Can a goldfish survive in a bowl or does it need a filter?

Question

I have seen a lot in cartoons a gold fish swimming in a bowl with rocks and fake plants on the bottom but my family and I want to buy 3 goldfish and put them in a 12" by 12" glass bowl with no filter at all. Can they survive without a filter and can 3 goldfish live together?

Answer 1

3 goldfish can live together, but not in a bowl! They can get 6 inches (If they are fancies, I reccomend fancies over commons or comets cuz they get so big) with proper care. For the fancy goldfish you need a 30 gallon tank with a strong filter. For the commons or comets, you need a 70 gallon tank with a strong filter! Goldfish are so messy, and if they survive the cycling process of a small bowl, they will only live 2-3 years instead of 10-20 years. This is because they live in such a small place and there growth becomes stunted and they stay small. BUT their internal organs don't get the message and keep growing!! The ends in 1 of these 2 versions of a slow painfull death

1. The  goldfishes organs stops working and they die -or-

2. 1 Of there organs ruptures and they die. A goldfish needs a lot of room, it is a complete lie they can live happily in a bowl, made up by the economys love of money and complete disrespect for living creatures! Please do not get a goldfish for a bowl. Here is a very informative artical of why not to.

http://www.animalfreedom.org/english/inf...

Now I will give you some info on how to properly take care of goldfish!

Fancy goldfish witch get 6-8 inches are the smallest variety of goldfish. Many people think feeder goldfish (which are usually cmmons or comet goldfish) stay small, like under 3 inches! That is NOT true!! Those types of goldfish are the largest, getting a foot or longer!

Fancy goldfish pic (fancys come in many diffrent varietys including orandas or fantails. At the pet store they will be labled fancy goldfish variety so it is hard to tell thediffrent types) http://www.bristol-aquarists.org.uk/gold...

This also shows wheather the type of goldfish is common, umcommon less rare or rare. in the uk, far east and in the usa. That also shows you single tail goldfish, which get about a foot long.

Ok, now onto goldfish care.

The tank: Depending on your goldfish the tank needs to be 30 gallons for 3 fancy goldfish. The rule is 10 gallons of water per fish. or 75 gallons for 3 singletail goldfish. The rule in 2 per 50 gallons, that is 1 every 25 gallons. Goldfish love to eat live plants. So it is good to use fake plants in a goldfish tank. Goldfish love places to hide and get away from other ting or other fish, so lots of fake plants and rock and drift wood is important. Goldfish are one of the...if not THE messiest fish! Another reason the ammonia poisoning would probably kill them before the growth stunt did! Goldfish need a STRONG filter, a filter made for a tank with more gallons! That is how messy they are! So if you got 3 fancys in a 30 gallon tank, it is best to have a filter made for a 50 gallon or larger tank. If you have 3 singletail goldfish in a 75 gallon tank, you will need to have a filter for a 100+ gallon tank! ok, once you have your tank set up ontop of your stand, with a good filter and proper decorations and such, it is time to add an airstone! You can buy and size airstone at almost any pet store. Airstones blow out bubbles and add oxygen to the water, which is VERY good for the fish. Goldfish need lots of oxygen!

ok, so your tank is all set up. Time to stick in some fish. right? Wrong. Time to cycle your tank. For cycling a tank, you can cycle it with fish of without fish. I cycle with fish and have not had a casualty yet!lol! Here is how to cycle with fish- http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php

And here is how to without fish- http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/fi...

Either way, you need to cycle your tank! Ok, so before you run out and buy your fisheys, you need to learn how to care for them!

Transfering your fish-

Ok, so your home, tank is cycled...or you are holding the fish you are going to used to cycle the tank! But how do you put them in the new tank?!?! Well, once your tank is filled with dechlorinated water(You can buy dechlorinator at any pet store) put your goldfish that is inthe bad inside the tank and let it float for 30 minutes. Then pour water from your tank into your goldfishes bag. then wait another 30 minutes. once that is done you can use your net to fish out the fish and place him in your new tank!

Feeding: Goldfish are omnivores and love variety in there diet. Their base diet should be a high quality pellet food. I say pellet instead of flake because when a goldfish eats flake food off the surface of the water, they also swallow air. That can either cause or worsen swim bladder disorder. It can be treated, but the treatment  does not always work! If you feed them sinking pellets it lowers the chance of your fish getting swim bladder disorder...by a lot. To be on the safe side, I am going to give you the symptoms and how to treat it. The symptoms are : Goldfish having trouble keeping balance.

Fish having trouble swimming strait and

Fish swimming upside down

Here is how to treat it-

Feed your fish one pea a day. Thaw the pea out and take the shell off. Then mash it up and feed it to the fish with the problem. Ok back to what to feed your fish!

