Goldfish Bowls
By Shirlie Sharpe, About.com Guide
Goldfish bowls are a staple at department stores as well as most pet shops. Ask anyone who had a goldfish as a kid and odds are they kept it in a goldfish bowl. Google Goldfish bowl photos or Goldfish bowl shopping, and you’ll find thousands of them in a variety of shapes. So Goldfish bowls must be the ideal home for a goldfish, right? Wrong.
Too Small
Goldfish bowls are far too small for even a single Goldfish. Although the Goldfish you buy at the store looks small, it's only a matter of time before it outgrows the Goldfish bowl. If properly cared for even a small Goldfish will grow to a half foot in length, and many will grow larger than that.
Furthermore, Goldfish bowls are too small to accommodate a filtration system, or equipment to circulate and aerate the water. As a result, the water will quickly become depleted of oxygen, and build up toxins that are dangerous to the fish.
Too Much Waste
Goldfish produce more waste than similarly sized fish, which presents a huge challenge in a Goldfish bowl. With no filter or beneficial bacterial colonies1, the only way to remove waste and its by-products is to constantly change the water.
Although water changes2 are good, performing them daily is stressful for the fish. Most owners tire of the constant work and go longer and longer between water changes. If the fish appears healthy, the owner may let water changes slide for weeks or months.
Under such circumstances it is likely the fish will soon die from ammonia3 or nitrite poisoning4. Even if the fish doesn’t die, it will become more susceptible to disease. No Goldfish kept in a Goldfish bowl lives a long healthy life. Some tough Goldfish may survive in such circumstances for a few years, but that is not a normal lifespan5 for a Goldfish.
What Goldfish Need
Goldfish should be kept in a tank that is equipped with a filter6. The tank should be large enough to accommodate an adult Goldfish which can be anywhere from a half a foot to well over a foot in length. Steer clear of mini aquariums7, even if they show a photo of Goldfish8 on the front. It’s marketing, and not a true endorsement of the tank.
The smallest size tank to consider for a Goldfish is twenty gallons. If you want to keep several, you’ll need a larger tank. Filtration is a must, and should be rated at a minimum of four times the tank size in gallons, per hour. For example, a twenty gallon tank should have a filter with a minimum capacity of 80 gph. In this case more is better, so don’t hesitate to get a more powerful filter.
A heater is not needed, but it’s wise to equip the tank with a thermometer so you can monitor the temperature. As water temperature rises, the amount of dissolved oxygen drops, which can harm your Goldfish. Live plants9 help remove wastes, so if possible, decorate your tank with live rather than artificial plants.
With a proper size tank, good filtration and care, your Goldfish can live for decades. Do them a favor and just so no to the Goldfish bowl.
Too Small
Goldfish bowls are far too small for even a single Goldfish. Although the Goldfish you buy at the store looks small, it's only a matter of time before it outgrows the Goldfish bowl. If properly cared for even a small Goldfish will grow to a half foot in length, and many will grow larger than that.
Furthermore, Goldfish bowls are too small to accommodate a filtration system, or equipment to circulate and aerate the water. As a result, the water will quickly become depleted of oxygen, and build up toxins that are dangerous to the fish.
Too Much Waste
Goldfish produce more waste than similarly sized fish, which presents a huge challenge in a Goldfish bowl. With no filter or beneficial bacterial colonies1, the only way to remove waste and its by-products is to constantly change the water.
Although water changes2 are good, performing them daily is stressful for the fish. Most owners tire of the constant work and go longer and longer between water changes. If the fish appears healthy, the owner may let water changes slide for weeks or months.
Under such circumstances it is likely the fish will soon die from ammonia3 or nitrite poisoning4. Even if the fish doesn’t die, it will become more susceptible to disease. No Goldfish kept in a Goldfish bowl lives a long healthy life. Some tough Goldfish may survive in such circumstances for a few years, but that is not a normal lifespan5 for a Goldfish.
What Goldfish Need
Goldfish should be kept in a tank that is equipped with a filter6. The tank should be large enough to accommodate an adult Goldfish which can be anywhere from a half a foot to well over a foot in length. Steer clear of mini aquariums7, even if they show a photo of Goldfish8 on the front. It’s marketing, and not a true endorsement of the tank.
The smallest size tank to consider for a Goldfish is twenty gallons. If you want to keep several, you’ll need a larger tank. Filtration is a must, and should be rated at a minimum of four times the tank size in gallons, per hour. For example, a twenty gallon tank should have a filter with a minimum capacity of 80 gph. In this case more is better, so don’t hesitate to get a more powerful filter.
A heater is not needed, but it’s wise to equip the tank with a thermometer so you can monitor the temperature. As water temperature rises, the amount of dissolved oxygen drops, which can harm your Goldfish. Live plants9 help remove wastes, so if possible, decorate your tank with live rather than artificial plants.
With a proper size tank, good filtration and care, your Goldfish can live for decades. Do them a favor and just so no to the Goldfish bowl.
This About.com page has been optimized for print. To view this page in its original form, please visit: http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/goldfishandkoi/a/Goldfish-Bowls.htm
©2010 About.com, Inc., a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.
Links in this article:
- http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/biologicalcycle/a/nitrogencycle.htm
- http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/watercare/a/waterchanges.htm
- http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/ammoniapoison.htm
- http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/nitritepoison.htm
- http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/beginnerinfo/a/lifespan.htm
- http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/filtration/bb/bybfilter.htm
- http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/beginnerinfo/a/minitank.htm
- http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/goldfishandkoi/ig/Goldfish-Gallery/
- http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/aquascaping/a/liveplantseries.htm
