How can I keep my goldfish alive for longer?

Question

My mom bought me a one gallon fish bown for Christmas, and right away, I filled it up with around 25 goldfish from Walmart. The problem I'm having is that most of the goldfish are dead and just floating around in the fishbowl.

It's my first time with a pet and I'm really discouraged by the results. How can I keep them alive longer?

Answer 1

ok first of all.....WHAT ARE YOU THINKING??....U CANT PUT 25 GOLDFISH INTO A ONE GALLON BOWL!!!!.....A TEN GALLON IS EVEN TOO SMALL FOR THAT MANY......U NEED LIKE A 500 GALLON TANK.....TRY NOT HAVING SO MANY

Answer 2

I know bowls are sold for goldfish, but I'm afraid goldfish really aren't the right thing to keep in a bowl. You're discouraged because you got bad information, let's fix that. To have a happy bowl and happy fishkeeping this is what you should do in my opinion. Take any goldfish you have left to a pet store or give them away to a school, something like that. Clean out the bowl well and get a betta from a good pet shop if you have one near you. That's really the best fish to keep in a 1 gallon bowl that has no filter or anything.

Be ready to change the water (all of it) for your fish every 3-4 days. Do this by placing a gallon of water near the bowl at least over night so that it will get to the right temperature. The next day, put your fish in a small cup or glass with water from his bowl and pour out the rest. Be sure to stir up the gravel if you have any and dump out the gunk from the bottom. FIll his bowl with the clean water, use some dechlorinator to make it safe for him and very gently pour him back in.

When you feed him only give him as much food as he can eat in about 3-4 minutes. If there are leftovers it will foul his water and make it smell and be cloudy. If that happens change his water.

These basics will help you have a fun and happy time keeping a really pretty fish that will live comfortably in your bowl.

Hope this helps.

MM

Answer 3

Well, 1 gallon is way too small for 1 goldfish, much less 25! You also need to cycle the fish tank before putting fish in, unless you want to change water every day. If you want to keep goldfish, go get a bigger tank. 20 gallons will hold 1 fancy goldfish just fine as long as you overfilter and don't miss a water change. If you can't get a bigger tank, then fishkeeping is not for you.

Answer 4

1. a one gallon bowl is not really suitable for any fish, keep a flower in it. i keep my bettas (siamese fighting fish) in much larger tanks than that, i wouldn't dream of cramming them into tiny 1 gallons!

2. if you want a goldfish, buy a 20 US gallon tank, cycle it (see first link below), make sure you have good strong filtration and an air bubbler. then buy ONE long-bodied goldfish, or maybe two fancies, but you will need to upgrade as they grow. thats all you can keep. goldfish are poop machines. And need a lot more care than most people seem to think they do. Long bodied goldfish will eventually really only thrive in a pond environment.

3. if you really want to get into the world of fishkeeping, buy a proper fish tank, cycle it, meanwhile research fish and fish care. buy the biggest tank you can afford, the bigger the easier it is to maintain and the more fish you can stock in it. a 15-20 gallon is a good size to start with, but if you feel like moneybags, a 55 gallon is even better! and tropical fish might be better for you, the only difference between them and coldwater is a £15 heater! i think they'd be better for you to start with.

let us know what you decide to do!

Answer 5

First off, a "fish" bowl is not really the proper environment to keep fish alive in. Also, you put way too many in. Also, you probably bought the wrong kind of goldfish. If you want to keep fish properly, get a beginners book with your mom and research aquariums. I would buy at least a 5 gallon glass tank for one small fish (most goldfish get way too big for any less than 20 gallons)

Answer 6

GOLDFISH CANNOT LIVE IN BOWLS or SMALL TANKS!!!!!!!!!

Baby-juvenile black moors and other fancy goldfish varieties NEED 10 gallons PER fish with heavy filtration.
Baby-juvenile long bodied goldfish NEED 20 gallons PER fish.
Adults NEED at least 50 gallons PER fish. Ive personally seen 14 inch black moors and have a picture of a 15 inch oranda. NO fish grows to the size of the container. What happens is the outside stops growing but the insides continue to grow, killing the fish. Goldfish have lifespans of 30 plus yrs if cared for. Not properly caring for them is ANIMAL CRUELTY. You need to read the links i provide as well as print them out and show them to the morons that let you buy 25 goldfish for a bowl.
NO fish can live in a bowl. Bowls are for candy or flowers, NOT fish.

Bettas will survive in a bowl but thats all they will do. They actually NEED a filtered and heated tank of at least 3-5 gallons, since they are tropical fish. They need a temp of 78-80 degrees F.

Answer 7

A general rule of thumb is that fish need 1 gallon for each sq. inch of fish. So in your tank you should only have one fish. The goldfish from walmart are okay, but many of them have diseases. It's better to pick up fish from a pet store. Your bowl is going to need an air pump to aerate the water. Also each week remove the fish and empty about a quarter of the bowl. Re fill it with either a pitcher of water that has been sitting out for about a week or water with de-chlorinator added. Don't put water straight from the tap because this contains chlorine, which will kill your fish. Good luck with the next batch of fish.

Answer 8

ARE YOU SERIOUS?!

ok let me list the problems
a.Goldifsh get to a foot long and need to be kept in tanks of at least 20 gallons
b.You didnt cycle
c.You need a very powerful filter

Answer 9

first of all, 25 goldfish in a bowl are way to many, 2-3 tops for a bowl,get an aerator system and only clean once a week but leave about a fourth of the water in the bowl to help build up up beneficial pond scum and never clean w/ bleach or other cleaners. try this and ya should have healthy fish to enjoy