Low Temperatures and Goldfish...

paddyandy

i recently bought a heater for an outdoor Pond as the Goldfish go catatonic with very cold temps. Search Goldfish Temperatures on the net .The people in Petshops are not telling us everything .

Silverfish

Well, yes, they do go catatonic as they go into 'stasis' to get through cold snaps, their heart rate and metabolism drops, and once they don't actually get frozen into the ice, then they'll usually be fine, once there's enough water / oxygen under the ice for them.
Pond heaters will help them out, but wouldn't be completely necessary, for common (single tailed) goldfish.

If you have fancy goldfish (orandas / ranchu / fantails / telescopes etc) the ones with rounder bodies / split tails, they generally prefer warmer temps from 18 - 24 degrees, as they would normally only be kept outside in summer weather, and brought inside for the winter.

But you're right about the petshops and goldfish - I'd go so far as to say that never mind not telling you everything, they're not telling anyone anything.
The most atrocious advice I've ever gotten on goldfish has been from petshops, I've overheard enough and seen enough to know that generally they aren't fish experts, they're retail staff, hired to sell rather than advise. There's very few shops I'd trust.

spiralism

Silverfish wrote: »

Well, yes, they do go catatonic as they go into 'stasis' to get through cold snaps, their heart rate and metabolism drops, and once they don't actually get frozen into the ice, then they'll usually be fine, once there's enough water / oxygen under the ice for them.
Pond heaters will help them out, but wouldn't be completely necessary, for common (single tailed) goldfish.

If you have fancy goldfish (orandas / ranchu / fantails / telescopes etc) the ones with rounder bodies / split tails, they generally prefer warmer temps from 18 - 24 degrees, as they would normally only be kept outside in summer weather, and brought inside for the winter.

But you're right about the petshops and goldfish - I'd go so far as to say that never mind not telling you everything, they're not telling anyone anything.
The most atrocious advice I've ever gotten on goldfish has been from petshops, I've overheard enough and seen enough to know that generally they aren't fish experts, they're retail staff, hired to sell rather than advise. There's very few shops I'd trust.

Indeed. Any time i hear them say it's ok to keep goldfish in bowls that's an alarm bell right there, for one and i've heard it over and over again

paddyandy

The Tiny Fish tanks for sale in pet shops should be banned .

spiralism

paddyandy wrote: »

The Tiny Fish tanks for sale in pet shops should be banned .

Maybe put a betta in one and have it in a warm room?

kylith

spiralism wrote: »

Maybe put a betta in one and have it in a warm room?

It'd need to be one hell of a warm room. My betta's at about 28C, it's never that warm here.