Is this normal for a goldfish???

Question

OK so heres my question.....got our son a fish to go w his new terririum thingy, yeah and so we put Jaws(the goldfish) in his bowl & all seems to be going just fine. Heres whats weird, so Ive never had a fish just in a bowl before , ya know no filter or anything, well Jaws seems to spend most of his time at the surface kinda like kissing it...what Im wondering is, is this normal for fish tht live in bowls??? Is he gettin enough oxygen?? Im afraid he struggling for air to breath since there is no filter n stuff.....he seems fine but Im a littel worried anyways dont want the poor little guy to die I really like him. Thnks much in advance.

3 YEN, why will it die soon anyways Ive known ppl to have golfish for many years & to have them in bowls for a long time...

jsut so everyone knows he does have clean water we just put it in there yesterday & i will look into a filter ive just known many ppl w goldfish in bowls so i wasnt sure if his actions were normal

okay so all u holier than thous can REALLY just bite the big one!! For your information Jaws now has a filter another fish to keep him companya snail to clean his small but clean & healthy tank & not to mention people who REALLY care about his well being!! Our son got this terririum/aquaruim/bug nature thingy for Christmas & was VERY eager to get it up & running so we went out a& bought a fish ( a goldfish like the instructions recommended due to their rep. as being very hardy) Upon getting the fish we decided that the little tank proveded w the kit was very small & without filter so we set up a small but not too small bowl instead.....well being as I MENTIONED that I personall y never had a fish in a bowl without a filter I just ask a simple question. With the answers I got at first saying tht this isnt really the best way to keep Jaws heappy & healthy we went out & got the necessary equipment to make him that way. You people REALLY need to get a life & not judge others so quickly

I ask a question I wasnt sure about & when I found that I was in error I fixed it immediatly! Get a life honestly. I have a cat & a pug that are happy healthy, spayed, premium food eating vet checked regularly, exercised, not overweight perfectly taken care of as is all pets i get. THe fish was I admit a impulse purchase but NOT by someone who is neglectfull or abusive so blow me!!!

Answer 1

Despite the tension on this topic, your fish will likely be fine. The plant is a good idea. I've never heard of having a fish in a terrarium, but you picked the right breed. Goldfish are among the hardiest fish you can get. They can adapt to extremes in temperature and water quality much better than most fish. If an airstone won't bother the terrarium too much, give that a try too. It's not an optimal enviroment for goldfish care, but it's not likely to kill him quickly, as long as you maintain his water quality.

Answer 2

Jaws is gulping for air. Did you treat the water before the Jaws was put into the bowel? You should also think about plants and/or airstones. They help keep the tank clean and provide oxygen. I currently have 3 fish I had 4 but sadly I lost one. Even though fish can be cheap to replace its sad when you lose one. Especailly for small children. Good luck.

Answer 3

If you see someone kick a dog do you go around and kick dogs too? Animal abuse is animal abuse even if it is a fish. Learn to take care of an animal before you buy one. All fish, especially goldfish since they are so messy, need a filter. Fancy goldfish need a minimum of 10 gallons each when babies and 20+ when adults and can grow to be 8-12 inches, single tailed goldfish need 20 gallons minimum when babies and 50+ when adults and can grow 12-18 inches. They should live for 20 or more years but they usually only make it a few because of people like you.

Answer 4

He is breathing at the top.

Goldfish require higher levels of oxygen in their water than tropical fish and shouldn't be kept in unfiltered bowls. A more important reason for a bigger tank and filtration is that goldfish grow very large and produce a lot more waste per inch than tropicals. That waste turns into toxic ammonia which will burn your fish's gills and eventually kill him. Until you can get him a larger filtered tank (at least 20-30 gallons for one fancy goldfish) you should be changing his water three or four times a week to keep that ammonia level down for him. If you don't have the room or funds for that large a tank, consider taking Jaws back and getting a betta in a 5 gallon tank instead.

Answer 5

People who put goldfish in bowls simply haven't done the necessary amount of research into how to care for their pet before buying it. A goldfish needs a filtered, cycled tank big enough for at LEAST 3 gallons per inch. Common goldfish can grow to be a foot long. Fancy goldfish can grow to 6 inches. Are you prepared to provide this animal with a proper living environment?

If not, please return him and RESEARCH before getting another fish!

Someone recommended a betta.
Healthybetta.com is a great place to go and learn about how to care for these fish.

Answer 6

Lots of fish spend time at the top, i suggest getting a cheap air filter and seeing if he does the same thing. Also I could suggest that you get a small plant for the bowl? Thus providing more oxygen.

Answer 7

just get you a filter so the water gets clean i got to footlong sharks and i dont have any air going in to it and i've had them for about 3 years.... what you see is normal just get a filter for it and it will be ok...

Answer 8

fish breath oxygen. filters and all those things most aquariums have pump oxygen into the water. still water has no way to get oxygen into it. so they have to go to the surface to breath.

Answer 9

Get a filter / oxygen thing. And don't get attached because it will die very soon anyway...

Answer 10

ITS GULPING FOR OXYGEN . You need clean water and a filter.