Whats the life span of a goldfish

daviddwyer

Got 2 goldfish in may 2000, unfortunately one lad died last christmas and just wondering what there average life span is?



Meant to say the other lad is still alive and well - havea small tank - no filtration etc..

carwash_2006

I have heard of people having them for 20 years and some of them were in bowls their whole lives. However goldfish are not generally as strong as they once were, probably due to overbreeding, but I do still hear of ones that are 10 or 12 and still going strong.

ValerieR

Belatedly sorry to hear about your loss.
It's hard to say. First of all, one doesn't really know the age of the fish when purchasing it. Secondly, it depends on the way it has been cared for before and while having it. The http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/beginnerinfo/a/lifespan.htm page mentions 10 to 30 years.
One of my aunts-in-law kept one for 18 years in a small-ish aquarium without filtration ! :-O
7 years isn't too bad I suppose ! :-)

ValerieR
www.irishfishkeepers.com

ergonomics

My parents bought goldfish before I was born for my sisters. I know that two of the goldfish are definitely still alive, and I just turned 21 . I'll ask my Dad to email the pictures he has of them.

bnagrrl

I got two goldfish in 1996, one passed in 2004 and the second in 2006.
My mum had a goldfish for 21 years! :eek:
I think 8 - 10 years seems to be about average nowadays.

CathyMoran

Ours are 10 years and counting, one of their sisters was always sick and died last year though, we were devastated - amazing how fond you can get of fish. I am sure that you looked after your fish well, that is the main thing.

psycho8itch

I got three in 1997. One died after 3 years, and another passed on 2 years ago. Petra was 11 last month though! Hav to say though, she's grown mighty big in the last few years(about 4 1/2" long and 3/4inch wide). Likes her food i guess! :S

Jimkel

The record for a goldfish is 48 years. The record for a Koi is 228 years.