Eli5: What causes goldfish grow to such extreme sizes in the wild?
In: 1
That’s the size they normally would be, if they were not stunted by being kept in a small bowl. The goldfish you see in small tanks at shops or given away as prizes, are usually young fish raised in stressful conditions.
[https://injaf.org/the-think-tank/do-fish-grow-to-the-size-of-their-tank/](https://injaf.org/the-think-tank/do-fish-grow-to-the-size-of-their-tank/)
It is often believed that fish “grow to fit the size of their bowl”, but what is really happening is pathological stunting due to inadequate living conditions for their needs. That’s partly about space, but also cover to hide in, light, “privacy”, food, water quality, waste, etc.
Wild fish stunt when overpopulated and underfed, etc.
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