goldfish bowl

[mecc1959]

I have broken all the rules.  I have two goldfish in a smallish bowl (Spaz and Chester).  I change the whole bowl weekly with tap water and feed daily.  These guys have lived on my kitchen counter for two years!  Spaz is getting kind of big and needs a larger home.  I don't want an aquarium, so here's my question...which is more important, depth or serfice area?

[Radius]

For goldfish, a large tank, period. Common goldfish will reach 18" in length so look at getting maybe a 100g tank for the both of them.

[Tazwell]

I'm curious about the original question too, though.

What allows them more room to grow, a large surface area with not a lot of depth, or does it not matter?

[Radius]

I would assume it doesn't matter and they go by volume in a way. If the water is 6" deep but has a vast surface area, they might not grow all that big based on how far up and down they go is what I would think.

Regardless, they need a new home and you're going to need a proper aquarium. There's no getting around that. And do it soon, they've probably been in the bowl for too long and are stunted.

[mecc1959]

I'm OK with their size.  I think a bit bigger all around will be best, with the emphasis on surface area.

[Mollielover]

Being stunted just doesn't mean that they stop growing, their internal organs keep growing while their body stops.  From what I understand this is a long painful death.  I just wanted to make sure that you have all of the information.    I had goldfish in a bowl when I was a kid.  who knew?

[Radius]

Yep, exactly. To keep your fish you need a real aquarium and keeping goldfish is not cheap. They need really good filtration, but you save a bit as they don't need heaters. But not much...

The stunting is killing them painfully, just be aware of that.

[Tropical Dude]

Yeah, a long time ago I had some in a ten gallon tank that were 6 years old (I think) and they were only about 5" but one got a bowed out sore that was red in color and about a week later it died. It had exploded from it's own organs I guess. This is very cruel and you probably need a pond or a large tank. I think these fish bowls are cruel and should be discontinued.

[Essabee]

I have broken all the rules.  I have two goldfish in a smallish bowl (Spaz and Chester).  I change the whole bowl weekly with tap water and feed daily.  These guys have lived on my kitchen counter for two years!  Spaz is getting kind of big and needs a larger home.  I don't want an aquarium, so here's my question...which is more important, depth or serfice area?

I am sad to see something so cruel as goldfish in bowls. The only excuse for that is ignorance. They say ignorance is bliss, but that is true only for the ignorant. Now that you know what keeping large fish in inadequate volume of water mean, you are no longer ignorant and you must do one of the two things to correct your action which now is inexcusable. Either find a large 50G vessel to keep them in, an 18" deep tub will do, or return them to the LFS. You could also find a pond owner who would take them from you.

As to the question of surface area and depth: - It all depends upon the variety of fish to be kept. Deep bodied large fishes need deep water, and rice fishes would love a 6" deep pool as home, the volumes being otherwise adequate.

[Tropical Dude]

I think a pond for goldfish has to be 1-4 feet deep (has to have at least a 2 foot deep section in the middle of the pond) but for Koi it need to be a little deeper.