Can tank size limit fish size? (Or why are my friends fish..

I am asking this question here as there are so many experienced people
here that perhaps a relatively unimportant yet vexing beginner issue
keeps gnawing at my brain. Firstly, two fish horror stories for
comparison. (No fair slamming me as I am now on the Fish Neglector 12
Step Program.)

Just shy of a year ago, a friend bought a one gallon tank with two
feeder goldfish. I bought a one gallon tank and three months later
(after some sad fishy departures) ended up with 2 fancy goldfish. Her
fish are about the same size now as when purchased while my goldfish
won't stop growing and will need tank # 3 by the new year. After (I
wish BEFORE) buying tank #2 I realized that the clerks the retailer I
had been trusting for fishy information had no idea what they were
talking about. After doing some reading I realize my fish are growing
normally (despite my previously poor care). So why are hers still so
small?

As far as I can tell, we both did everything wrong with our fish,
though differently. She fed hers once a day or every other day and I
fed mine according to the directions on the flake (twice per day at
least or more because the poor little dears looked like they were
starving.) She did not clean her tank often. Once per month I took
all the fish out of my tank (including the pleco -- don't ask), put
them in another bowl and cleaned out ALL of the water and rinsed the
gravel. Declorinated new water, waited long enough for it to reach
room temperature and plopped my fishies in.

So, why are her older fish not growing at all? How can this be
possible? By rights, at this point they should be pushing the tank
top off and walking to the loo to run a bath.

>Subject: Can tank size limit fish size? (Or why are my friends fish so
>small?)
>From: aag.TakeThisOut@wilsonking.bc.ca (asginpg)
>Date: 12/1/2003 11:59 AM Central Standard Time
>Message-id: <91c88865.0312010959.287b7f1b.TakeThisOut@posting.google.com>
>
>I am asking this question here as there are so many experienced people
>here that perhaps a relatively unimportant yet vexing beginner issue
>keeps gnawing at my brain. Firstly, two fish horror stories for
>comparison. (No fair slamming me as I am now on the Fish Neglector 12
>Step Program.)
>
>Just shy of a year ago, a friend bought a one gallon tank with two
>feeder goldfish. I bought a one gallon tank and three months later
>(after some sad fishy departures) ended up with 2 fancy goldfish. Her
>fish are about the same size now as when purchased while my goldfish
>won't stop growing and will need tank # 3 by the new year. After (I
>wish BEFORE) buying tank #2 I realized that the clerks the retailer I
>had been trusting for fishy information had no idea what they were
>talking about. After doing some reading I realize my fish are growing
>normally (despite my previously poor care). So why are hers still so
>small?
>
>As far as I can tell, we both did everything wrong with our fish,
>though differently. She fed hers once a day or every other day and I
>fed mine according to the directions on the flake (twice per day at
>least or more because the poor little dears looked like they were
>starving.) She did not clean her tank often. Once per month I took
>all the fish out of my tank (including the pleco -- don't ask), put
>them in another bowl and cleaned out ALL of the water and rinsed the
>gravel. Declorinated new water, waited long enough for it to reach
>room temperature and plopped my fishies in.
>
>So, why are her older fish not growing at all? How can this be
>possible? By rights, at this point they should be pushing the tank
>top off and walking to the loo to run a bath.
>

Sounds like they've been severly stunted.
This will cause an early death, as well as keeping 2 goldfish in a 1 gallon
tank?
That's simply terrible.
If this person is your "friends", why not better educate them on the
requirements of Goldfish.
Tell them to get a minimum 30g tank (for only those 2)