tzqng8

Like others have said, a bowl just isn't the place for a fishy, crazy as that may sound to you now. Stick around here long enough and it won't! So, either run away fast or stick around and get a new family.

So, here are some links to help, if you are interested in keeping with the hobby:

Get yourself a nice little tank. This 6.2g from PetCo gets rave reviews around here (and it is even on sale through today!). That kit comes with all kinds of stuff. In addition to that, if you want to keep tropical fish (Guppies included), you'll need a little heater. This one from Drs. Foster and Smith would do well in that tank (the 25w will be fine in that tank).

So, for $65 you have the whole setup bascially. All you'll need are the fish, their food, and some water conditioner. BAM!

COBettaCouple

Fish bowls are a relic from the past. They're just sold now, along with the super tiny betta containers even though they're too small and mean death to the fish -- profit, pure & simple.

Probably the cheapest way to setup a tank is to get a 10g tank kit. Usually, just the heater & aeration will be missing from one of those, as far as hardware goes.

john&jen

Keep a heater in mind too! The Wallyworld 10 gallon kit is about $20 without heat or aquarium grade gravel...not HomeDepot gravel! If you dont want heat or goldfish...look into white cloud minnows.

john&jen

By the way...
About 6 months ago my wife allowed me to get the 29 gallon Walmart starter set up... I now have SIX tanks in the house!

Barbrella

To me, fishbowls are like small cages at zoos - archaic and inhumane, from an era when people didn't know better.

They're much better used to put, say, some pretty shells, flowers, some stones/sand and candles or to turn into a cactus garden!

COBettaCouple

Fish bowls may not mean CERTAIN death, which nobody has said they do, but they do mean death to most fish.

Trio123

ok, deleted. I was just telling my experience and saying what people do when I said that a bowl was a death trap for a betta. Other fish are irrelevant as I didnt say anything about them. I thought that new people might be scared away from the forum by what I thought was an extreme statement. I appologize for apparently offending you that was not my intention... it was more a statement about human pschology... and how I try to sell 10 gallon tanks rather than bowls.

ps I agree Barbrella

Barbrella

Well, if someone really likes the looks of a bowl, get a really big one - around 5 gallons.

Then you need a filter and heater for tropical fish since they cannot tolerate 100% water changes and need steady temps. Nano-fish like Celestial Pearl Danios, Axelrodi reisei (Ruby tetras), sparkling Gouramis or Dwarf blue-eyed Rainbows are a few that come to mind. There are also super-small rasboras (cant' think of the name at the moment!) One betta alone, perhaps with a snail, could also be kept.

A cover of some sort it also needed, since most fish can and do jump. A light is a good idea if there are real plants. There are some desk lamps that can be used for this.