There are a lot of strong opinions regarding keeping goldfish in bowls, and you’ll find plenty of confusing and contradicting information about it in every corner of the goldfish-loving internet. To make things less confusing for you, we’ve compiled some of the most frequently asked questions about goldfish bowls. It’s important to understand all aspects of goldfish bowls to ensure you provide your goldfish with the happiest, healthiest life possible.
The 8 Common Goldfish Bowl Questions Answered
1. Can goldfish happily live in a bowl?
The short answer to this question is a simple “yes”, but there are a lot of factors that play into whether your goldfish will be happy living in a bowl. A bowl that is too small to allow adequate movement or that has poor water quality will not be a happy environment for your goldfish to live in. A bowl with clean water, filtration, and space to move can all help provide a happy home for your goldfish. It’s important to understand that keeping a goldfish in a bowl often involves more of a time and effort commitment than caring for an aquarium.
It covers all you need to know about the ideal tank setup, tank size, substrate, ornaments, plants, and so much more!
2. What kind of goldfish are suitable for a bowl?
Depending on the setup of the bowl, any goldfish can be suitable for living in a bowl. Slim-bodied goldfish, like commons and comets, are extremely hardy fish that are probably the best pick for living in a bowl. This is especially true if you are new to fish keeping and are unsure how to manage water quality. Fancy goldfish, like fantails, telescopes, and Orandas are often not as hardy as their slim-bodied cousins. This is because these fish are generally bred for a specific appearance and not for health, with inbreeding and breeding of physical deformities being the norm. These fish are less likely to thrive in a bowl, especially one with poor water quality.
3. Will goldfish have stunted growth in a bowl?
This is dependent on how often you are performing water changes and how well you are managing the water quality in the bowl. It’s believed that goldfish growth becomes stunted due to a hormone they release into the water. The hormone builds up in the water, causing stunted growth. It’s also possible that elevated nitrate levels can lead to growth stunting. Malnutrition and starvation will also lead to growth stunting, as the body is working to perform essential functions and not focusing on growth. Hormone buildup and elevated nitrate levels are more likely to occur in a goldfish bowl than in a tank with adequate filtration.
4. How long does it take for a goldfish’s growth to begin stunting?
This can vary widely, and since the cause of stunting is not fully understood, there is not a simple answer. How rapidly your goldfish begins having growth stunting is dependent on the size of the bowl, the size of your fish, the number of fish in the bowl, the frequency of water changes, the overall water quality, and nutrition. Some fish may begin having growth stunting within weeks, while others may not show signs of stunted growth for months or longer.
- See Also: How Big Can Goldfish Get? Here’s the Surprising Answer!
5. How often do water changes need to be performed in a bowl?
Once again, there is not a straight answer because how often you should be performing water changes depends on the stocking of the tank and the filtration. If you have a single 2-inch goldfish in a 10-gallon bowl with a filtration system, then water changes may only be necessary every week or so. However, if you have a 6-inch goldfish in a 5-gallon bowl with no filtration, then water changes likely need to be performed once per day, with some bowls needing twice daily water changes. Partial water changes of up to 30% are ideal since they lessen the likelihood of your fish being shocked by a whole bowl of new water.
- See Also: Goldfish Turning Red? Here’s What To Do!
6. Is a filter necessary for keeping a goldfish in a bowl?
Technically, a filter is not necessary to keep a goldfish in a bowl. Goldfish are capable of breathing air from the surface of the water, so they don’t require the aeration provided by a filtration system. However, a filter can be a huge asset to helping you maintain water quality in your fishbowl. Filters provide mechanical, chemical, and biological filtration, all of which help remove waste and toxins from the water, improving and maintaining high water quality.
If your goldfish is in a bowl without filtration, then waste is simply building up until you perform a water change. This allows ammonia and nitrite levels to rise, as well as nitrate levels to exceed 20–40ppm, all of which can be dangerous and even deadly for your goldfish.
- See Also: Are Small Fish Tanks Cruel? Fact vs Fiction & What You Need To Know!
7. Are there bowls big enough for medium and large goldfish?
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Yes! There are fishbowls of many sizes that are adequate for medium and large goldfish. Some fishbowls with filtration systems can exceed 30 gallons, which is plenty of space for a couple of goldfish. The average fishbowl is under 5 gallons, with some reaching 10–12 gallons. Finding a larger bowl for your goldfish may be a challenge, but it’s absolutely doable!
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- See Also: Do Goldfish Grow to the Size of Their Tank? Fact vs Fiction
8. Will living in a bowl shorten my goldfish’s life?
Keeping your goldfish in a bowl won’t necessarily shorten their life, but this is dependent on your commitment to their care. The average goldfish kept in a bowl only lives 1–2 years. However, goldfish kept in bowls with excellent water quality can live into the double digits. The oldest goldfish on record was named Tish, and she lived to be at least 43 years old! Tish spent much of her life living in a fishbowl but was provided excellent water quality and nutrition that helped maintain her longevity.
How long your goldfish can survive in a bowl is completely up to the level of care you are willing and able to provide. It’s important to keep in mind that a fishbowl isn’t as self-sustaining as an aquarium typically is. This means that if you are out of town or an emergency or illness arises, and you are unable to be home to care for your fish, you will need to have someone available to care for your fish properly or you’ll risk your fish becoming ill or dying from poor water quality.
Conclusion
Many people consider keeping a goldfish in a bowl to be cruel, and it certainly can be cruel without a proper commitment to the care of the fish and an understanding of how to maintain the water quality. Your goldfish won’t know the difference between living in a bowl or living in an aquarium, as long as you are providing them with good water quality and nutrition, your goldfish can thrive. With proper care, a goldfish can happily live in a bowl for decades. Just look at Tish, the world’s oldest goldfish!
Featured Image Credit: LUIS-PADILLA-Fotografia-scaled, Shutterstock
