Quote Originally Posted by SludgeMunkey View Post
I have a forty gallon tank full of them. The two largest breeders are now 5 years old and about 9 inches long. They have a small school of 11 of their offspring.

Funny story really, I keep them out of respect. The two breeders are the survivors of a feeding frenzy! They were both about an inch long (from now deceased breeders I had) and somehow managed to escape half a dozen axolotls. After I waited a few weeks and they grew to large for my axies to eat. So they got their own tank. A year later they bred on their own without any special care. I was impressed enough with them that they and their kids now have the job of aging water for use in my other tanks.
My goal is to build them their own pond in the future.
The only goldfish I ever kept was a similar story, 'cept the diner was an albino oscar.

Every few months I like to give my larger predatory fish a live treat. The oscar was in my 225 with a common pleco and a ghost knife. I put a dozen or so 1 1/2" feeder goldfish in and over the next few days they disappeared except for one. I waited and waited, and before long that one "feeder" was 3", then 4", then 6", and it and the oscar (which was 'bout 8" when I fed it this feeder) swam around with each other like long lost buddies. Had it for several years. Turned out to be a very attractive comet.

I've never fed goldfish since then, just don't look at 'em the same, LOL. Stick with guppies and convict cichlid fry/juvies for feeders.

WYite