Chase J

Well I ddnt want to get mean comments but I figured you guys needed to know. Okay so but ummm......hes in a 2 gallon bowl with no filter... I wanted to know if he will thrive as long as i did like a one cup water change very day and a big water change every few days. Will this work out (please don't tell me he needs a ten gallon aquarium(I know that) but i couldnt resist getting him because he is such a hardy fish. I love him and I dont want him to die but i cannot get him a big quarium (if you say that he wont ast get this( I have a gold fish that has been in a 1 gallon bowl with complete water changes every week and i risnse the gravel hes been alive for almost a year and a half)

JESS01

Just be careful. VERY, VERY careful.

Butterfly

Not to be difficult but what is it you want to know? You ask a question then give the right answer and tell us not to tell you that
Carol

Chase J

So He Should Be Fine

Butterfly

No he won't be but you said not to tell you he needs a bigger tank.
He also needs a heater and filter
carol

Lucy

Chase, please remember when we choose to bring home a pet it's our responsiblity to provide what that pet needs to thrive, not just survive.
Please remember, it's not what we want, it's what's best for your fish.

JESS01

I agree.

Chase J

Yeah I know but I rented a bunch of books and looked on sites and it said he could be fine in a bowl and with my ammonia problem and my little cherry barbs in the tank im afraid to put him in there. I mean i just thought that since shlurpy has lived so long that it would be okay I f I try to return him my dad will get mad at me...I really like him I do. I just don't want him to die. I mean by what you say im sure he'll be dead tommorow.

Well I was thinking about getting a little five gallon for ten bucks a small filter and a small heater but that would add up to like what 100 bucks with plants and gravel...

Plus he has to fit on the kitchen counter...

Also my dad said that if the ammonia problem doesnt solve it self soon that ...we have to get boring old smelly stupid notcool to look at, gold fish...

Chase J

Alryt look i just wanna know when my tank will be cyced. I dont want gold fish i want two platies three cories 4 cherry barbs and one dwarf gourami. I DONT WANT goldfish WHAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! Okay im done im sorry.

Butterfly

A five gallon tank with heater and filter would be better than the bowl but he will eventually need a bigger tank.
Look in the paper for cheap tanks, Yard sales and craigslist are also great places to find great aquarium supply deals.
Carol

platy ben

Ive noticed from your aquarium information that your tank is only 2 days old, this could be very dangerous for your paradise fish, Yes it is true that when paradise fish were first bought into countries like america and the U.K they were kept in cold water bowls but it is not best for them.

CHoffman

Chase,
You need to step back and think about what your doing with these fish. It can be very tempting to buy a fish but if you can't provide it with a proper home and care then you should not buy it. ..I know it's hard I would love to have all kinds of fish but I have to be responsible and remember that I'm dealing with a living creature and it's life is in my hands. In my opinion you need to take the paradise fish back as soon as possible. Get your other tank cycled and care for the fish in it..Then you can look into getting other fish. If you dad doesn't understand fishkeeping maybe let him get on Fishlore and read some of the post. Good luck and I hope you do the right thing.

Chase J

Well Im Gonna Keep Him For A While And See If HEs Okay. If Hes Not Than I Guess Ill Just Get another Gold Fish (ive had one in a 1 gallon bowl for a year and a half now)

CHoffman

Goldfish do not belong in glass bowls either. They get HUGE. They are just like any other fish only they do not need a heater. He will likely die early on in his life. When fish are put into homes that are to small for them they quite growing but their internal organs do not. They die a very painful death. A bowl is not a suitable home for ANY fish. Especially goldfish. There are many members who keep goldfish and can tell you how big they get. They can live for a very long time if cared for properly. Please consider getting all your fish proper homes and if your unable it's in their best interest to find someone who can.

10gallonnewbie

MaddieLynn

Yes, goldfish, bettas and any other fish can be kept in 1 gallon bowls, But they cannot live a healthy life in 1 gallon bowls. It's not a big thing at all that you're goldfish has survived this long. In healthy conditions, goldfish can live over 20 YEARS, and the odlest one ever recorded lived to be 49.

Also, ammonia doesn't "solve itself" quickly. Ammonia kills. I just learned that hte hard way. And especially in a 2 gallon bowl, your new fish is at a huge risk.

Even humans need certain things in the air we breathe, and fish are even more sensitive. Imagine if you had to breathe your own waste!