You would'nt want to eat the same thing everyday, would you? Neither does your fish. Goldfish love variety!! twice a week you should feed your goldfish a treat. since they are omnivors you should give them one meaty trey, like thawed out bloowroms or brineshrimp. You can buy these at almost any pet store. For the plant matter of a treat, you can feed them boiled lettuce or zuchinni slices. or those algea wafers you buy at the pet store. Ok, done with feeding! The only thing I can think of is to remember to change the water once a week! Now, that is all you need to know about goldfish! Ok, if you want a pretty fish that stays small and can live in a 12 inch by 12 inch bowl very happily with no filter, go for a betta fish!!!! They stay small and beautifull! Bettas are carnivors. They still need variety, frozen bloodworms or brineshrimp once a week is good. They still need there bowl/tank whatever you get to be cycled. Here is a betta care sheet- http://www.bettatalk.com/betta_care.htm

Bettafish are the best starter fish and are very pretty.

Good luck with whatever fish you get, and PLEASE don't put ANY goldfish in a bowl.

Answer 2

3 goldfish would need at LEAST a 30 gallon tank, depending on their size when you get them, and you'd probably need to get a larger tank for them later on when they're a bit bigger. You'd need aeration, and yes, a very powerful filter. Goldfish are very, very messy fish - if you put 3 in a bowl with no filtration, they'll all die very quickly. There are a lot of myths about goldfish, and goldfish bowls are like little personal goldfish coffins for them.

Answer 3

a goldfish will live in a bowl, but you would have to clean the bowl almost every day.  a filter would be a lot easier

Answer 4

Hi Kel, no they will last about as long as it takes for them to pollute their water & suffocate on their own waste. The iconic image of Goldy happily playing in his bowl belongs in cloud cuckoo land & ensures the self fulfilling half truth many people believe that they only last a few weeks. Properly housed these playful & intelligent creatures live well into their 20s & grow to a foot long.

  Each fish needs at least 10 gallons APIECE, a tank with a fitted lid, a filter capable of running a tank twice the size of the one you have [Goldfish are dirty!] & a master test kit to monitor your water quality. More points to bear in mind that may convince your family to do the right thing are fish confined in small containers get stunted-that is their bodies stop growing while their insides continue to grow so they explode-that's if living in their own toilet doesn't suffocate them first. The larger tank you provide the easier it will be to maintain because it's more stable both in terms of toxic dilution & temperature fluctuation. Keeping a fish in an unfiltered container is simply condemning it to an untimely  death.

  Unlike just about every other captive animal fish cannot go anywhere else but their tank-this is their entire universe so the larger you make it the happier your fish will be. The link below has all the answers.

Answer 5

Well don't always belive cartoons or you'll have a dead animal that way. But goldfish can live in plain bols with filtered water but they dont live as long and the bowls require frecunt cleaning. My one fish lives in a filtered tank and hes been around for 3 years! I used to hav a fighting fish and he only lived in a small bowl and he died after 1 month, We had to clean his bowl every week. So I'd say send the money on the tank and the filter and sell it on ebay if the fish dies!

Answer 6

goldfishes are really messy, so if your  gonna put 3 of them in without a filter, your gonna have to clean the bowl a lot. like maybe every week or every other.

hope i helped :) good luck.

Answer 7

commercially it will be profitable to sell goldfish in a bowl since it will not last long and bowl don't use filter makes water condition very bad and goldfish produces so much waste even with a filter some could not cope up.   Suggestion buy a bigger tank with filter however if you continue it for the meantime you need to do partial water change from time to time.

Answer 8

it can live a while

Answer 9

nooooo, 3 common/ commet goldies need a 150gallon tank with a good filter, 3 fancys need 50gallon with good filter, bowls are unacceptble sorry =[

Answer 10

I have SIX in a fish bowl and they are doing fine.  I have had them in there for 3 months, but I had to change the water like once a week.

Answer 11

yeah in cartoons they live in a bowl but, they should really live in a tank with a filter. yes goldfish can survive 2gether.

the only fish that can survive in a bowl with no filter is a beta fish. because they have to be in non-movement water. but they cant survive 2gether they will eat eachother.

Answer 12

3 baby goldfish in a bowl would be no problem.

Be aware of their size when mature before purchasing.  Even a large bowl would not be large enough for an adult goldfish.

Answer 13

3 goldfish in 30 gallon

no goldfish should be in a bowl.grow too big

a powerful filter will keep them longer

Answer 14

i think u can have a goldfish in a bowl...i have one gold fish in a normal one gallon bowl and he/she is doing fine...no problems soo far ..and i had it for a year now

soo its up to u..i mean alot of people say it..but whos going to have a fish till its 15 inches big...but i dont recommend more then 1 or 2 in a bowl because its alot of cleaning...and i dont have a filter either i just have a plant and a cave thingy....