" Goldfish Lifespan"

[Benjamin]

Hi Folks,
Just curious, as i am new to the goldfish hobby , whats an average age
you could obtain from Ranchu and Oranda, have heard it can be 10 years
or more, does anyone agree or have a fish live longer!!
Ben.

[bekko]

Ten years is possible, but five years is closer to the norm.

Hardy varieties live longer than fancy varieties.

Goldfish that go through a winter dormancy can live much longer. It is as if the time spent in winter dormancy does not count against thsir life span.

-steve

[flaringshutter]

I would argue that it is much longer, Steve! I know personally of many keepers with fish exceeding 10 years of age. I do agree that hardy varieties live longer; I know of keepers with singletails over 15 years. Coldwater and pond fish seem to live longest.

[Veil Gal]

My friend, Janet Purdum, has a veiltail named Lucky, who is 14 1/2 years old. This variety is supposed to be fragile, so that is quite a record. Janet is absolutely devoted to her fish, and has extensive filtration(three types!) on most tanks, and is a big believer in fresh foods like earthworms and daphnia, regular water changes, and attention to detail.

[bigbettadan]

How is Janet?

I grew up in Iowa and have been to her place lots of times before I moved to Indiana in 02. She had great veils.....

Dan

[Sabine]

I've just been asking myself this question, after having to put down my sakura redcap ranchu yesterday (he developed dropsy, and his fins had been disintegrating).
I don't know how old a 6" ranchu is - the size I bought him at in June 06.
How old are these ranchu?

[bekko]

Probably a two- to three-year-old when you bought him Sabine. The farm could not afford to keep him any longer than that.

-steve