So why did my fish die?

[Dwarf Puffers]

:iagree: these guys are right, your goldfish will grow to fit its tank and if the tank is large enough, it will grow to its full size. If you have a fancy goldfish (with a fantail) then your goldfish could get to be about 8inches.... if you have a normal comet (or a feeder goldfish) these can grow to over a foot long. A 1-2 gallon tank would make them stop growing very prematurely which is why they're probably only an inch big.

It's like one of those bonzai tree's; they keep cutting the branches, and it stays small; With fish, they stay small, and die.

You'd need a 55g for 3 goldfish, 30g for one. 30 gallons aren't that big. I had a 30g, it was 18" high, 12" wide and 30" long. The goldy would probably prefer a long tank though.

 

[kimmisc]

Just wanted to mention that when goldfish are kept in a small tank and they stop growing bigger due to this, it's called "stunting" and it's a very bad thing. People who don't know any better will tell you "they'll only get as large as the tank they're kept in" as if it's okay to limit their growth. What happens to a stunted fish is the internal organs keep growing while the fish's body doesn't. It results in organ failure and premature death.

There are no 1" adult goldfish unless they're stunted.

 

[Druu]

He probably has only seen them at one inch. Sounds to me like he bought feeders.