In case you plan on using a bowl for an aquarium here are reasons why not to.....?

Question

I have noticed that new fish owners, and people who want to get fish are uneducated about the harmful effects that bowls have on fish. I think we should start a "thread" and list the reasons why people who want to start fish keeping should stay away from this type of "aquarium". I'll start:

Bowls are meant for cereal...they lack the space needed to be able to maintain fish at their healthiest. They are not suitable for live fish...

List any reasons as to why bowls should not be used....hopefully people who think that this a a good idea would change their minds.

Answer 1

GOLDFISH ARE PERHAPS THE WORST FRESHWATER FISH TO KEEP IN A BOWL!

They create over 10x the amount of waste a tropical fish creates.  They also have weak gills and swim bladders, so they need a tank with a lot of surface area to get oxygen.  Here is some information about goldfish being good fish for bowls/small tanks:

Pros:

Coldwater fish (no need for heater)

Beautiful morphs and colors

Readily available and cheap

Cons (many, many more of these than pros):

Produce a lot of waste

Need a tank with a lot of surface area so they can breathe

Need filters sized for tanks bigger than the one they're in (i.e. a filter for up to 55 gallons for a 20)

Although hardy, still need a cycled tank with good water parameters, which is hard to maintain and check in a bowl

Most types grow absolutely huge (up to 12")

Is that enough for you?  Bettas don't do great in bowls unless a few rules are followed:

At least one gallon (preferrably 2 or more)

75-78 Degree Water

Lighter on feeding

Kept alone

50% water changes once a week, 100% once a month

Most other fish (actually all) don't do well in bowls so please don't put any fish in a bowl except for a betta under the right conditions!

And Harlow B, it is not wrong to keep pets.  They are safe from starvation, dehydration, insufficient nutrition, predators, natural disasters, and many other dangers.  My geckos, hamster, and fish are much happier and healthier than they would be in the wild.  And (hopefully), CB (captive bred) animals cannot be released again.  As long as you RESEARCH and provide your pet with what it needs AND MORE, pets are great.

Answer 2

I have to mostly agree with you. Some bowls are 2.5 gallons, and depending on your view of the great betta and filtration debate, you can easily fit a small disposable filter in there, and a 7.5watt heater for a betta, and he would live quite happily in there.But a small bowl with no filtration (And no heat depending on the room temp in your house) Is just plain horrible to fish! It just gets me so ticked off when people will not read a fish book! Fish are not like hamsters, they are much higher maintenance and ppl who have no idea how to cycle a tank, or don't know anything about fish wonder why they die! GAH! READ A BOOK NEWBIES!!lol! If any new ppl into fish keeping are reading this, the idiots guide to a freshwater aquarium is a great book to help you learn how to properly keep fish!

Edit:Hollow B. What is your veiw on captive bred fish..i mean they have to be in a good enviornment to breed (Unless its livebearers) Like the color morphs of gouramis or bettas. They would die in the wild, whats your view on them? And captive bred birds? They would die in the wild. The birds have to be happy or they would not mate. Plus you saying it would be horrible to live in a fish tank...its like putting a human in a good size house, and that perticular human(Well, fish don't really like to go anywhere, or be taken anywhere) never liked to leave. He would be perfecly happy in his little house(In fishey talk, the fish is happy in a tank.) Don't come on to the fish section and diss our favorite hobby. If you actually read and researched and found out how much dedicated hobbyiest care for there fish, you would get it, the fish are happy! Yea, newbies into fishkeeping should do research so the fish are healthy, but yell at them, not us.

Answer 3

Fish that can be kept in a bowl?

Undoubtedly not available to the general public, but check the Paedocypris progenetica. And for an aquarium?  Check out the last site.

See below.  Maybe even 3 in a one gallon container.

Bettas and other anabantids need a decent sized surface, so although Bettas (not just B. splendens)  may be able to "survive" in a small container, they just don't provide a large enough water surface.

Pet stores intend to sell their male Bettas quickly, so keep them in the cups for only relatively short periods.  A responsible clerk will never tell anyone they can keep one in too small a container.  Unless they just don't know, then it's an irresponsible manager.

Answer 4

Things to consider:

1)  Fishbowls have been outlawed as cruelty to animals in towns in Italy including Rome and Monza.  

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/InNews/bow...

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200...

The argument continues in Scotland

http://news.scotsman.com/petaprotests/An...

2)  ALL fish have requirements for a healthy and thriving life.  These have been established by experts, researchers, and professional fresh and salt water marine life specialists.  These requirements are even distilled down and available in simple-to-read library books, web sites, and free literature found at many fish stores.  

These requirements are often totally ignored by fish owners.  

These requirements include a certain amount of un-crowded and stable water environment to be healthy.  Most bowls and owners provide neither.  Fish tanks are more self-sustaining, and fish don't suffer as much from neglect.

http://www.fishlore.com/

3)  When setting up a fish tank, a person is setting up an eco-system.  That needs to be respected.  This includes a stable water environment, which usually includes filtration.  Most fishbowls are not large enough for filtration, or even an air-stone to keep the water oxygenated.  Massive sudden large water changes can kill fish, or drastically shorten their life.

http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/waterc...

http://www.firsttankguide.net/bowl.php

4)  Gas-exchange.  The surface area of the water does not allow for sufficient gas-exchange to keep the fish from suffocating or suffering from lack of oxygen in the water.  The rule of thumb here is 1" of fish per 30 square inches of surface area.

5)  Basic rule of thumb for stocking fish (often disputed-but using it to make a point)

1" - 1 gallon for non-goldfish up to 4" as adults.  

1/2" - 1 gallon for goldfish up to 6" as adults.

Even using this flawed system- how many fish types can fit into a 1-2 gallon goldfish bowl?

6)  When getting fish, their needs to consider:  PH, Water hardness, potential adult size of the fish, social (aggressive/non-aggressive/community fish, egg or live bearers.  Contrary to popular belief, most fish can live 5 years or longer when cared for well.

7)  An analogy for living in a goldfish bowl:

Strap oneself into a Victorian "wasp-waist" corset.  Lace it as tightly as humanly possible.  Now go sit in a small apartment owned by a cat hoarder.  That smell you attempting to breathe- its ammonia.  That’s the same chemical that builds up quickly in a fish bowl along with others.  Changing all the water will help, but frequent water changes stress the fish- no matter what kind you have.  Think of it like most cats with vacuum cleaners.

Just some thoughts on the subject

Answer 5

I sell fish, and many people like to argue with me that fish (particularly goldfish) can live in bowls. They tell me they have done it before, and that the fish lived for months.

In which i reply, a goldfish may live to be 20.

That usually gets the point across.

FISH BOWLS ARE PRISONS THAT LEAD TO AN EARLY DEATH!

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Answer 6

The don't have enough surface area to aide in proper gas exchange. As in not enough oxygen gets absorbed into the water, thus suffocating the fish.

Answer 7

ANY animal that requires being held captive in a cage or tank is not meant to be a pet.

How would you like to be stuck in a fish tank for your life? Or a bird cage?