Goldfish Full Of Eggs In The Fall

by Bruce
(Puget Sound, Washington)

I have goldfish and Koi in my 1000 gal pond. This is the second year that I have had female goldfish that are full of eggs and not spawn in the spring or early summer.

It is Sept now and on the west coast Puget Sound area. Last year I had a female goldfish that was full of eggs and she went all summer and through the winter before she couldn't swim anymore and was upside down, so I put her down since I tried milking her eggs and couldn't get any out.

This year the same thing is going on with another female. Full of eggs and didn't spawn.

I have 8 goldfish and 3 of them are males.
Any ideas would be helpful.

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Grant's Reply


Hi Bruce

My first question would be, are the scales distended on your female?

If they are, the fish has dropsy, which causes the fish to swell up.

If females are ready to breed but males aren't present or in breeding condition, the female will scatter her eggs anyway. This is why I am doubtful that the female is full of eggs.

Not being able to get eggs out of your other female confirms my suspicions.

A ripe female will scatter eggs everywhere if she is caught in a net, and if you have 3 males that are old enough to spawn, a spawning will occur.

If your goldfish do spawn in your pond, I would assume the eggs and fry would be eaten by the parents or Koi, unless you intervene by providing spawning material that can be removed.

A densely planted pond can afford the necessary shelter for eggs and fry, and many enthusiasts have some success with this method of breeding their goldfish, but it doesn't work for fancy varieties.