Goldfish Bowls

Ideally, fish should never be kept in a bowl. They will be much happier and healthier if kept in a tank with a proper filtration system and room to swim around. However, when just starting out, some people choose a Goldfish Bowl.

How Many Fish?

Most bowls hold approximately 8 litres of water. This is not a large amount of water for a fish with a high bio-load, such as a Common Goldfish. Instead, if a bowl must be used rather than a tank with a filter, one small Fancy Goldfish, 3 Zebra Danio or 3 White Cloud Mountain Minnows are a much better choice. These fish will produce far less waste than a Common Goldfish, meaning Ammonia levels will not rise as quickly and maintenance of the bowl will be more manageable.

Maintenance

In order to keep ammonia levels as low as possible, partial water changes should be completed daily. Approximately half of the water should be removed and replaced with clean, dechlorinated tap water, which has been raised to room temperature. Warm water from the kettle can be used to raise the temperature of the water before adding to the bowl, but water should never be taken from a hot water tap, as the hot water tank may be made from copper which is harmful to fish. The entire bowl should be cleaned at least once per week, including the gravel. Stress Coat is ideal for reducing stress on your fish as the high levels of water changes can be upsetting.

Feeding

One flake should be fed per fish, every second day. Feeding as per the package instructions will lead to high ammonia levels in the bowl and will cause harm to the fish.

Other Considerations

Goldfish Bowls, and even some of the smaller tanks, are unsuitable long term solutions for Common Goldfish. Even Fancy Goldfish will outgrow a bowl eventually. If your fish is becoming too large for their bowl or tank, please consider upgrading, or call our shop on 02830834858 and we may be able to help with rehoming your fish.