Stunted fish

[OohFeeshy]

Hi y'all,
I recently got a 5 gallon tank that was advertised as a golfish tank (see it at www.hagen.com/ - click on aquatics, click on small fish tanks and it's the top one).
What I want to know is pretty much nothing to do with the above, but anyway. Years ago, my mum had two goldfish in a tank smaller than the one above. When I tell her that the above tank will stunt and eventually kill the fish, she says that aforementioned two goldfish in a small tank only grew a little bit and lived for years. How is this possible or did my mum keep the worlds first dwarf goldfish(sarcasm)?
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- the aforementioned fish tank with two stunted fish in it

 

[Opcn]

By a few does she perhaps mean 25? because if your goldfish dies at 25 its dieing young. IMO if it doesnt make it to 30 something is wrong.

They can live to be 40... come on

I'd also like to point out that they were probably rather bloated with short fins, thats because the external parts of the fish stopped growing but the insides kept on keeping on, which streatched the torso a bit.

Maybe Point out to her the fact that when child abuseing neglectful parents lock small children in a closet for years they come out dwarfed too, and with serious health problems.

 

[OohFeeshy]

Hmm.. That'll get her... I'm sure they didn't live 25 years- They would only have died a few years ago if they were 25+...

 

[OohFeeshy]

I've just asked my nan, she said they lived about 10 years. What on Earth!?!!?!? How?? ??? 10 years in a tiny tank?

 

[sylvia]

It is perfectly possible for a goldfish to live 10 years in a tiny tank but that by no means suggests it was happy or healthy. They are incredibly hardy and stunting kills them slowly, gradualy so they live quite long but suffer for it. Once again, 10 years is nothing for a goldfish. It's comparable to a human dying at 20.