Conclusion
We’ve busted the myth that goldfish can’t live a long time.
I’ve also revealed the reason they usually don’t.
Now I want to hear from you.
Did you learn something interesting?
Maybe you want to share the age of the oldest goldfish you ever owned?
Either way, drop your comment below.
We got our goldfish at a harvest festival over 8 years ago. He’s been in a glass bowl with no filter. I feed him regular goldfish food and he even comes to the side of the bowl when it’s feeding time. We are AMAZED he’s lasting this long!
You’re actually proud of that???
Who this helps so mush all my friends are going to read what i am writing and they will want goldfish to because they live so long. I really want goldfish but if my parents won’t let me i will do the research that proves they are the best pet ever!
Glad it helped you, Rebecca! Hope you get to have a goldfish soon!
It’s quite the story how I ended up with my goldfish.
Firstly, a friend of mine moved down to North Carolina and she couldn’t take the goldfish she had won at the local fair with her, so she gave her pet to me to care for.
“Guffy” the single tailed, common goldfish was in a fish bowl and all alone, gasping for oxygen at the very top constantly. I felt horrible about this, so I set out to aquire a better tank and some other fish for tank mates.
I eventually came home with a 10 gallon aquarium kit and a few days after that, I introduced Guffy and the other three new fish to the new habitat.
Not one of them was at the top of the tank gasping and they all seemed lively and content, so I thought I was all set.
Then I learned about how huge goldfish get, and I realized that they would need a tank far bigger than 10 gallons. I felt awful.
I went back to the pet store and bought the biggest tank my cramped apartment could accommodate, which unfortunately was only a 38 gallon aquarium – but I figured it was still much better than 10 gallons!
I do the best I can do to take care of them all. They’re my babies, as silly as some think being so attached to fish would be. They actually have very sharp memories. They follow me from one side of the tank to the other, recognize my voice, and hang out and watch me if I sit nearby.
I love them so much. I would totally give them that 180 gallon aquarium or pond if I could…
Aww thank you so much for sharing your story, Rachel. Kudos to you for doing your best to give them a great life!
I acquired Chuck & Norris after hearing my Boss telling a friend on the phone she was sick of caring for them. She was actually planning on throwing them into the retention pond behind her home. I immediately confronted her and asked to take them. She brought them over in a small goldfish bowl with a live plant that was nested atop a paper plate with the roots in the water. They appeared healthy, water changes done weekly. These guys were won by her daughters at a church fair 3 years prior. I upgraded them to a larger bowl but not long after Norris died. I researched a little and found Chuck needed a bigger tank and added air. So far Chuck lives and I have had him 3 years. He always comes to the front of his tank to greet me and seems content. I hope he lives a long time!
That was so nice of you, Donna! It’s always great to hear stories like this. Thank you so much for sharing and stopping by to leave your comment!
When I was a kid I won a goldfish at the fair. My Mum put hi in the (small) pond in the garden. He grew big. When they sold their house 25-26 years later he was still swimming around (a lot bigger). Also, even though this is a goldfish site I want to add that our Jack Russell lived until it was 17 (had to be put down because of cancer) and our cat which we took in as a stray at around 2 years lived for another 21 years (also had to be put down sadly). I don’t know what my Mum does to animals but boy do they live long.
Ask her what she feeds them 😀
Bought our son starter tank and added fish later. This was for his 8th birthday present. Shubunkins didn’t hang around long but goldfish still going. Son’s coming up 28 next year. Goldfish has survived moving in to new larger tanks and has changed colour from the standard gold to white with some gold. Mum and dad do the caring for fish and tank cleans these days!!
That’s amazing, Kim! Thanks for sharing! That makes nearly 20 years!