Help, my goldfish is growing!

[Vallikat]

About 16 months ago my son won a goldfish at a carnival. I didn't really expect the thing to last the week, but here he is still kicking more than 16 months later. During that time he has grown considerably. He's easily 4 times the size of the goldfish we first brought home. So I now have a single fish in a 2.5 gallon tank. He's been in the particular tank since June. I figured after surviving the first year, he deserved a new home. Anyway, he's grown even since then and is now around 4 inches long. If he grows much more, I'm going to have to buy a bigger tank, and frankly, I can't really do that. We simply don't have the space for it. So do any of you fine people have any idea if he'll get much bigger or if there is a way I can get him to stop growing?

[Zephem]

The bigger the tank the bigger they get. That's the thing with fish, they grow with their habitat.

Just think, you could probably eat him if you want to later

[Vallikat]

Well the thing is, he keeps outgrowing his habitat. This is his 3rd tank. I keep buying bigger ones because I feel sorry for him when it gets to a point that he can barely move.

So I was thinking, our neighbor's down the street have a pond in their yard, maybe we could give them the goldfish and my son can still go visit it.

But then I remembered something. Two winters ago they had a heron camped in their yard. They called the SPCA and were told it was because of the fish pond. They told them they had to break the ice and let the heron eat the fish and then it would leave. This worked out really well for their heron problem. But it makes me think twice about this as a solution for our fish.

As to your suggestion, Zephem, part of me wants to laugh and call you a smart ass, but the mom in me wants to chastise you for suggesting that I eat my child's pet.

[Otori]

I'd bet the nice, big fishbowl with a handle, thats prolly in your bathroom would be big enough for him.

But he might end up growing gigantic and coming back through the sewers, maybe even right through that SAME giant fishbowl....


*Twitches in the corner remembering the scariest movie ever Alligator*

[Boinky]

That was a Documentary Otori!

Methinks it'd be safer for the human race if you killed the devil goldfish now! Just don't do it in front of your son, and then tell him the goldfish got out when you left the door open a minute. Put up flyers in the neighborhood- "Have you seen this fish?"

[Zephem]

Yah, eliminate the fish before it eats you!

No, seriously. I had a 100 gallon tank several years ago that housed oscars and a gold fish like you mentioned. It was also one from the local fair that... never managed to die. Anyway, three years after I got it, it got about 6 inches long, and remained at that size. It was bigger than my Oscar to be honest...

Elimination would be the easiest way, but despite the heron dilemma, it's not that bad of an idea to stick the darn thing in a pond. Just have to stick him in a plastic baggy filled with his tank water and let him get used to the temp otherwise he'll be a floater.

[Dragonfruit]

haha evil fish... well the pond may be a nice idea... goldfish arent dangerous predators... I dont think they'd cause a problem in the pond.. but I'm not an ecologist...

[Tacz]

Kill or be killed!
*shifty eyes*

[Nexeus]

I would say to monitor the fishes eating habits, that's usually what happens then they get soo big. Could be that you're feeding him too much.

[Tacz]

Go Boston... I MEAN... My science class did experiments with Brine Shrimp, and my group overfed them by like 3 times for one of the experiments, and we almost set the world record for longest brine shrimp.

[Boinky]

Or if he grows based on the size of the tank, just put him in a smaller tank?

edit: /me pictures a Coors wide-mouth can

[GuidoSarduci]

Bah, let the little guy free!

[Vallikat]

you know, I really, really love you guys. I really do. This is just the level of sick evil I was expecting from you.

So, last night my son says to me, "Mom, Speedy (that's the fish) is going to need another new tank soon." I told him I knew but I was thinking, "oh my god, I know. Where are we going to put a bigger tank?" Though all of your suggestions were entertaining if not actually helpful, I think I know what I'm going to do. Its actually sorta' Boinky's suggestion. I'm not going to put him in a smaller tank or not in a Coors wide mouth bottle. But I am going to just leave him in this tank and just buy a bigger ornament to put in there. Maybe having less room to move will stunt his growth rate.

Thanks all!

[Boinky]

Garbage Disposals are fairly small and already have their own "ornament"

plus they have a renewable supply of water which I hear fish just can't get enough of

[Ike]

Bathtub?