I bought two goldfish today and put them in a large vase, purely for aesthetics, not as pets. The vase holds about a gallon and a half of water, maybe a tiny bit more more. They seem to be fine in there and have plenty of room to swim around, but that vase is not huge, so there is limited space. I made sure to pick out small fish (they're both about 2" long). I guess what I'm getting at is, is it cruel to keep them in a smaller space as apposed to, say, a 10 gallon tank? Do goldfish even have a concept of space?
2007-01-28 14:44:41 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Fish
No animals don't have rights
2007-01-29 10:49:45 · answer #1 · answered by Ecofreako 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Yes it is very cruel. They grow very large and will become stunted in that vase. Stunting is very cruel because the internal organs continue to grow inside a fish that does not grow, and the fish dies from organ failure(very painful). Of course, in something that small it will probably not live long enough to stunt.
You need to take those fish back to the store ASAP. Especially that you consider them to be "aesthetics," not pets. They are living animals. Do you want to cause suffering to a living creature?
To the people who think that goldfish are stupid so it's OK to keep them in small aquariums they are actually fairly smart. I will try and find the article where scientists at Stanford University did some experiments and found out that fish have the logic capabilities of 5 year old kids. But even if goldfish are stupid, I have a question for you.
Are you saying that it is OK to keep retards in a 3 foot by 3 foot closet for their entire life? I mean, they are retarded, right? They don't know any better so is it OK?
You people have some messed up logic.
magicman1, I could not agree more
2007-01-28 14:54:16 · answer #2 · answered by fish guy 5 · 9⤊ 1⤋
Well , goldfishes need about 5-10 gallons to have space for them to grow and swim .In the past , I also have goldfishes and only provide them 5 gallons and it seems to be okay because it is spacious at first but sooner or later you have to get a big bowl . And no , if you do not have a filtration you have to add some gravel to lessen the fungi and level of acidity and you also have to change it thrice every week . Do avoid all these pressure I recommend having a filtration . It is costly but you have to do it to prevent the stress you will put yourself into . Believe me , my goldfishes have already lived for 10 years . Healthy and Plump
2016-03-29 07:20:48 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
First off, to those who say goldfish are stupid, there have been many, many studies done over a dozen or more years on the intelligence of goldfish and they have been found to have the memory and intelligence similar to elephants and monkeys. Humans, in their infinite chauvinistic capacity, tend to label everything that they don't understand as stupid and unintelligent, thus, as a result, showing their own lack of intelligence. Goldfish are not the easy, simple fish to keep that they are stereotyped as being. They have very difficult water quality and other environmental requirements. In order for goldfish to survive, they need, at a very minimum, 10 gallons of water per fish and very strict attention to water quality parameters. Oh, and 2 inches is not small for a goldfish, one more inch and it would be time for you to start considering 15 gallons of water per fish. But, as it appears that you have only bought these fish as an aesthetic, decorative chatchski, similar to a snowglobe or a lava lamp, it would appear that it doesn't matter that these two fish will not live out the week. If you don't care that these fish die, then keep them as you have them now. If you care, please do the right thing and take care of them properly. And once they die, please don't get anymore. Living creatures are not playthings.
2007-01-28 15:07:27 · answer #4 · answered by Venice Girl 6 · 6⤊ 1⤋
Goldfish aren't really suited for life in a small container. It is a misconception that they will only grow as large as the container that they are in. Fancy varieties will get 10"+ and common goldfish can grow to 18-23 inches. They eat (and poo) a lot, so the smaller the container, the more you will have to clean it. Even if you would move them into a 10 gallon tank, this wouldn't be large enough for them in the long run.
http://www.kokosgoldfish.com/care.html
http://www.elmersaquarium.com/c106community11goldfish.htm
2007-01-28 14:54:15 · answer #5 · answered by copperhead 7 · 8⤊ 0⤋
Usually, the rule for a gold fish, since they do grow at a decent rate is one gold per five gallons. If not, the amount of waste they produce in a very short time will become very deadly. Goldfish produce a lot of ammonia which is a leading cause of death in fish. Gold fish are really dirty fish. Keeping them in such a small container, the water will become dirty quite fast. You can try to keep them as is, but you will probably have to do water changes almost daily. Meaning, taking 1/4 - 1/3 of the water out, and putting new, clean, and treated water back in. If you want to keep them in a vase, I would get a bigger vase at least. It's not the issue that they dont have a concept of space, it's that they can't really survive in small spaces without it being a danger to their health.
2007-01-28 15:13:01 · answer #6 · answered by lucratcia 1 · 4⤊ 3⤋
That's horrible! Get them a tank as soon as possible, 10 gal. or larger. Air pump, filter, the works. Your fish aren't happy, they're just taking a long time to go belly-up. Also, I don't think it's right to get a living animal just to be pretty. Having a living animal is a big responsibility and should not be taken lightly. What's going to happen to those fish if one day they don't go with your decor? Get them a tank and decorate it to go with your home, that way they'll live and you'll be happy.
2007-01-29 00:47:49 · answer #7 · answered by P!ATDrules! 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes, that is extreamly cruel. Goldfish can grow to over a foot long. They require about 10 gallons each and a filter, heater and ait pump.
Fish are not decorations they arre liveing creatures.
2007-01-28 15:30:19 · answer #8 · answered by GuZZiZZit 5 · 6⤊ 0⤋
Yes,it is cruel. Imagine being locked in a small closet, and forced to sit and live in your own cr*p and p*ss. Their water will quickly become toxic, and they will die. Visit a toy section at a store and buy some plastic fish instead. It's more humane then keeping them in a container that's about 30 gallons too small for them.
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art3503.asp
http://www.epinions.com/content_3185614980
2007-01-28 17:28:58 · answer #9 · answered by tikitiki 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
This might not be a popular answer for you, but I would suggest you use something other than live animals for aesthetic purposes. They might be "only fish" but they are living animals that don't deserve to be mistreated any more than cats, dogs or other furry pets.
Sorry for the rant, I'll get off the soapbox now.
2007-01-28 15:28:06 · answer #10 · answered by magicman116 7 · 8⤊ 0⤋
there are many schools of thought on this one -- i keep 3 small ones in a 5 gallon and that is too small technically. a big problem is the "bio-load" -- even small goldfish eat and poop too much to be kept in anything small. you can make up for this by changing the water frequently. in england where they take pride in having old goldfish -- like 30-40 yrs -- kept in bowls the fish only reach about 4 inches and live longer than most people who keep them in huge aquariums. usual advice is don't overfeed and keep them clean.
2007-01-28 15:19:38 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 4⤋