"Curious George" wrote in message
...
I'm a newbie to Goldfish care. I'm seeing over & over the
fecommendation of 1 fish per 10 gallons of tank to start with. To me
this seems excessive for small juveniles (although I understand the
rationale for older fish).

$$ It does make sense as goldfish grow rapidly if healthy and well fed.
Starved goldfish grow slowly but are subject to disease and deformity.

a) Is that assumption wrong - that even small juveniles need that much
tank?

$$ There is no such thing as a tank too large for GF.

b) just how fast do they grow i.e. how many months or years should it
take for say a tiny 2" GF baby to require such space?

$$ Around 9 months (or less) if well fed and healthy.

c) do all you serious GF ppl not even bother with the small fish &
average stores & hunt around for, only taking home, perfect fist sized
or better specimins?

$$ I always bought young adults. Now I raise my own outdoors.
--
McKoi.... frugal ponding since 1995...
My Pond Page http://tinyurl.com/cuq5b
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