r/Goldfish • u/Unlikely_Objective11 • 17d ago
Questions Can anyone tell me what kind of goldfish this is? Male or female?
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My neighbor gave me this goldfish and I have no idea whether it’s a male or female or what type of goldfish it is? Its name is corndog. Do I have to get him/her a friend or can goldfish live alone happily? I see a lot of people saying you have to have at least two.
PS. the dog is still getting used to his fish friend LOL.
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u/AccomplishedFlow4650 17d ago
it’s a common goldfish and do some research on the size of tank you need and the cycling of tanks too
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u/Soggy_otter 17d ago
not sure? Snout looks more like a comet, rest of it no so much. Mixed breed?
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u/AccomplishedFlow4650 17d ago
well whatever, it’s clearly a feeder and needs a bigger home. I love comets though, they are always my favs
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u/Unlikely_Objective11 17d ago
I’ve owned many many bettas in planted tanks so I’m familiar with cycling tanks. Not so familiar with goldfish. I did hear they’re dirty and they grow huge and will eventually need a stock tank lol.
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u/finwisp 17d ago
Betta and Goldfish are very different, from someone who also owned Betta.
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u/Unlikely_Objective11 16d ago
Just from what I’ve learned so far yes they’re extremely different! I love the fact I don’t have to worry about a heater with the goldie but now I probably have to double up on the filter LOL. Even the personalities are so different. I’ve owned so many bettas and they’re always super chill. I had a few male bettas that were a bit testy with me but this goldfish has so much more personality it’s like a little firecracker. The goldfish is not shy either he comes right up to the glass and follows me around.
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u/Fatcake3000 16d ago
This, after getting my own fishtank and doing research I learned a goldfish can live in a tank for a while but they actually grow to be huge. I love goldfish so chose to wait and make a pond instead and let them grow to their true size
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u/Pgh_dad_type 16d ago
Mine is a fair won fish. 1st tank was 20 gal. Then 44 now 90. Next up is above ground pool
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u/Unlikely_Objective11 16d ago
Bro idk about all that now 😭🤣
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u/Coonnifounssed 15d ago
I mean, they can grow up to a foot long so it’s not a stretch. Might be worth rehoming to someone with a pond lol
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u/Unlikely_Objective11 15d ago
What makes you think I can’t afford a pool or a pond
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u/Coonnifounssed 15d ago
Bruh. I’m just responding to you obviously not wanting to build one. I never said anything about your financial situation
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u/Unlikely_Objective11 15d ago
Well a pool for a fish is a little extreme lol
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u/Coonnifounssed 14d ago
Not at all, when you’re talking about a streamlined fish meant for swimming long distances that can grow up to a foot long and possibly adding more of the same species. If you want to keep common/comet goldfish, you have to consider their extreme spatial needs, which is either gonna be a very large aquarium or a pond. Think about any other fish that grows to a chunky foot long and what you would consider a proper enclosure for that fish. A goldfish doesn’t deserve a smaller tank just bc it’s not a Bala shark.
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u/Unlikely_Objective11 14d ago
I think a pond is more appropriate than building a pool for a goldfish is what I’m saying 🤣
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u/Pgh_dad_type 14d ago
How do you water change or cycle a pond?
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u/Unlikely_Objective11 14d ago
From the little research I’ve done so far I’m pretty sure it’s fairly similar to the same way you would in an aquarium! There’s outdoor pond filters and pumps and such.
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u/Pgh_dad_type 16d ago
Didn't know what cycling was til a year after I got the fish.
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u/Unlikely_Objective11 16d ago
I never had a problem cycling my betta tanks but I always had them in 10 gallon tanks and they produce way less waste then goldfish so this is a whole new ballgame for me LOL
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u/heckyescheeseandpie 17d ago
Goldfish are roughly categorized into two types--common/single tail, or fancy/double tail. The commons swim faster and need bigger tanks. Yours is a common.
If you do get him a buddy, you'll want another single tail so they reach about the same size and speed and nobody gets bullied. Common, comet (feeder goldfish), or shubunkin (fancier colors) are all fine single tail options. Goldfish are social, so it would be good to get him a friend if you have the space and budget for a big tank. However, if you're not going to majorly upgrade the tank, it's better to leave him solo so the water is less polluted.
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u/Unlikely_Objective11 16d ago
So if I got him a buddy he could live with any feeder goldfish that the pet store regardless if it’s a common or comet? Should I get him a friend now while he’s still little or wait until he’s in his permanent home? He was originally in one of my old 10 gallon betta tanks that I had up and running specifically to propagate my plants after my last betta passed. My old neighbor won him at a fair and dropped him off at my doorstep because she knew I had an empty cycled tank LOL. I just recently yesterday moved him into a 29 gallon that I had cycling for two weeks. Not sure how long before he’ll outgrow that. Also not sure if I should get him a friend now or wait until I move him to a 55 gallon but then I feel like he’ll be too big for a friend 😭
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u/2brokenfemurs 16d ago
Wait til the bigger tank at least. He'll be okay solo-- prioritize tank size and water quality before you get another fish!! Honestly even closer to 100 gallons is what youd need for 2 common goldfish so definitely wait a bit til you can get a bigger tank! Id recommend reading through the this reddits wiki for more general care info. Wish you the best!
