I got a goldfish in a "white elephant" gift exchange. I know that fish should be fed every other day. I'm leaving town for a week, will it be ok with out food for a week? Also we will be turning our heat down, how cold is too cold for a fish? I've never owned fish and I would be sad if I killed it.
2006-12-13 02:34:48 · 9 answers · asked by Tyler and Kassidy's momma 4 in Pets ➔ Fish
I have it in a bowl. She got it from wal mart. It's the bowls you see around the betas. it's not very big.
2006-12-13 02:40:25 · update #1
Fancy goldfish need 20 gallons of space each, and I'm assuming that your bowl is a gallon or so. If it is any less than 30 gallons, it is too small, even for young fish (and young fish grow quickly). Larger goldfish like comets, commons and kois need to live in ponds.
Goldfish are the biggest waste producers you can get. They eat a lot, and they are poop machines. They churn out ammonia. You will soon see that the bowl is cloudy, gross, and stinky. Imagine living in that water. A goldfish will quickly foul up a bowl, especially if it doesn't have a filter.
If you want your goldfish to survive, bring it back to a petstore, and get a proper tank. Get one that is at least 20 gallons, with a lid, a filter, and an air pump. You can likely find all this used in your local classifieds for a decent price. Then, cycle your tank (google Nitrogen Cycle, or How To Cycle Fish Tanks). THEN go buy the goldfish back. If you keep it in a small tank with no filter, it will not live more than a couple months.
If you need to have a small tank but still want a nice fish, get a 5 gallon tank with a heater and a small filter (again, used, if you want) and get a nice male betta. And bring the goldfish back to your petstore.
If you insist on keeping this goldfish in a small tank with no filtration, replacing 30% of the water every other day (you can use a clean turkey baster) and not overfeeding might keep them alive for an extra few months.
As for leaving for a week, that's fine. They will survive without food for a week. How cold does it get in your house? If it is between 40 and 50, your goldfish will pretty much be hibernating, but will be fine when you return. 50-60F, and your goldfish will be lethargic and slow. 60-70F and your fish will act as normal.
So, yup, goldfish, being coldwater fish, will be just fine if you leave for a week and turn the heat off.
2006-12-13 02:53:07 · answer #1 · answered by Zoe 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I agree with everyone else, a larger tank is a necessity. A 5 gallon tank will do in a pinch, it's not that expensive for the whole kit with tank, lid and light, filter, etc. But as the fish grows, a larger tank is a must!!! The old wive's tale that goldfish grow to the size of the tank is just that! If you're concerned, you could get an adjustable heater with thermostat, set it to between 65-70 degrees and get the extended fish feeder block or an automatic fish feeder. My auto fish feeder is simple. It has room for fish food (flakes need to be crushed), the spout is adjustable for the amount of food you want released. It's battery powered and just turns, releasing food twice a day as it rotates. I also put my tanks on a timer for the lights. I got one that has 2 outlets on a timer and 4 regular outlets. Here's some ideas:
2006-12-13 07:31:08 · answer #2 · answered by rockjock_2000 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hello, you need to for sure get rid of that bowl. goldfish grow to a large size. also more important is goldfish produce tons of wastes and your little guy will die sooner than if it went without food. you should put him in atleast a 10 -20 gallon and make sure to get a good filter. if you plan on keeping your little guy in a bowl then you should do a water change everyday and that alone will cause stress and could kill him. i have alot of fantails and orandas and trust me these fish are amazing! put him in a better home he with luv it! good luck with him!
2006-12-13 05:29:06 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Living in that tiny bowl will kill it long before it dies of starvation. Goldfish need a minimum of 10 gallons when babies with very good filtration. Check out this site it you want to learn more about caring for goldfish, http://kokosgoldfish.com/
2006-12-13 02:46:00 · answer #4 · answered by Nunya Biznis 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Goldfish can handle very cold water. In fact it will slow them down to require less food. The water quality is what concerns me.
2006-12-13 02:46:21 · answer #5 · answered by Wurm™ 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The bowl is not large enough, get a large one, you can also get food that will dissolve slowly for several days. The fish should be fine.
2006-12-13 02:46:16 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your fish will be fine as long as it has enough water to live in for a week.Goldfish are tougher than alot of other fish.
2006-12-13 02:42:21 · answer #7 · answered by Kmart 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The neighbor's freakin' face might want to were like that of the stay goldfish tummy or the freakin' cat's tummy plus the glodfish. it truly is noted as tit for tat. A catty respond to a catty pokey irresponsible neighbor!!!
2016-11-26 00:48:54 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
just like you need food everyday, so does the fish.. maybe a friend can come over and feed him/her for you?
also How big is you're tank, filtration?
2006-12-13 02:37:26 · answer #9 · answered by BubbleGumBoobs! 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