Fish care, growth, breeding and relationships in Drawquarium

Drawquarium’s store text and the developer’s September 2026 update describe a care system with feeding, growth, relationships, breeding and cleaning. They do not publish a stat table. This guide explains the systems that are documented and avoids inventing the numbers in between.

The care loop

The official loop is simple: feed → grow → clean → collect Golden Scales → unlock. Fish react to food, bubbles, new arrivals and their surroundings. Well-cared-for fish age into a metallic shimmer. Leftover food and debris remain in the tank until you vacuum them. Golden Scales appear as collectible objects in the water.

Feeding and food

Food is a real object in the tank, not an abstract button. The demo page lists “draw your own food” as a feature, and the official screenshots show a food editor with a donut on the canvas. Fish respond to it; bottom-feeding fish are described as eating leftover food.

The exact feeding cooldown is not published. Any guide that says “feed every 24 hours” or “feed three times a day” is guessing unless it cites the build it tested. The safe approach is behavioural: feed, watch the fish eat, and stop when food starts landing on the substrate. Uneaten food becomes maintenance work.

Growth, age and the metallic shimmer

Fish start small and grow as they are fed and cared for. The profile card shows a level and an age in days, plus a personal quote. The store says well-treated fish gain a metallic shimmer as they age, and PC Gamer reports seeing that holographic shine during its demo session.

What is not published: the experience required per level, whether growth is tied to real time, how many days a fish needs to reach maturity, or whether missed days slow growth permanently. The visible level and age are reliable; the hidden formula is not.

Press report Metallic shimmer is described by the developer and observed by press. Exact conditions are unconfirmed.

Golden fish

The demo store page says: “If you treat them well, they will gain a metallic shimmer as they age. Will you be able to raise a golden fish?” That is the full official description. It implies a long-term care outcome, not a purchase or a random drop.

PC Gamer’s demo fish had not turned gold by the end of its session, which is consistent with a slow, care-based condition. We will not publish a “feed X times for a golden fish” recipe. If you are chasing one, keep the tank clean, feed consistently, and let fish age — that is the only advice the evidence supports.

Friendships, rivalries and pair bonds

When new creatures are placed in the tank, they interact with the others. The store says they form friendships, rivalries and relationships; they can become enemies and quibble, or find a soulmate and have babies. This is one of the game’s main sources of emergent stories.

The profile card has action buttons whose icons suggest feeding, breeding and other interactions. We have not verified what each button does in the released build, so treat the icons as a sign that interactions exist, not as a complete command list. The practical way to learn the system is to watch who swims near whom and check the profile after a few in-game days.

Breeding and baby fish

The developer’s September 2026 update lists breeding as a feature. Fish can reproduce, and the resulting babies grow as they are fed. The in-game goal list includes “Make a fish baby!”, which confirms that the game will prompt you toward the system.

The requirements are not published: whether a pair needs a minimum level, a relationship state, a specific tank condition or a particular item is unknown. The store’s wording — “find their soulmate and have cute little babies” — suggests a pair bond is involved, but that is an inference, not a confirmed checklist. Ask in the community or experiment; do not trust a guide that lists exact conditions without evidence.

Cleaning and tank condition

Leftover food and debris stay in the aquarium until you clean them up with the aquarium vacuum. The September update frames this as “aquariums now need a little care”. It does not say that a dirty tank kills fish; it says relationships can turn sour if you neglect them. Those are different claims.

Clean when you feed. Vacuum the substrate, remove uneaten food, and check that plants and decorations are not hiding waste. A clean tank also makes Golden Scales easier to see.

A simple routine

1. Visit: open the tank and look at the fish before doing anything.
2. Feed: give a small amount, watch them eat, stop before food accumulates.
3. Clean: vacuum leftovers and debris in the same session.
4. Collect: pick up any Golden Scales.
5. Check one fish: open a profile, note its level/age, and see whether a relationship or goal changed.
6. Leave: the tank continues. You do not need to optimize every hour.

The game is designed to be visited for a short break, not managed continuously. A routine that fits into five minutes is more likely to keep a tank healthy than a perfect routine you abandon after three days.

Unverified mechanics

These gaps are not a problem with the game; they are simply not documented yet. They are the first things we will test in the released build, and this page will change when we can verify them.