I have two Goldfish. Why does the water in the bowl get so dirty, so quickly? I change the water every four to five days!
2006-10-27 07:57:21 · 18 answers · asked by Silver Wolf 3 in Pets ➔ Fish
I use fish food that is garunteed to not cloud the water..
2006-10-27 08:18:17 · update #1
The fish are quite small still, and in the set guide that came with the bowl it says that a two gallon bowl can support 2 goldfish. And the bowl is about 4 gallons.
2006-10-27 08:49:51 · update #2
I can't afford a filter! I'm F-ing poor
2006-10-27 10:56:37 · update #3
Goldfish are incredibly dirty fish, they produce alot of waste which can lead ammonia & Nitrite build up in the tank. Gold fish need at least ten gallons of water each. They are not ment to live in a bowl! You are posioning your fish with thier own waste. You really should upgrade to a 20 gal (minimum) tank with a good filter. Cycle the tank to get the benifical bacteria going, and move them in.... ( you can do this by adding a live bacterial culture to the water like eco-start, or just run the tank & filter with a biow-wheel for 24-48 hours untill the water cloudiness dissipates) If your goldfish are confined to a bowl you should do a 30 percent water exchange every day. to keep them from poisioning themselves in thier own waste. Changing all of the water in the tank (bowl) severly stresses the fish, because of temperature change, lack of "fish slime" (which they need to breathe) you are also destroying the benifical bacterial culture that is needed in fish tanks to help break down the ammonia & Nitrites, another stressor is the high levels of chemicals in tap water. Leaving them in a bowl is pure torture & constant stress to your fish, this stress leads to a decreased immunity which will make your fish more succeptible to disease and parasite infection!
2006-10-27 08:07:49 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
The guide that came with the bowl is wrong. The only fish that can survive in a bowl is a betta. Goldfish need at least 20 gallons per fish, 30gallons +10 more per fish is ideal. Some will even outgrow these tanks. They are pond fish who ideally should live in a pond. Goldfish excrete tremendous amounts of ammonia, which is very toxic to them. In a bowl, there is no filtration so the fish have to live in their excrement. Would you like to live in that situation? Probably the only reason your fish are still alive is you do change your water frequently. It sounds like you want to do right by them, I'd get them a 30 gallon tank with filtration.
2006-10-28 00:55:19 · answer #2 · answered by Carson 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The water is clouding because of fish waste (feces), not food. Feed the fish less and they will produce less waste.
Similarly, do not overstock a fish tank or bowl. No more than 1" of fish per gallon of water is a good rule of thumb... An aquarium that is too small for the quantity of fish will cloud quickly.
Change more water, more often to combat cloudiness.
2006-10-27 16:05:40 · answer #3 · answered by crazyotto65 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Goldfish aren't actually meant to live in a fish bowl, they need a tank with a pump that circulates and cleans the water. Otherwise the fish doodie builds up and makes the water cloudy and the oxygen in the water gets depleted. If you are going to keep your fish in a bowl it's a fact of life you will have to continually clean the tank once a week.
2006-10-27 15:05:30 · answer #4 · answered by sibohan2004 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I had 6 gold fish. I had to get a very big fluval filter to clean the water. Goldfish produce allot a waste, they are known as the "dirty fish" of the marine world. I would suggest that you look at getting a good filter system. Hope this helps. Cheers,
2006-10-27 15:05:18 · answer #5 · answered by Zsoka 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Goldfish produce a lot of excretement which makes the water dirty.To prevent the water getting dirty, you should purchase an undergravel filter with a small air pump which will cost around $10 which is affordable for you.
2006-10-28 03:12:59 · answer #6 · answered by Aniq Danial 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because they are very messy fish and need a minimum of 10 gallons each with a filter that filters the water at least 10 x an hour.
2006-10-27 15:01:48 · answer #7 · answered by Nunya Biznis 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Goldfish are the dirtiest of fish you can have. They poop a LOT. Sounds about right every four to five days. If they were in an aquarium with a good filter it would be different. If you get an aquarium, I recommend a filter called a "power head" submersible filter . They are far superior to the other kinds.
2006-10-27 15:44:44 · answer #8 · answered by Fireman T 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You might be over-feeding them. If they do not eat the flakes within a minute or two, then you gave them too much food. But even with the right about of food, without a filter it's tough to keep the bowl clean. I'd recommend adding a bottom-feeder fish to the tank. They tend to eat a lot of the gunk that makes the water dirty.
2006-10-27 15:05:57 · answer #9 · answered by Shorty's Al 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
You are getting a lot of really good answers about goldfish waste. I just want to add that goldies need 10-15 gallons of water all to themselves because of oxygen exchange in their gills. It has nothing to do with waste and an airstone won't help, they need space.
And a good filter, don't get me wrong, they absolutely do nastify their tanks quite quickly.
Look here for more info. www.kokosgoldfish.com
Cheers.
2006-10-27 15:55:17 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