Drawquarium Fish Levels, Age and Golden Fish

Every fish in Drawquarium has a level, an age in days, and a small set of status markers on its card. The game uses those markers to gate goals, show care quality, and mark milestones, but it does not publish an XP table. This page explains what the interface shows, what the developer has confirmed, and what you can safely infer without pretending to know exact numbers.

Hunger and cleaning are the other half of growth; the fish care guide→ covers them.

What the fish card shows

The card in the official screenshots contains:

• Name at the top, editable in the editor.
• Hunger ring around the feed icon.
• Level, shown as a number next to the fish portrait.
• Age, shown as a day count ("0 days old" on a new fish).
• Personal quote, a flavor line that changes with the fish.
• Five action buttons: feed, growth, move to another tank, relationships, and food bag.
• Medals, which appear as ribbon markers above the card after milestones.

The level 0 reading on one screenshot is worth noting. A fish can exist at level 0 before it has been fed or cared for, so level is a progress value rather than a species trait.

How levels go up

The store page and update posts do not give an XP formula. The goals panel includes "Feed two fish to level 25", which confirms that level 25 is reachable and that feeding contributes to progression. The safest routine is the one the game already rewards: feed when hungry, keep the tank clean, and let time pass.

Do not chase a specific XP-per-feed number. No official source publishes one, and the release build may tune it. If a fish stops gaining levels, check that it is actually eating and that the tank is not overcrowded.

Age and days old

Age is tracked in days, and the demo page says fish develop a metallic shimmer as they age. That makes age the slowest progression axis in the game: you cannot rush it, and you should not try.

A day count of 0 means a new fish, either freshly drawn or newly born. A high day count is a badge of consistency. If you restart a tank, you lose that history, so keep your oldest fish in the tank you intend to keep.

Medals

Medals appear as ribbon icons above the fish card. The screenshots show two on one fish, but the unlock conditions are not documented. Treat them as milestones for care, age, or relationship progress rather than a separate progression system.

If you are a completionist, screenshot each medal when it appears and note what you did that day. That is the only reliable way to reverse-engineer the conditions before a wiki page exists.

Metallic shimmer and golden fish

The demo page describes two related effects:

1. Metallic shimmer develops as a fish ages.
2. A golden fish can appear if a fish is kept well.

The October posts treat golden fish as a prestige outcome, not a template you can buy. The exact trigger is unpublished. The plausible inputs are the ones the game measures: hunger, cleanliness, age, and maybe relationships. Keep all four in good shape and let the fish live.

Shimmer and glow are different effects. Shimmer is a surface quality on the fish body. Bioluminescence is a light source you can draw into the fish and plants. A fish can have both, and the combination looks best in a dark tank.

Why level 25 matters

The goal in the screenshot asks you to feed two fish to level 25. That is a mid-game target, not a cap. It exists to push you past the first day and into a routine where fish have history.

If you want to finish it quickly, pick two fish and feed them consistently rather than spreading meals across a large tank. Two focused fish will outpace ten neglected ones.

Official source: Drawquarium on Steam ↗ and the demo page ↗, rokaplay ↗ and the Drawquarium Discord ↗

RECOMMENDED GUIDE

STRATEGY GUIDE5 min read · In-Depth

Drawquarium Fish Care and Feeding Guide

Levels follow care. The feeding guide covers hunger rings, portion size, and the cleaning loop that keeps a fish healthy enough to grow.

Read Full Strategy Guide →

Do levels change appearance?

The September update mentions different animations, sizes, and behaviors for fish, and the demo page mentions shimmer with age. It does not say that levels unlock new body parts or colors. If a fish looks different after leveling, the likely cause is shimmer or a relationship state, not a level-up transformation.

Should you level every fish?

No. Pick the fish you want to keep long-term: a breeding pair, a centerpiece, a child's drawing. Leveling is a time investment, and a large tank of level 1 fish is harder to manage than a small tank of level 20 fish.

FAQ

What is the max fish level?

No cap is published. The level 25 goal is a milestone, not a maximum.

Does a fish die of old age?

No lifespan or death system is described on the store page. Age appears to be a record of time kept, not a countdown.

How long is a day in Drawquarium?

The card counts days, but the real-time length of a game day is not documented. Do not assume it matches your system clock.

Can I see a fish's full history?

The card shows the current level, age, quote, and medals. There is no published history log beyond that.