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A lone goldfish

Is anyone out there an expert on goldfish?  I have four goldfish in a small garden pond. For the last few weeks I have spotted the gold coloured one in a corner of the pond away from the other orange coloured ones. He does feed the flakes I give him but looks very lonely!  The other three are always together at the front of the pond waiting to be fed at their usual time. Do goldfish ostracize one another? .I know this is an odd question but there must be an answer to goldy's isolation! 

Posts

  • Dave MorganDave Morgan Posts: 3,123

    This is normal behaviour for Goldfish they are a decorative subspecies of Carp. Carp are usually solitary fish in the wild and only gather to spawn.

    The artificial environs of a garden pond force them into a small area. They associate if they want to so staying in a corner on their own is not unusual, it mimics natural behaviour patterns. 

    Just like us sometimes they like to be on their own.

     

  • DaisydayDaisyday Posts: 373

    Perhaps he's not too unhappy then!  image The other three seem like close buddies and are always together though.

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    Daisy at my last house we had a pond with four big Golden Orfe in it which had been there for a long time and one was always on the edge of the group. We used to feel sorry for him too!

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • DaisydayDaisyday Posts: 373

    That's interesting Fairygirl. Perhaps it's common behaviour as Dave Morgan says they're loners by nature. You can't help feeling a little sad for them!

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