Why do you think that you need ten gallons per goldfish. I think that rule is downright ridiculous. About a year ago, I used to keep five adult goldfish in a ten gallon and they were just fine. I tested my ammonia level every day, and it was always below 0.02%. And guess what, I only did a monthly water change! Those fish lived for years. Honestly, I think that you guys are to picky about the way you keep your fish. please no one get mad at me for expressing my oppinion, it's just that goldfish are fish-just fish. I'm not saying that i don't enjoy them, I enjoy them alot. But goldfish aren't dogs or cats or horses, there just fish. they don't need 10-20 gallons per goldie. My aunt keeps her goldie in a bowl, and her ammonia levels are fine! she got him 15 years ago, and he is still happy and healthy! He has never gotten sick! I used to keep goldies in bowls, and none of them ever got sick-ever. Now that I am keeping goldfish in tanks, they are getting ich and dropsy every month! :angry: Your goldfish don't care if they are kept in bowls. They don't mind at all! Please no one get mad at me for saying this! :crp

So your saying that its alright for a fish that will grow to 10" long to live in something that is only about 2 gals long and stunt his growth.....Hummmm I don't see that being fare at all Hun.

Since I have more that 10 gals per fish and have a filtration rate of more than 10 times an hour, do 50% water changes every week, feed them home made foods and check their water quality every week, I my self haven't had a problem. I also don't stick on Ornaments that are hollow into the tank to cause the problems that most people will get.

Ick most of the time is due to stress, either caused my the human or by the stuff in their tanks.

Goldfish need more respect than to be placed into a bowl and say that is fine with it. I love all my goldfish and don't think of them as being just fish. When your fish get to 8-9" long you will see that they have allot of personality than just a plan old fish.

Also I would have never seen my Pharoh grow to 7-8" long in a bowl and most likely would have lost him when he was 3 years old. I have had him now for 5 years and wouldn't give him up to anyone.

I'm so sorry that you think goldfish are just fish......Sorry again if this looks personal, but I have seen enough of these posts to get me stirred up and mad also people thinking goldfish are dumb.

All I have to say is if you love some thing it should madder what they look like or what they are: just for who they are and take care of them to the best of your ability

Okay, first of all, this is a board of goldfish lovers and you are saying they are just FISH??? And you don't want us to get mad? <_<

Then you tell us that we are too picky.... And that what we say is best for goldfish is ridiculous. Hmmmmm.....

I know that commons and comets can sometimes take a ton of abuse and will live in for a while in bowls but the sad truth is that their growth is stunted and that is not good.

Here is a question: Did your aunt really bother to check her ammonia levels when her goldfish was in a bowl??

it's obvious that you think of fish as mere decorator objects as opposed to living beings with minds and needs of their own.

a goldfish in a bowl is like an adult human living in a 8' square room...whilest they may survive, they definately aren't content. furthermore, all living things deserve respect...regardless of species

Wow... just Fish!!!

and a cat is just a cat... (well.. to me.. I'm VERY allergic to them)
and a Dog.. is.. wel.. I'm a dog lover.. great.. BUT once more I'm allergic to them (proof that there is a god and he has a sense of humor!)

So my wife asked for a goldfish after we saw Nemo.. got one.. had it in a bowl with water changes and later a whisper filter...
he lasted a few months... but .. well.. later died (I later found out from acidosis)

learned more.. got a larger tank.. (eclipse 3.. then Eclipse 12.. then another and another!!)
now have 3 tanks.. each with just 2 (uh oh... not quite 10 per... but then again.. the eclipse is a very efficient tank system)
now my 2 "rescued" comets, Silver and Gold.. which were tiny.. are now almost 3" long.. (body).. the two in the other tank.. Calico and Blue (orginally was told.. a calico fantail... but.. he's a ryukin I'm sure... and Blue was a blue oranda.. then faded to white)..
these two are the friendliest fish I have.. when I clean.. they come over to me.. when I have to move them.. i can gently cup them and gently move them out of the way... then they come back... sorry.. that's not "just fish!!!"

then the two oldest... Psycho (a fantail.. gold with white tails and fins) and Whitefish (a white fantail who had a slightly stunted dorsal fin.. so I took him home) they have grown.. but actually remain the smallest..

