As we all know many fish are kept in tiny bowls. I've been thinking, why do people think that a goldfish which can get very big and produces lots of waste can happily live in a bowl. Some goldfish can grow to about 14 inches or more, most goldfish bowls are only about 5-10 inches long so the fish wouldnt even be able to turn around when it gets older. The ammonia and nitrite would sky rocket in such a small container with no filter. But there's more. The shape of the common bowl also known as a globe can make the fish blind and it also makes it hard to see the fish. Because of the small opening at the top it is hard for the oxygen to get into the water so a thick layer of C02 will form at the top. The fish are always close to death of suffocation. Even adding an airpump will not help because all that does is bring the water from the bottom to the surface so that it comes in contact with oxygen, but because of the thick layer of C02 this will not help. Well I hope that this helps some people make the right choice for their fishies.

They go blind in it? Do Betas? I have my Beta in a round bowl....*panics*

Me too. I'm planning to get another betta.

How does that make fish blind?

Well, if u think of it logically, there's no satisfactory explanation of why a round bowl makes a fish go blind, so i agree that bowls are bad, bu they won't make ur fish blind.

Shamu23 your avatar says it best!

I dont know how it makes them blind, I read it in my magazine, a book and on the internet. I believe its true, cause so many articles say so and they were written by experts. I dont know about bettas, I would think so, I have mine in one of those small tanks They work great

I've never heard any evidence, much less credible evidence, for round environments--bowls or otherwise--causing blindness in fish. I have one betta who's lived in a large decorative glass bowl for the better part of 2 years and he's definitely not sight deficient. A friend of mine kept her betta in a little glass vase for 3 years and he could see just fine.

Keep in mind that there are also books and magazines and articles online that say it's perfectly fine to keep goldfish in bowls.

I think the main problem is that the vast majority of people just. don't. know. They have no idea how large goldfish can grow to be, much less how much waste they produce or their high oxygen requirements. As far as the average person is concerned, a goldfish that lives for 6 months is a wonder, and one that lives more than a year is a miracle.

Not all fish turn blind but it said that it could make them blind.

http://www.animalfreedom.org/english/infor...ldfishbowl.html

if you go on that site, there's a great article about the bowl

Small containers can make fish blind if they live in them long term. A couple of big If's though, the fish has to produce a heck of alot of ammonia (such as goldies) and need to live in the bowl permanently. The ammonia burns the eyes. I've had it happen in a bristlenose I rescued, he was completely blind from being kept in a 1l bowl without frequent water changes (as in they might change it once a month, Freddie was 7 inches long).

Bettas are find in a bowl, they are fairly small fish and with regular water changes, they shouldn't produce much ammonia at all.

I've never heard that the shape of a bowl would make fish blind.

That makes sense but in my magazine it said that the shape makes them blind, maybe its cause is you look through it the image seems enlarged and out of focus, maybe if they look through it too long that can damage their eyes.

I've had many bettas over the years and they've never gone blind from being in a bowl. Everytime I put my finger to the tank they would follow it. I doubt the shape causes it to be blind. It's probably just an unknown like how the universe started. There are only theories not too many facts. I've even kept goldfish in bowls and they've never gone blind. (This doesn't mean you should and it was before I came to this site.)

I have never heard that one before. I just don't think the bowl can cause blindness, MANY other problems of course!!

your probably right, maybe we'll find out some day lol

I made this poster a while back...

I have a big confession to make. I did the biggest mistake ever when I was 10:

I had a 1 gallon bowl, the standard round type, and it was filled mostly up to the top. I had a Betta, which was just fine in 1 gallon. But then I decided I like Bubble-eye goldfish. So, yup, you guessed it, I bought a Bubble-Eye and put it in the bowl. I decided he looked rather lonely, so I bought a 4 inch calico shubunkin. The Bubble-Eye lived 2 years, and the Shubunkin lasted 3 1/2, and he was still alive when we had to give him away because we were tired of changing the water at least every day, and now that I know better, it's pretty obvious why we had to change the water so much. And it also explains why they both liked the stay at the top of the bowl. They needed oxygen. So, please, please never put a goldfish in a bowl, it's basically a fish coffin.

nice poster lol, thats right a bowl means certain death, I made the same mistake but my fishie only had to live in it for about a month and he was small so Im glad that he at least got a bigger tank, but he died 2 weeks ago from disease

the problem is that the media(lol we arabs always blame the media) does too much damage to the goldies reputation. remember that little commet in tom & jerry? or the water saving commercials that show a goldfish whos living a happy life in a goldfish bowl?

no goldfish is happy in a bowl, even if it seems happy, its NOT!

"I read it in my magazine, a book and on the internet. I believe its true, cause so many articles say so and they were written by experts."

Yeah! I read that Elvis was still alive, too!

hey whats that supposed to mean , Im not stupid ok, I dont believe it anymore either, Im keeping a betta in that bowl now and its fine.