Chase J

Fine Ill Just Get Rid Of Them Both Have It All your Guys's ways I Dont Care Its Not like Ive Grown Attatched TO My Gold Fish At All Over The Past Year Heck I HAte hIm So Much I Even Gave Him A Name.

Alessa

Fish in general dont belong in bowls, goldfish are huge waste producers, and to be able to live a long, healthy life they need 20 gallons.

It does not matter how people keep them. People abuse hardy fish like goldfish and paradise fish because they can survive in horrible conditions such as a bowl. That does not mean that they will not be injured by the ammonia, stressed by the lack of swimming space, and have shortened lifespans due to the way in which they were kept.

People often say: "look, my goldfish was in a bowl and it lived so long... for almost 5 years!" what they dont know is that the lifespan of a goldfish is 20 or so years and that if they had been in the proper environment they might have been able to live a long healthy life.

Also, if your other tank cycles or not does not mean it is ok to put goldfish in it. It is the same with every type of fish wether they are goldfish or tropical the nitrogen cycle is always the same.

Chase J

I Know I Never Siad That Im Saying My Dad Does Not Want To put Money Into Sensitive Fish He Wants Hardy Gold Fish (stupid boring goldfish)

CHoffman

When you have fish you can't be selfish. Many of us have given up fish we loved and cared for because we knew they would be happier in a larger tank. You have to think in terms of what is best for your fish not what is best for you.

MaddieLynn

You don't have to get rid of them. Just get a bigger tank!

Alessa

"stupid boring goldfish" are living creatures, and it is not their fault that humans have neglected them and abused them since the begining of fishkeeping times.


It is about harming living things. Goldfish feel as much pain as "sensitive fish" they just happen to survive the abuse better than the others... unfortunately, which leads us humans to keep abusing them.

Chase J

You Are Very Much Offending Me. Do You Want ME TO give My goldfish BACK to the PETSTORE where he will die, Be eaten by the oscars and pirahhnas, or even be bought by a kid who likes fireworks

Chase J

I cant get a bigger tank my house is too small and i already have a tropical tank. Would it be okay to put my para in with my cherry barbs and such or will he dominate the tank

Lucy

I'm not sure. According to this they can be aggresive with smaller fish.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradise_Fish

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profiles/profile55.html

Iron waffle

Paradise fish prefer colder water than tropicals and are aggressive fish. I've seen more than a few paradise fish tanks with nipped fins

I would just like to add that goldfish are some of the best fish i've owned, not boring and stupid. I'm building a small indoor pond for my goldfish because they've outgrown their 10g in only a few months. all they need is space and a good diet and they will color up and swim everywhere and then they wont be boring and stupid.

Minnow

I agree with Gilbert. Perhaps the reason you think goldfish are boring is that yours has no room to do anything interesting. It's bored, therefore it is boring. In a bowl, a fish can't do much more than hang in the water. If you give them more space, they really liven up and do more interesting things.

The example that comes to my mind is bettas. In the cups and bowls at pet stores, they look lifeless. They hang in the water, faded and sapped of energy. If you take one home, give him a proper home with heat, clean water, good food, love, and space (it's not that hard to do) there is an immediate and visible difference. Their scales brighten, their fins are fuller, they interact with their environment, they do interesting things. I'm sure if you give your goldfish a larger tank, you will see how very not boring they are.

Chase J

I Still Can't Return Shlurpy Though. But I Ddnt Mean It When I Said They Were Boring I JUsts Wanted The Tropical Tank.

sirdarksol

Minnow said it excellently.

Nothing you say and nothing we say can change the simple fact that fish kept in inappropriate aquaria will live short, unpleasant, and likely boring lives. In a bowl, a goldfish will live for a few years. In a 20g+ aquarium, a goldfish can live for 20+ years, and will learn to interact with you, something that most fish are incapable of (not counting simple "eating from your hand" which nearly any fish can learn).

Nobody here can force you to change how you keep your fish, but, as Butterfly suggested early in the thread, if you bring the subject up, we are going to voice our opinion on the matter. We wouldn't be doing our job as a community if we didn't.

platy ben

I have a big pond in my garden and my oldest goldfish are 22 years old, so your one and a half years is kind of petty im afraid
I would take him and your paradise fish back to the store ASAP. They will only die slowly and painfully.