How long should I wait to put my goldfish in his bowl of tapwater?

Question

I have been waiting just over 6 hours, so far, and Im not too sure how much longer I should wait. It is tap water in a glass fishbowl, and hes just one goldfish, the only thing in there other than some rocks. I read on a net search that I should wait 24 hours, but that seems a little extreme and Im not comfortable leaving the little guy in his plastic bag that long. Any help is great! Thanks :)

Answer 1

hi goldfish need at least 20 gallons but if you insist on using a bowl

1.fill the bowl

2. add water conditioner (removes harmfully chemicals)

3. turn on the filter (a goldfish in a bowl should have a filter)

4. leave it for a month adding small pinches of flake every so often. this builds up good bacteria that destroys fish killing ammonia.

5. add your fish

6. done

it sounds like you have already bought your fish so if so just add it now and cross your fingers it does not die

good luck

happy fishkeeping

need help read my profile

edit: if you get a betta you need a heater

Answer 2

get the water to room temp. which you have done  put bag and your new pet into the tank and let them float for half hour to get use to the water temp.  and then let it free this works on gold fish bowl or tank

Answer 3

put his bag in the fishbowl

then slowly let the water blend.

he needs some of teh water in the bag too.

other wise he'll go into shock and die.

i've had fish all my life and had my share go into shock

Answer 4

if you got anti cholorine will make it faster but it is safer if you wait.  Just put the goldfish in a basin with the plastic water with aerator will do

Answer 5

A goldfish should never be kept in a bowl. They grow to be about 6-8 inches long. Since you already have it in a plastic bag, you might as well put him in the bowl now. The bag is even worse than the bowl. When your goldfish dies (probably within a few days) clean out the tank, fill it with water, let it sit for a few days, and buy a betta. That's the only fish that will survive in a bowl.

Answer 6

at least 24 hours if it is new tap water.  If the water has been in the bowl for at a day then you can just float him in the water for a few minutes and then let him go.

Answer 7

Oh geesh, more stupid people answering goldfish questions when they dont have a CLUE as to what they are talking about.

I've only seen ONE other decent answer.

First off, setting tap water out will not remove chlorine. That is a myth. The only way to remove chlorine and chloramine from tap water is to buy a water conditioner from your local petstore. If conditioner is not added, then the chlorine will literally burn your goldfish's delicate skin and gills, and kill it. So like the other poster said, you might as well put it in now, it will sadly die anyways.

Secondly, a goldfish can NOT live in a fishbowl!! They need LARGE tanks and SUPERIOR filtration. Goldfish create three times the amount of ammonia that other fish produce. Ammonia is deadly to fish, and without good filtration keeping the TANK clean, then it can easily kill them.

Not only that, but commet (commen) goldfish can get over 2 feet long. Even fantails can get up to 16 inches (the largest one ever was 18 inches long), and they get as big around as dinner plates.

The myth that fish only grow to their enviroment is also a myth. That would be like putting a baby in a box and then not expecting it to grow. It's true, your fish wont grow to it's full size, but that's just because it will die. Most goldfish in bowls don't live longe then a year, while goldfish in ponds and large tanks can live over 20 years.

Im not blaming you or yelling at you, Im blaming the idiot that sold you the fish without giving you any information on it. If I were you, I would try to find someone with a pond to put the goldfish in. They need at least a thirty gallon tank, but goldfish will thrive in ponds.

Answer 8

leave him in the bag and set him in the bowl water for like ten minutes so he can get used to the water and then dump him in