Goldfish bowls.

Silverfish

Howayiz.

I decided there recently to do a wee experiment. I read so many threads on the internet about people querying why their goldfish are dying. They then go on to explain that they have four goldfish in a bowl. I just don't feel a bowl is a suitable environment for a fish that grows to at least 10 inches, or 12 inches in the case of single-tailed fish.

I mean, people wouldn't try keep an oscar in a 6 litre bowl - but why a goldfish, which can grow just as big?

I know the argument is that fish only grow to the size of their environment - well, that may be true, but look at the side effects - stunted growth, uneven development, and shorter lifespan. And if it was true, wouldn't we all have tanks of miniature great white sharks?

So, I went and bought a 6 litre goldfish bowl, and put it in my tank. Here's my goldfish in the bowl.



Now, this fish isn't fully grown, he's only one and a half, and they grow right throughout their lives.

Now, my dad maintains that goldfish live quite happily in a bowl, he has his fish 8 or so years, in a tiny hexagonal plastic bowl. The fish is tiny, pale, stunted, bug-eyed, and swims weird. However many people believe "alive" = "happy".

From keeping my own, I know that 'happy' goldfish are fast swimmers, are extremely active, and are very interactive.

Now, I do however know of people who have fish in bowls that are 20+ years - and I'm thinking that perhaps 20+ years ago goldfish were sturdier and better bred than they are these days, and more likely to survive than the fish in shops at the moment - many bred in bulk and shipped halfway around the world.

Anyway, waffle aside, some more pics of fatboy in his bowl, and from looking at him, I'm glad I decided not to keep him in one

Sleepy

Anyone know where I can get Great White fry?!

Wolfe Tone

I genuinely thought goldfish only lived a year or two, thats all mine ever lasted when I was a kiddie, buried 4 or 5 in Calpol boxes in the back garden

Silverfish

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

I genuinely thought goldfish only lived a year or two, thats all mine ever lasted when I was a kiddie, buried 4 or 5 in Calpol boxes in the back garden

I'd say we've all been there. We've a back garden like the Valley of the Kings.

The idea of keeping goldfish in bowls came about in the Victorian era apparently, where people thought it was novel to keep a fish displayed in a glass bowl. However, goldfish which originated from Japan were never kept in bowls, they were kept in large ponds, and would be brought in and displayed for guests in bowls, then returned to the pond afterwards. That would be where the idea that they lived in these bowls came from.

Wolfe Tone

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

I genuinely thought goldfish only lived a year or two, thats all mine ever lasted when I was a kiddie, buried 4 or 5 in Calpol boxes in the back garden

I was given a goldfish today as a gift... I really want to avoid the above happening again!

I have him in a small enough bowl now... Heres a pic:




I take it that is too small? He doesn't seem happy at all

How big of a tank/bowl should I be getting and what sort of cost would I be looking at? What other stuff should I be looking at getting for him?

Any advice would be really appreciated as I don't know anything about looking after goldfish, but I'm delighted to have one now and wanna look after him proper.

Cookie_Monster

ideally you are taking a 40-60l tank min and a filter. this would be about 1ft by 2ft x 1-1.5 foot tall. It can be expensive to start off in fairness.

Best bet is to go to a local pet store or fish store and have a look and ask them some question about the tanks and equip needed.

Wolfe Tone

What amount of cash approx would I be looking at here?

If its too hefty I think I might look at getting a cheap small enough container for him which is bigger than the bowl I have, as a stopgap till the new year when the finances will be better.

VMotion

Wolfe Tone, you could fit under or about €100. Depends on promotions. Shop around. Maxi Zoo consultants are quite a bit better in Limerick than Petmania's. Could be the other way around in your area.

Sleepy

Also worth taking a look at adverts.ie. I work on the rule of thumb of a euro per litre of a second hand tank, you should be able to get everything you need for under €100 or so.

Wolfe Tone

Success, got a 50 odd liter tank with filters and all that and am all geared up to break it in (I think its called cycle?) for a while before I add the fish.

One question though does the surface I have it on(chest of drawers) it have to be exactly level? It is ever so slightly off. The bubble in the level is slightly protruding beyond the line.

WIZE

Its not going to matter for the fish or tank but it might annoy you when the see the Water level is off it will be noticble

Cookie_Monster

no prob for tank and a bit of card or newpaper under one side should sort it easily

Silverfish

Bear in mind that fish should grow to 12 inches, so he'll need turning space too - I'd go for as near to 180L as you can, but no lower than 100L.

Also I'd shim the chest of drawers rather than the tank, you want the base of the tank on as flat a surface as possible and you don't want any of it raised off the surface.

I've coasters under the corners of a few of the tank stands, whole house is on a slant :mad:

Wolfe Tone

I got it balanced and all, the tank is 60 liters which is the largest I could afford. He seems much happier, but he is a coward, hides in the corner under the filter when he sees me coming The florescent light also freaks him out a bit

Delighted I got him the tank, he is still only small but it was cruel to keep him in the bowl, waay too small.

I want to get him a little friend, he looks very lonely, what would be a good fish to get that wont grow as large as the goldfish will?

Another thing, I got a heater with the tank too, I read that while they are coldwater fish and anything from 4 degrees up to the high twenties is ok, the best temperature for them is around 20 degrees? My concern is that during the week when I wont be around as much the room temp will be quite cold, whereas the room temp would increase a lot when I have the heating on (3 days a week or so). Would I best off using the heater to keep the tank at a consistent 20 degrees or so?

I'm sorry for hijacking your thread btw, delighted I read it though, or else he would be in the tiny bowl.

Sleepy

For a common goldfish you really don't need a heater: they can survive in ponds when the surface freezes over! Water retains heat for longer than air too so whilst a room can feel very cold to you the tank will find it's own level.

With a common goldfish in a 60l tank you really shouldn't introduce anything else in with him but if you can't bear the sight of the tank with just the one goldfish and really *have* to put in more fish, I'd opt for a couple of white cloud mountain minnows.

You need to make sure your filter is powerful enough for the tank (and with goldfish it's a good idea to get a filter that's powerful enough for a larger tank so that you're "over" filtering the tank). Let your filter get used to the bio-load of the goldfish first (i.e. let the good bacteria build up) and test your water regularly to make sure you've got your water absolutely perfect before introducing anything else. I'd recommend a minimum of a 10% water change per week but if you can manage two 10% changes or a 20% change per week (using a gravel hoover and a good water de-chlorinator such as SeaChem Prime) you might be able to get away with over-loading the tank.