Spawning ages

[moodybluesfan]

My female goldfish (3) are nine yrs old. I should have left well enough alone, but since I lost 2 of the other 9yr olds this winter , I decided to add 3 small ones a couple of months ago. My old fish never had babies, which was fine, so I guess they were all the same sex. Now I’m regretting adding new fish since I may end up with babies overrunning my pond. My pond is 10’ by 12’ and 2 1/2 ft deep in the center. Can the 9 yr olds still produce eggs and spawn? Also, what’s the best way to catch the 3 small, new ones before they spawn? Prefer to not drain pond but if that’s what it takes, I will

 

[Mmathis]

You could just leave them alone and see what happens. Your pond sounds plenty big enough for a few extra fish, and even if they do spawn, adults tend to eat the eggs. But, yes, at 9 years old, goldfish can still make babies — they are still teenagers/young adults.

 

[brokensword]

If you DON'T feed during spawning activity, and even soon thereafter, the adult fish should take care of any over abundance. If you continue to make it easy on them though, all bets are off.