Mating behavior among juveniles?

[Tish]

Thinking back to last summer and I wondered if this was A Thing? A fish thing?
Last year when the pond warmed up the plant life exploded and the fish got hungry and frisky. After a month or so I introduced a new shubunkin to my original comet and sarasa. The comet started chasing him around. Usually after eating, especially if there was any food left in there. I put it down to him {her} being new to the pond but the chasing intensified over the spring. Once day I saw the shubbie stop short, turn around, and I witnessed a full on toe to toe fish fight. Fins were flappin, jaws a snappin! Incredible!! About an hour later I glanced in and they were rolling over and over on top of each other near the bottom. { Fish are weird } After that the chasing didn't stop but they sometimes took turns being the chaser. This was accompanied by a lot of body contact. Swimming underneath and belly bumping etc.
These fish were too young to spawn, { first year fish } but I wondered if the rising water temps could still trigger something in their little fish brains to make them behave this way??

 

[GBBUDD]

They maybe to young to actually spawn, but never too young to learn the walk. Male fish will fight for the right to spawn with the best female. totally unlike male humans ! and then the chase the tail relentlessly , again unlike male humans

 

[Tish]

Ha! Interesting since before I added the shubunkin that comet used to chase the smaller sarasa. Fickle fella, also totally unlike male humans. So, It isn't possible then that I am lucky enough to have 3 goldfish of the same sex?

 

[Mgessert]

Not sure how old yours were, but I’ve read that goldfish are sexually mature at a year of age. I removed a breeding male two weeks ago when we had a spell of warm weather. He was very active!

 

[Tish]

Or maybe the sarasa is the female and the comet and shubunkin are going to duke it out over her? I didn't know that the males would do that. things could get interesting this year.

 

[Tish]

They might be a year old this summer coming up but were only a few months at most last year. The comets were feeder fish, less than 2-3 inches when I brought them home.

 

[Lisak1]

Ah... I thought this was going to be from another "I work in a high school" poster. Haha!

It does sound like mating behavior - it gets real weird and can even appear violent at times. I usually know the chase has been on when we find one of our females swimming in the rain exchange - they swim over the negative edge to get away from the unrelenting attention!

 

[Tish]

Ah... I thought this was going to be from another "I work in a high school" poster. Haha!

It does sound like mating behavior - it gets real weird and can even appear violent at times. I usually know the chase has been on when we find one of our females swimming in the rain exchange - they swim over the negative edge to get away from the unrelenting attention!

Ha! Teenagers. I would really prefer that they didn't do that but how the h*ll am I going to stop them? If {when} that starts up again next summer will it continue all year? I always thought goldfish were happy docile little creatures only to be learning they are really aggressive cannabalistic beasts of the deep. I think they will be a year old this spring sometime.

 

[Lisak1]

Yeah... you really can't stop the behavior. It's in their nature. I find my fish spawn maybe three or four times a season - I just mind my own business for a day or two and let them have at it. The only thing I watch for is any female getting too much "attention" - they can get exhausted to the point of death.