Mike’s Fish Tank – Bowls

I get a lot of people wanting to put tropical fish and goldfish in bowls. I always warn people there is always a slim chance that will work but as a rule, it probably isn’t a good idea. Goldfish are very messy fish and foul up the bowl very quickly.

There are no bowl filters so it’s hard to keep it clean. You have to manually clean the bowl several times a week and this upsets some fish. Tropical fish need heated water and there are not any good bowl heaters which makes keeping tropical fish in a bowl difficult. The bowl is best suited for a betta fish. They come from small puddles of water and have adapted to living a small container. If you want to try a goldfish in a bowl, do just one small one and you’ll have a better chance of it surviving. Also with bettas and goldfish, set water out the night before so that it’s the same temperature as what they were in.That will alleviate some of the stress.

Tropical fish in bowls is even less likely to work. I think it’s mainly due to the lack of good temperature control.

I do have customers who tell me they have had a goldfish in a bowl for 10 years. It’s definitely possible but not probable.

It just all depends on if you get a goldfish that settles into the routine of a small bowl with frequent water changes.

Another factor is a big bowl. If you use a good size bowl, that’s going to help the goldfish do better because there is more water. The longer the bowl stays clean, the better the chance the goldfish will live.

So to summarize, bettas do best in bowls. However if you want to try a goldfish, use a  big  big bowl and do just 1 small goldfish. If you can put an airstone in the bowl, that will help too.

Pets A Plenty is located in the Blockbuster Video Plaza, Rte 281 Cortland, 753-9213. Open 7 days a week. We now have a website. www.petsaplety.biz. check it out. I post care sheets, coupons, new animal arrivals, contests and more. Any questions, email me at friskyy@hotmail.com

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