Help, I want a pet fish...?

Question

Just thinking of getting a simple goldfish (betta?) and was wondering if your standard goldfish bowl would make it happy, or if I should go a step further and get an aquarium/filter system. I apologize for my ignorance...please help me be a good fish mom. Also, what's the average lifespan of a goldfish?

Answer 1

gold fish need an oxygenated tank and a filter since they are messy fish.

betta dont need all this as bad, so a bowl would be perfect. they dont get as big as a goldfish.

P.S.  neither one of these fish need a heater.

Answer 2

Well thanks for coming here or you would end up with one sad dead fishy lol!

I am not sure if you mean goldfish as in the gold ones or goldfish as in Betta fish.

A betta is not a goldfish. They are completely different species of fish.

Anyway, a goldfish can grow up to a foot long and it is considered unhumane and cruel to keep a goldfish in a bowl. (some countries have banned common goldfish bowls)

One goldfish needs a minimum of 30 gallons, and its an extra 10 gallons for every other goldfish you add. (3 goldfish= 60 gallons)

Goldfish are extremely messy fish and would need a very good filter (or two!) because with so much waste the ammonia levels would get very high and they could be poisoned from their own p**p. D:

They will also need an air pump to get oxygen and

add a light ;)

That is really all a goldfish needs. You could add some plants and such but goldfish will nibble on the plants so they wont last very long.

A goldfish in the right conditions could live up to 30 years.

Bettas are different story.

They are usually friendly, curious and feisty little guys that are very hardy and easy to care for.

Bettas need a minimum of 2.5 gallons to swim around in. (Mine has 5 gallons) You would also need to have a heated (76-80F as they are tropical fish and can get sick without a heater) and filtered tank. Some people say bettas do not need a filter but they do... just one with a soft flow or the current catches their fins like the wind catches a kite.

Filters also make it much easier for you as you will won't have to clean the tank half as much!

They will also want some decorations such as silk plants (plastic can tear their fins) and some marbles at the bottom.

These would be ideal conditions, and a Betta COULD survive in a small 1/2 gallon cold dirty bowl.

But than again.. you could survive in a coat closet

Good luck and thanks for making sure you could properly care for you fish :D

Answer 3

bettas need about 5 gallons of filtered heated water

goldfish need filtered water and 20 gallons (fancy) or 50 gallons (commet/commen/shubunkin)

please dont use a bowl and read up on cycling an aquarium

do about a months worth of reaserch

Answer 4

Well each goldfish needs at least 10 gallon at the minimum to itself. And actually for the first fish 20 gallons is recommend and then for everyone after that you have to 10 gallons. Goldfish are messy, and hard to take care of.

I personally would recommend you get a betta. I suggest getting at the minimum a 2.5 gallon aquarium with a heater and filter if you want to keep him alone. A 5 gallon would be okay not only for a betta butalso a small school (3) of  a small schooling  fish such as danios, rosaboras or neons if you would like to. Go bigger and you can have a nice community aquarium

Whichever you choose make sure it has a filter (not underground), heater, and aerator.  One thing is most starter kits this size do not come with a heater but you can get one at just about any store that sells pet supplies for about $15 dollars

Answer 5

goldfish are very dirty so bowl = big no no

gold fish need 10 to 15 gallon per fish

  betta is better cuz of the fact there not messy dont realy need some thing that adds oxygen to water but its better for it

they need filter and heater in min 2.5 gal

                 happy fish keeping

Answer 6

well, uh they live at least 5 months probably and I'd suggest a aquarium for gold fish and bowl for betta

Answer 7

Hey there =)

If you get a goldfish, a bowl would probably be okay (it would have to be like a HUGGGGGE bowl), but would live happier in a aquarium.  They p**p a lot so their tanks get really messy and needs to be cleaned often or they could die of bad water.  Goldfish don't seem to last very long either.  Also, some species of Goldfish can get huge and you would need a bigger aqaurium.  Goldfish like coldwater (bettas like 75-82) so it is harder to keep their water perfect temperature.

On the other hand, I have had much better luck with bettas.  They are colorful and seem to have a personality each of their own.  If you were to get a betta, do not give it a bowl, give it something with a lid or hood on top because bettas have a tendacy to jump out of their bowls.  I don't think you would want to come home to a dead betta.  

I had my betta in a 2.5 gallon and he was perfectly happy.  With a tank that's somewhat small, you don't need a heater because the water would be too hot.  Most aquauriums come with lights and usually automatically heat up little tanks.

Yes, I would agree that you should get a filter system, it is a lot easier to maintain then your weekly water changes with a bowl.  

Since you have made your mind up that you would not like to get a Goldfish, here is an amazing site on bettas.

http://bettatalk.com/

You are not ignorant, everyone starts off this way, good luck =)

Ok trolls, thumbs down!

Answer 8

Your best bet would be a Betta. Goldfish grow up to a foot long, and Fancies require a 20+ gallon tank with a filter. Comets grow up to a foot and a half long, and require a 55+ gallon tank with an excellent canister filter. Check out these pictures: http://cellar.org/2002/recordgoldfish.jp...

http://pic.ccn.mofcom.gov.cn/ccne/14852/...

http://www.goldfishconnection.com/images...

However, you still can't keep a Betta in a bowl. Bettas deserve a minimum of 2.5 gallons (5 gallons is ideal) with a filter and heater. The reason they won't live well in a bowl is because they live here in the wild: http://www.cultureshocktherapy.com/pic/i...

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/p...

Plus they need a heater because in the wild, the temperature is hot year-round. They do best in temperatures of 75-80* F. Without a heater, they'll be less colorful, be more susceptible to diseases, and be less active than if they had a heater.

And they need a filter since they are living creatures and produce waste. The filter will pick up the waste as well as the ammonia and nitrite that it produces.

E-mail me for any questions!

Answer 9

Bettas are easier to take care of then goldfish. Bettas require at least a 2.5 gallon with a heater and a filter. A goldfish would need a 30 gallon with a filter, despite the popular "goldfish bowl" that you often see. Goldfish can get as big as 2 feet, most bettas get to be about 3 inches fully grown (except for giant bettas which can be as big a 7-8 inches). Goldfish can easily live up to 10 years, with great care 20 years. Bettas average lifespan is 3.5 years but with great care they can live up to 8 years or a bit more.