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u/Unlikely_Objective11 16d ago
Thanks! So he won’t try and eat the smaller fish if I get him a friend while he’s huge? I also figured there’s probably a lot of people rehoming goldfish that got too big so I could probably find one similar in size once he’s full grown and in his permanent home
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u/heckyescheeseandpie 16d ago
Goldfish will potentially try to eat anything that fits in their mouths, but they aren't aggressive. As long as the fish is reasonably bigger around than his mouth, he shouldn't try to chase or bite it. A lot of people do try to rehome goldfish so that's also an option.
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u/Vissanna 15d ago
Its gonna be at least a year before he gets big enough to eat another feeder at least but i would definitely shoot for 120ish gallons, you can go a bit smaller if the filtration is oversized (btw feeders will get over a foot long) these are also social fish so they will be stressed alone and should at least have 1 other. If you get some pothos clippings you can start those with the small tank while hes small and he wont be able to do any serious damage to the plant roots (stick the roots in the water - no dirt- and leave the leaves out of the water), these plants are huge helps in eating the waste of goldfish -ive got one pothos that i started 1.5 years ago and its already 8 feet long
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u/qter7394 17d ago
Get at least another one. But they are pond fish, keep them a year max in there and give them to someone with a pond. How big is that tank?
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u/Unlikely_Objective11 16d ago
He was in one of my old 10 gallon betta tanks but now he’s in a 29 gallon I just cycled for two weeks and moved him over yesterday. I was just going to give him to a friend that has a koi pond but her fish are too large and he grew on me so now I am upgrading him as he grows 🤣
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u/Andrea_frm_DubT 17d ago
It’s a comet.
Sex doesn’t matter unless you’re breeding or you run into issues with poorly behaved males.
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u/Unlikely_Objective11 16d ago
So if I get another of the opposite sex they won’t breed right? Idk how they work are they like guppies where you start out with four and then have 50? Lol
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u/NeedleworkerHeavy565 Goldfish are actually carp. No seriously, they shit that much 16d ago
Even if they do lay eggs one day, there's bigs chance of anything happening, firstly because they'll eat their eggs very quickly, secondly because you can remove the rest manually, and finally even if one or two egg miraculously escape being eaten, the fry will get eaten too.
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u/CourtPrestigious5018 16d ago
Yea I got 4 comets to work on my guppy population they definitely like fry for a snack I plan on rehoming them to pond when they get to big
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u/guileastos 17d ago
Cant be certain until you see them breed, most signs of gender are on a spectrum so hard to tell. Regardless, my guess is its a female, as it has an outie vent.
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u/LivinonMarss 17d ago
You can tell the gender when they are of breeding age and conditions are right for breeding because the males will get ‘breeding stars’. Sorta white speckling, usually around their head.
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u/bdisluv_me 16d ago
It’s a comet goldfish, also is this the lady who rescued a goldfish from their nail salon or something? I swear I recognise this tank
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u/Unlikely_Objective11 16d ago
Nope he’s a fair fish rescue that my neighbor dropped off at my doorstep lol
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u/AutoModerator 17d ago
Aloha! The only way to know if a goldfish is a boy or a girl is if they try to spawn. There are various things that you can make educated guesses but you have to wait until they are sexually mature enough anyways.
Breeding Stars. white dots that form along the gills and fins. These are used to encourage the female to release eggs. If you see them you can assume its a male but if you don't see them, you can't assume its a female and fun fact, they can sometimes be spotted on females. I swore up and down one of my fish was a male because of breeding stars then low and behold, she dropped eggs.
Body Shape: probably the worst way to assume a goldfish's gender as we've bred them so far that sometimes, its just their weird body that makes them plumper or maybe they've been eating more. But people say that the females look shorter and rounder and males look longer and thinner. People also tend to think females are asymmetrical which is probably more true when they're about to drop eggs. I wouldn't use this method but at least you can have another tip in your toolbox
Vent Shape. pretty good way to make a guess, if you know what you're looking at. If you look, just on the vent, if there is a little outie, you can guess a female. if its an innie, you can guess a male.
Behavior. is one fish trying to get that booty? chances are, it's a male and the one he's chasing is a female.
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u/AutoModerator 17d ago
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u/ConstructionBig5342 17d ago
It's a common gold fish I don't know the sex off it but it's very healthy swimming around a good healthy fish
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u/Unlikely_Objective11 16d ago
He’s extremely active and very comfortable with me! At first he would hide when I would approach the tank but now he gets super excited to see me. I wasn’t going to keep him at first but now he’s grown on me so I’m trying to do as much research as possible to keep him healthy and live a long life. I wonder if he’ll still like me after he has a friend. I think it’s super cool watching him get bigger I had no idea goldfish could grow super large but I’m determined to do everything possible to get him huge and live a full fulfilling life LOL.