All are in Eclipse System 12's (along with 2 oto's for cleaning)

and I'm looking into the 55 Gal w/stand $90 combo from Petland Discount... the 48" lid from petco ($78) and an Emperor 400 from Dr F&S ($38) to put all of them in one tank...

just fish???? nahhhh . they are pets..ok.. not the barking and licking kind.. (well.. the two (Blue and Calico... they kinda do their form of "licking")
but other fish to me are just fish...
I find that the Goldfish.. they have personality!!!

why did we call the fantail Psycho??? he would do a little dance along the glass for several months when we first got him...back and forth... like he was going nuts!!

THEN he got stuck in an ornament.. we were worried.. my wife was about to pull the ornament out.. when he popped out...
sank to the bottom and sat there....

his companion... Whitefish.. later came around.. and started nudging him.. and he started to recover.. (with melafix) he healed.. and now has a white stripe...
no more psycho dancing...

oh yeah.... just fish....
my folks didnt understand... then when they came over for Pesach.. my mother was just entranced....

Ps.. I just turned 49 and my wife is slightly older...
oh. and come september.. we will have had Psycho and Whitefish just 1 YEAR!!
Silver and Gold were feeders!! not anymore!! and they are the more recent ones... maybe last december?? with Calico and Blue somewhere inbetween.

just fish????

no... just pets!!!!

Rob Friedman
Freeport, NY

J dude why do you keep telling us that Gold fish don't need 10 gals. per fish. ARE YOU INSANE! Goldfish and other fish don't belong in bowls, tanks, or even ponds, they should be in the rivers and lakes and oceans from where they came from 1,000's of years ago. They shouldn't be treated like@#%$ just because you say so. Fish and other kinds of animals were created by God to co exist with nature and its foundations, not to be kept by humans and be mistreated. Many people think that they're decorations and all that stuff, but they aren't. If I were rich I'd create my own river in my huge property to admire them in something close to the wild. People say that they grow to be 8-9 in. long but I doubt that in the wild(probobly 3 ft. long) and they probobly last even longer than 40 years! As for being just fish, they're not, all of them have different personalities as for you I don't think you should keep bragging about how you keep 5 fish for every 10 gals. I doubt your fish last that long I bet you have to replace your fish every 2 months at the most.


Editied cause of rule
3. Rudeness to other members will not be tolerated. Bullying other members will not be tolerated. Baiting
posts will not be tolerated.

Thank you

jdude360,
I am new here...but silly man...you do delight in getting everyone's dander up. First Progold, now our gold standard of goldfish care.
I got sucked in on the last one, today I will just shake my head and shrug.
Tee hee to you too!!! A

I think ya'll took what I was saying the wrong way. I didn't say that I think goldfish should be kept in bowls, I just don't think they need a whole ten gallons each. And when I said "just fish" I didn't mean dumb stupid animals who shouldn't be cared for and mistreated. What I meant was goldfish don't care how big their tank/bowl is. They don't know the difference from a bowl and a pond. They don't have the brain copacity to understand that type of stuff. Your goldfish don't wonder or think, they can't. Their brain just isn't large enough for that. If they could think and wonder and love and understand the difference between a pond and a bowl, then why aren't our fish doing long division and calculus? Because they can't, they're not smart enough to do that kind of stuff. I love my fish to death and would never let anyone hurt or mistreat any of them. I am a total goldfish lover, ya'll just took what I was trying to say the wrong way. :crp

I think what's important to remember is that the 10 gallon rule isn't law, and it doesn't necessarily mean your fish will get horribly sick and die if you don't follow it to the letter. I think 10+ gallons per fish allows you to be able to clean your tank less often, worry less about growth and health, and gives your fish room to swim and frolic. And yes, fish aren't as advanced as humans, but they're still pets, and we love them. Even if they can't say "thank you", it's so great to see them happy and healthy.

And about goldfish bowls.. no one's stopping you from using them, but I don't think you should assume that bowls are better than tanks just because your fish fared better in the bowl. But think of it this way... do you think your pet lizard would enjoy life more in a cup, or a large terrarium? Would your dog or cat prefer the dark corner of the garage, or a big backyard they could frolic around in? I really believe in giving your pets the best you can personally afford to give them.

