How often should I change my goldfish's water? Is it okay to dispose of all of the old water and start fresh?

Question

I have had a goldfish, which lives in a bowl, for about 6 weeks. When I got the goldfish, the clerk at the pet store told me to take out 25% of the water each week, and replace it with clean water that has been treated with water conditioner. I have been doing this, and the water has stayed clear.

The problem is that there is a bunch of fish poop at the bottom of the bowl. It looks really gross.

I want to change all of the water in the bowl, but I am afraid that it will hurt the fish. The clerk at the pet store told me that the fish needs the bacteria in the water and I should not change all of the water at once. What do you think? Does anyone change all of the water regulary? Does it have any negative affects on the fish?

Answer 1

If you plan to do this, reserve a small amount of the original water to add to the clean, new water, this way you don't lose the valuable bacteria that your fish relies on. The new water should also sit out for at least 24 hours if it is from the tap so all chemical impurities can evaporate. Additionally, use your water treatment, it's most likely a product called "Start Right" and is excellent. Your fish should be fine.

Answer 2

I'll agree with the others who have said tour goldfish needs to be in a tank (with a filter), but that doesn't solve your present situation.

Is there gravel in the bottom of the bowl? The bacteria you want to keep will be living attached to the surface of the gravel, not in the water. So if you clean, you want to keep the gravel wet, otherwise the bacteria will die. If you don't use the gravel, it can only attach to the sides of the bowl.

What I'd recommend is using a piece of tubing to siphon the poop out of the water when you do a water change. Fill the tubing with water from the tap and cap both ends with your thumbs. Put one end in the bowl, and the other end into a bucket. As long as the end in the bucket is lower than the end in the bowl, gravity will pull the water downward and the poop will be pulled out with it. You just need to find tubing that the gravel (if you use t) won't get stuck in and clog the siphon. There are gravel vacuums you can buy, but these have a hard plastic tube at the end that may not be able for you to cap easily to get one end into the bowl.

It'd stay with a 25% change as long as the water is clean and the fish doesn't seem like he's gasping at the top of the tank for oxygen (a sign of ammonia or nitrite poisoning from the wastes in the bowl). These are the reason you want the bacteria - they convert the ammonia and nitrite to nitrate which is less toxic for your fish. If you change too much of the water and the quality is starting to be bad, too big of a change from bad to good is likely to stress your fish as well.

Answer 3

First of all, the person who told you it was ok to keep a goldfish in a bowl was a not very bright person. Goldfish are extremely dirty fish (as you've witnessed) and should be kept in a large, well filtered tank..not a bowl. The general rule for goldfish is one inch of goldfish per ten gallons of water. That means that for a small goldfish you should have a ten gallon tank. Goldfish also tend to grow to about 8-10 inches in length so eventually even a ten gallon will be too small. If taken care of properly they can live over 15 years. Please reconsider the habitat for yours and give him a better chance at life.
If you are forced to keep him in this bowl I would recommend buying a gallon of distilled water from the food store, letting it sit overnight. Afterward take your fish and some of the water from his bowl (at least 50% of it)and put them in a cup. Then clean out the rest of the bowl and re-fill with distilled water and the water with your fish in it. This way you clean out the bottom of the bowl and leave the cleaner top water in with your fish. Again though, chances are he won't live all that long in the bowl sadly.

Answer 4

well i change my goldfish tank when its really dirty.the night b4 i clean the tank i put some water into a bowl and leave it for 24 hours. Then when im ready i get a seperate bowl and empty the dirty water in to the other bowl then i get the fish into it aswell with a net. then i completely wash all the fish tank out even the stones and then put the water from the bowl that i left ova in there then add the fish.

hope this helps

Answer 5

I wouldn't do a complete water change.

That would take all the essential bacteria out of the water.


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Answer 6

go for it