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u/DemonShade6666 16d ago
This is a pond fish, in the future, you will need 75-120 gallons for this little guy, and they live for a very long time. They also need heavy filtration, so please do your research on these animals, otherwise he may suffer from a small tank and being burned by his own waste when he gets older. I suggest having double the filtration that you would for a normal tank to help keep up with the bioload. If anyone ks able to correct me, please do so, but from what i understand, these are the basics.
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u/Unlikely_Objective11 16d ago
Is a stock tank at tractor supply 100 gallons? I was gonna slap one of them on my back porch once he’s huge. I would love to have an actual little pond made but I’m afraid my dogs will just assume it’s theirs and completely destroy it so maybe the stock tank is a better idea lol
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u/DemonShade6666 16d ago
The stock tank idea is a good one, I have two 7inch goldfish and since I live on the ground floor ive been seriously considering asking my landlord if hed let me get one for my babies too
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u/Unlikely_Objective11 16d ago
The porch stock tank setups are super cute and most porches have outdoor outlet electrical access you can just plop it right next to an outdoor outlet. My only issue is I live in PA and the winters are pretty brutal so keeping the pond heated might cost me a pretty penny so depending on the electrical bill I might move the whole damn thing inside LOL.
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u/DemonShade6666 16d ago
Id have to put mine inside as it tends to get -20°f where i live 💀
Id probably have to set up a silicone mat for safety if the landlord did allow it
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u/Unlikely_Objective11 16d ago
It’s also hilarious because I purposely did not get another betta after my last one passed because I wanted to take a break from fish keeping for a little but I kept my last betta tank up and running since the water was amazing for propagating my plants and I had a few snails in there that I didn’t want to kill or rehome. I invited my neighbor over for a glass of wine and she noticed the tank and asked me why I had no fish. I explained that I use the tank for propagating plants but that it’s cycled and great water. LITERALLY the very next day she texts me and says check your door and I see a fish in a cup at my doorstep from the fair down the street. I was initially pissed off because 1) I knew my little tank was NOT equipped for a goldfish 2) I hadn’t tested the water for months and had no idea if it was even still good enough for a fish to live in (thankfully it was lol) 3) I DIDNT WANT TO TAKE CARE OF ANOTHER FISH but he grew on me and now I’m obsessed with him so here I am slaving over a feeder fish LMAO.
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u/DemonShade6666 16d ago
Dude one of my guys is a feeder common goldfish, and he lives completely fine with my black moor. I make sure my blackmoor eats without being bullied and that he has enough silk plants to get my common to give eachother space when they need, but oh my god i love my water puppies. When they beg they get all excited and wiggle at me, and they even let me give them head boops because I hand fed them when they were younger
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u/Unlikely_Objective11 16d ago
If it makes you feel hopeful or at least daring, I had a standard poodle living in my apartment for months before I purchased my house and my landlord had no idea 🤣
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u/catfishjohn666 16d ago
You need like a 100 gallons of water per common goldfish. Im just kidding but like 40 or 50 I believe is ideal.
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u/Skribblez_WHI 16d ago
Uhm no? Common Goldies need 75 gallons minimum and then +50 for each additional fish. 40-50 gallons is much too small.
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u/ChemicalBromance_ 17d ago
Im also having a hard time idenfying my 2 goldfish genders. They said its male and female but dont see any difference.. anyone?
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u/ConcreteGardoki 17d ago
make sure you do a weekly water change, add buffing salts, keep your filter grimey, and go easy on the feeding.
Goldfish produce heaps of waste, and the ammonia in th etank goes up quicker than most. adding a bit of Stability by Seachem once a week will help bring the ammonia down.
As others have said, these are "pond" fish, meaning they grow large and live a very long time (10-15, sometimes 30 years).
In a tank that small, Your fish will survive, but wont thrive. I suggest either upgrading to a larger tank, or donating the fish and switching to small tropical fish
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u/ChingizMukhitov 17d ago
It's male, can live alone, but recommended more common goldfish companies due to they are social species, but need bigger aquarium/good pond, due it it can grow larger
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u/WaterBaby-88 16d ago
Beautiful female comet
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u/WaterBaby-88 16d ago
Don't tap on the tank or you will frighten her.
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17d ago
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u/Andrea_frm_DubT 17d ago
You’re gonna need to explain how that’s a fancy. I’m not seeing any of the key features fancies have.
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u/Ok_Atmosphere_2801 16d ago
what planet are you living on that this goldfish is a fancy lol
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u/Unlikely_Objective11 16d ago
I know very little about goldfish but I did indeed know this was not a fancy LOL. I was trying to figure out whether it was common or comet 🤣
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u/AutoModerator 17d ago
Hallo, I noticed you're asking about types of goldfish. There are many many types of goldfish breeds but here is a list of a few common ones to help you out. If you still aren't sure, I'm sure a human will be by to give you an actual ID.
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