At first, I was a suck up like everyone else here, but I've changed sense I've joined. Lately I've felt that I need to tell everyone some actually true things about goldfish and the way they think and I'm not scared to do that. I don't want everyone on this site to think of me as a goldie suck up. I bought goldfish because I thought it would be fun, I joined this site for goldfish help; and now it feels like everything I have to do with my goldfish has to be with fancy plants and test kits and special food, and salt. I've forgotten just what it's like not to care for your goldfish so much, but to just sit down and enjoy them. I didn't think that goldfish keeping should be this hard and this fancy. I just wanted to enjoy having them. I hope I don't hurt anyone by saying this! :crp

I never said I would rather keep goldfish in bowls! :angry: I never said that bowls are better than tanks! I am totally against bowls, I just don't think goldfish need a whole ten gallons each! I have a large aquarium and I like it! :angry: Why is everyone taking this wrong. All I said was that goldfish don't need ten gallons and that they don't care to be kept in small habitats.

So Jdude, Let me ask you this simple question, If a fish that gets in normal size to 8" long it would be okay for them to be in something that is smaller than ten gals?

See the whole point is that goldfish in them selfs grow to 7-12"long depending on the fish its self. If I hadn't given my Pharoh 12 gals of water to live in he wouldn't be 7-8" long now. Do you think he could live in anything less than 10 gals now with that body length.

Yes you should enjoy them. I enjoy mine very much, but some times when you want some thing you have to take care of them to live long and happy lives. Just like I wouldn't have a German Sheppard in an apartment with no back yard, that would be fare to the dog. HE needs room. just like the goldfish they need room, and for many years people have thought just the way you have been thinking, and the goldfish don't live to there teens which is 5-7 years old. Fancies should live to 10 Commons and comets have been known to live to there 20s easily.

So I say the more room the better. I would hate it if some one stuck me in a 4 by 4 room for the rest of my life. Also I don't care if there brains are small all Animals should be treated with respect and love if you want to take care of them......I'm not shouting or trying to make you mad but I just don't know what your trying to accomplish with this thread???

Well, if a goldfish is large he may need more than ten gallons per fish, but until they are about 5 or 6 inches, I don't think that they need that much water.

jdude360, i have to say that im kinda sad now...don't forget that
this is a goldfish loveing board.Belive me i have cried so much when i have lost one of my goldfish .... to me it's just like lossing a horse a dog or a good friend (a person)

"I think that you guys are to picky about the way you keep your fish"

I am haveing an upsetting day so please don't take this the wrong way but it's been about 2 threads you have started and you are kinda "bashing" us..? like being rude and stuff...?

"All I said was that goldfish don't need ten gallons and that they don't care to be kept in small habitats"

Yes they do need ten gallons some goldfish could grow bigger then 10 inches? What about the waste build ups and the ammonia and Nitrates??
Your going against what you stated in your first post......

(I enjoy my hobby with fish,not only as pets and the hobby but as friends sometimes to,it might sound crazy but sometimes i talk to my fish and it seems like they know how im felling when im sad or not ect ect....

And also... what about filtration.... it isn't fare at all for the goldfish it's just like you liveing in a small bathroom and your not aloud to get out of it....? it just isn't fare people deserve to be free so do animals including FISH!

But thats the problem Hun, goldfish need the room to grow with out the room they get stunted. I know cause when I first got fish I had 6 goldfish in a 36 gal tank two of them never made it past 3" long cause they didn't have the room to grow. I personally don't think I have the right to make my fish become that way. This is why its just a general rule.

People ask why doesn't my fish get big???

two things

Tank size

Food

with out these two things in the right balance you don't get fish to the size they should be

I don't think expresing my oppinion is exactly "bashing" this site.  If you think that expressing my oppinion is bashing the site, then I won't express my oppinion anymore, no, I won't express anything anymore here, because I'm leaving this site!  Maybe I will come back in a couple of months or a year, but for now, I'm going to try and avoid this site. Goodbye. I probably won't be missed very much, but, Goodbye everyone.

I don't think this subject is what its about Jdude, No one is asking you to leave Hun. just trying to understand were your coming from and why you think this......I don't think anyone here is saying you cant state your opinion but some times when you do its not understand able of why you do and then your going against all that has been reviewed by man people that have made it work........

I am sure you would be missed....Hun

I don't think anyone has asked you to leave

I'm really sorry if I hurt anyones feelngs. This has been such a bad week for me on this site. I bet I've hurt so many people lately. I will have to put some thought into wether I should leave or not, but for now I am really, really sorry and I will keep all of my thoughts to myself and be a nicer person. I am begging to be forgiven. Let's all just act like this thread never happened and you should probably lock it.