We only plan on buying a small to medium sized bowl, nothing fancy. I don't want anything that is too hard to take care of, or with big bubble eyes, (I am not a fan of fish :) ) Any ideas?
2006-11-22 07:47:49 · 29 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Fish
no betas, they have never seemed to do well with me.
2006-11-22 07:52:23 · update #1
The only easy options you have for a medium sized bowl without heat, air, filtration, etc. are Goldfish and Bettas. If Bettas don't work for you, find a common "comet" goldfish (can cost as little as 19 cents each), a fantail goldfish or lionhead goldfish.
Bettas are an "easier" fish to care for than Goldfish, however, because Goldfish bowls have to be cleaned more often due to the larger amount of poop and ammonia they produce.
2006-11-22 08:05:31 · answer #1 · answered by steve d 4 · 0⤊ 3⤋
I'm sorry, but in a bowl, not much will live. So really, the only one you can choose from is the betta.
If you get a 10 gal (never costs more than $10, check garage sales, thrifts, or fish stores), you'll be better off.
For a 10 gal. you can get danios, which are EXTREMELY forgiving, many use these to cycle their tanks. Guppies are also nice and easy.
Just make sure to get a filter (internal Whisper Filter is best for this job.) and air pump.
If you go with the small bowl, then your fish, whether it's a betta or not, will not live more than a month or two.
There are also 5 gal. tanks available (only about $5-8), in which you can place a small school tetras (2- 5 neon tetras), 1-3 danios, or 1-3 guppies, or 2 platys,or 2 swordtails, or 1-2 cory cats, or 1-4 ghost shrimp.
There are probably a few more, but these are all I can remember
2006-11-22 11:38:29 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
You say you are not a fan of fish, yet you want to get your son a fish. Your son is just going to get bored with it you are going to be the one caring for the animal. Fish are not replaceable commodities, they are living creatures that feel pain and learn to recognize their owners and have more brains then what people think they do.
1. Bettas didn't do good with you because you were not keeping them properly. Bettas need NO LESS then 5 gallons with a filter and a heater because they are warm water tropicals and are sensitive to water quality.
NO FISH CAN LIVE IN A BOWL!! All the morons who answered get a goldfish are dead wrong. Goldfish need huge tanks with alot of filtration and are alot of work. That little 20 cent feeder goldfish is gonna set you back about 200 bucks to get the right size tank and equipment to keep it healthy and happy. Those little feeder goldfish get 12-14 inches long and have lifespans of 20-40 yrs. Fish DO NOT grow to the size of their container. THe outside stops growing but the insides continue to grow, basically making existence a living hell...and ultimately killing the fish.
2006-11-22 15:43:42 · answer #3 · answered by lady_crotalus 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Beta fish are wonderful. Only one can be put in the bowl though, because they are very evil acting to other fish, but nice to humans. Make sure you treat the water with AquaSafe (which takes contaminates out of the water), and get food meant for Beta fish. They don't need a heater, lights, or anything special, just a bowl of water. Change the water about every other week (once a week is best). Have fun!
2006-11-22 08:49:12 · answer #4 · answered by Crouton 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
If you stick with a bowl, you will need a large bowl, capable of holding a couple of gallons of water, and you will need to change half of the water in the bowl twice a week. The only fish that can live in a bowl are bettas and dwarf gouramis, and you could only have one (and the dwarf gouramis need their water kept above 70 degrees). Never get a goldfish, they need 10 gallons each or they will die quickly.
That being said, nothing will be easy to take care of in a bowl. I would get a 5 or 10 gallon aquarium with a filter. That will be much less work, and your fish will be less likely to die. You can get a 10 gallon aquarium for $10 at petco, and you can get a filter for a 10 gallon for as cheap as $12. They also sell small five gallon setups complete with filter, hood, light, and gravel, making things simple for you.
If you get a filtered aquarium, you have a lot more options in fish. For cool water you could have a dojo loach or a school of colorful white cloud mountain minnows, and if you got a heater, you could have just about any small fish to suit your sons fancy (including mollies and guppies where he could see them give birth to babies).
2006-11-22 13:48:09 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Get him a Male Betta.
They're beautiful, have personality, clean and flexible to the environment you provide it, if taken care of.
Get at least at 10 Gal. Tank, with Filter and Heater, Glass top and Light Strip.
- All fish need filter, it keeps the tank clean and provides oxygen.
- Betta love warm temperature, just around 80 will do.
- A Glass Top would be great, so it doesn't jump out.
- Lighting makes the tank look nicer and it's healthy for the fish.
2006-11-22 10:11:11 · answer #6 · answered by rahimj_27 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
If you only plan on a getting a bowl the only fish that can live happily in a bowl is a betta fish. The rest need either more space of a filtration system. You can get small sets at wal-mart with tiny filters then I'd get guppies. They are easy to care for, stay small and have nice bright colors (just make sure you get all males(long fancy fins and lots of color) so you don't end up with 100's of them!)
2006-11-22 08:10:19 · answer #7 · answered by pharfly1 5 · 0⤊ 3⤋
If you are getting only a bowl there isn't much to choose from except the betta. Other fish need more room or need and air system. I would suggest getting a 2 or 5 gallon tank with an air pump and air stone (really inexpensive) Then you can choose guppies, neon tetras, zebra danios- many choices of small easy to care for fish. Personally I like guppies best for beginners lots of color and personality and they are easy to care for, and the look on children's faces when they notice the fish had babies (wow)
2006-11-22 08:12:11 · answer #8 · answered by weebles 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
first, do not get a goldfish. Goldfish make a lot of waste, and you are supposed to clean the tank three times a day for it to live longer than 6 months! if your son is under 8 years, than cleaning a big fishbowl alone for a chore even with guidance will be hard, and you may get aggravated and feel annoyed for having to clean a bowl three times a day for one fish. so avoid getting a goldfish! a fish that is easy to take care of and only cost about 8 dollars is a beta fish.
a beta fish only requires about 3 pellets of good beta only fish food a day. they are easy to take care of and you can put them in a vase-shaped bowl with reeds to have a fancy fish, like most people do. your son will have a lot of fun playing with the fish and watching it in the bowl. they do not require much cleaning either, which is great- only 2 times a week! another great feature about this fish- there are regular and king betas. king beta fish are fancy with long, wispy fins. plain betas have regular fins. but both are beautiful and brilliant in color. try getting this fish- these Siamese fighting fish are serene but dangerous when put with other fish!
2006-11-22 08:00:08 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
bowls arnt really sutible for any fish because they are to small for any but bettas and bettas are acually supposed to have heaters unless you keep your house like 75*f How much are you planning on spending? You can get a 10 gallon at walmart with no cover for ten bucks i got a ten gallon with care book, filter nad lit cover for 30 dollars at wm then i put in a heater nad i have guppys but i would probably start out with some other freshwater fish becasue guppys are brakish water and the only other fish you can really mix them with are mollies. I would recommend a few small schooling fish with a small catfish in a ten gallon
2006-11-22 09:48:31 · answer #10 · answered by Skittles 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