goldfish

[SneakBetta]

Goldfish can live in fishbowls...right?? The fishbowl that I used to have a betta in was made for goldfish in, but I've never seen anyone with goldfish in a fishbowl. I was wonderin......if goldfish can live in a 1-gallon fish bowl, what kind would do good in it. It's has no filtration or anything on it.

 

[guppymonkey]

Goldfish really can't live in fishbowls. As you said, there is no filtration and goldfish put out a lot of waste. For awhile they could probably live in a fish bowl but they would eventually die. You could keep any fish in a bowl but it would be cruel and eventually (or almost immediately with most tropical fish) the fish would die. Fish bowls are sold mainy to take advantage of people that don't know enough about fish keeping. Bettas can be kept in a bowl but they need water changes.

 

[gadazobe]

Goldfish really need a minimum of 10 gallons per fish - so no bowl is ever suitable for them. They need good filtration coz they're very messy and poop a lot. As gm said, no fish can live in a bowl.

 

[Inchworm]

SneakBetta,

Please do not keep a goldfish in a bowl.

These go back to the days when people were just starting to keep fish and didn't know better. Then, they would have to change the water and clean the bowl everyday just to keep the poor fish barely alive. Now we understand about ammonia etc. in the water and prefer to use tanks with a larger water capacity and surface area.

Now, depending on the shape of your gallon bowl, you may be able to keep a couple of African Dwarf Frogs in it. If it is a tall bowl rather than on of those round flat ones they would have room to swim and if you didn't fill it to the top there would be enough surface area for them.

The difference is that ADFs are air breathers while fish must breath water. Because of this, the quality of that water is more critical for the fish. However, you must still clean the bowls frequently for the frogs.

 

[Eelzor]

I really don't like to be on the opposing force, but my sister has been owning a goldfish in a bowl for a few months now, and it has not had any problems or strange effects. The bowl is changed every saturday (weekly), fed daily and swimming peacefully as if in a normal tank. Or maybe it's a super hardy fish! 8)
But anyway, thats my 2 cents.

 

[Alien Anna]

I really don't like to be on the opposing force, but my sister has been owning a goldfish in a bowl for a few months now, and it has not had any problems or strange effects. The bowl is changed every saturday (weekly), fed daily and swimming peacefully as if in a normal tank. Or maybe it's a super hardy fish! 8)
But anyway, thats my 2 cents.

So the fish lives in an uncycled bowl with no filter? That means that as the week progresses, the fish's water becomes more and more poisoned with ammonia. By the end of the week he must be in agony with every "breath".

In such a small amount of water he can't swim to a fresher part of the "tank" to get away from it.

He may appear "fine" for a couple of months but I can guarantee he won't live a long life - in good conditions, a goldfish can live 20 years and grow to the size of a large trout. I can't see that happening to this poor fish, can you?

 

[Inchworm]

It's a matter of environment, Eelzor.

Perhaps you can understand it better if I put it in human terms.

So, imagine you live in an inner city slum neighborhood. You have children. Would you want them to spend their lives sitting on a stoop breathing polluted industrial air and going to the worst schools? Of course you wouldn't!!!!

You would want to move them out to the country where they could breathe fresh air, have a big back yard to explore and the best schools so they could learn and grow strong and have the best opportunity to live a happy life that you could possibly give them.

It's the same with the little goldfish.

Christmas is coming, Eelzor. Why not get your sister a nice 10 gal. tank for a present? You know she would love it and the little goldfish would too!

 

[kev]

my wife won a gold fish and bowl at a fair. i'm guessing about 1 gallon (about the size of half a bucket. The water in that was completely changed every fortnight and the gravel rinsed to remove any waste. Normal tap water was used on every change and no other chemicals where added. This fish lived for about 15 - 20 years and when ever I saw it looked perfectly happy.

This was before I new anything abou fish keeping. But I can see how cruel it is to keep a fish in such a small bowl. A pet shop wouldn't be able to sell a retiever pup with a really small kennel and no way for it to move around. How do they get away with it with fish!!!

 

[caz27]

Agreed it is so wrong how they are still able to do it.......but big thumbs up fo my pet shop...I over heard a customer speaking to a memeber of staff and he gave a big to bowls and said in his opinion he fault it was cruel

Caz

 

[Eelzor]

wow, well, i didn't know, and i suppose fishbowls are for the braindead. I suppose the fish will still live a long life but won't like it at all. Well, thanks for the n-fo.

 

[Eelzor]

Oh yeah, recently found out the bowl shes keeping it in is only for now. I'll be giving my old tank, and I'll get a new 80 Gallon!