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Clean water may allow them to survive in a small amount of space, but by no means will it allow them to live a happy and healthy existence. Theoretically you can put a brain dead individual on a respirator and have them continue to live but they're quality of life would be horrid.

Just because goldfish are incredibly hardy doesnt mean we should exploit this by putting them in those kind of conditions.

it's growth rate will be retarded

How is that not stunting? Stunting is any level growth that is not analogous with the normal growth rate of an organism. Thus that is stunting, and any stunting is harmful and in most cases deadly. You can keep a kitten in a shoe box but you probably wouldn't because you have an ounce of common decency... but then again...

[span class="edited"][Edited by john.stone 2004-08-03 17:01][/span]

A fountain dripping into it should be fine; goldfish like moving water. Also stagnant water has less oxygen/ gets warmer, which is bad. A filter would be nice if you can hook one up though. Water changes are a must still, whatever you do though.

I'm so adjective, I verb nouns!

thanks for all the responses~
will it bother the fish if i have a fountain dripping into it, and do i need a filter/pump, or just do water changes with a gravel vacuum????
cheers!!!
ffwifwe

I don't think the ceramic will harm the fish. I had an outside container that was ceramic glazed. The fish didn't outgrow it because the kookaburras thought it was a sushi train and helped themselves!

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~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

I see nothing wrong with keeping the fish in a larger home. Yes, it will outgrow the ceramic jar. I personally had my three goldfish outgrow my ten gallon tank (filtered with two aquaclear minis) in six months. At this point they were moved to my friend's pond.

The world record size for a goldfish is 14.6 inches, so if somebody has seen a 1.5 foot goldfish, call the authorities!

A ceramic jar with a filter/pump is infinately better than a two gallon plastic thingy. Set it up, add water conditioner, and wait a couple days. Add all the gravel and water from the two gallon tank to the new tank at the same time as you add the fish (but be sure to aclimate the fish to the different temperature/water). Saving the gravel and water will mean you are saving all the beneficial bacteria from the tank, therefore reducing the cycle in the new tank.

Good luck, and don't forget to keep an eye out for a larger home as your goldie grows!

I'm so adjective, I verb nouns!

Can you guys all take a deep breath, and try to assist FIREFIGHTERWIFE please?

She is aware that 2 gallons is unhealthy for her goldfish (she states it looks unhappy) and she wishes to upgrade. She has a ceramic fountain-type setup available.

The question is, IS THIS SUITABLE? (even as a temporary measure until something larger can be found, or if a pond is available at a later stage)


(I realise this is a hot debate issue, and its something that keeps coming up, but if we could TRY to help people out before we all dive headlong into it, it would be appreciated.

[span class="edited"][Edited by Callatya 2004-08-04 01:19][/span]

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

Alright, let's get this straight. I'm not promoting anything, nor am I justifying anything. I do not think that it'd be right for a goldfish to live in a pickle jar, nor am saying that she's right in doing so. All I'm saying is that a goldfish COULD live in there. If you would both kindly recall, never in any of my posts did I say "Yeah, that looks great. He'll love it in there. In fact, get him some friends."

Let's review the facts, shall we?

Goldfish should be kept in large tanks and/or ponds, as they can grow to enormous sizes.

They can live for a long time in a ten gallon, provided there is good filtration/no leftover food/waste buildup.

That being said, putting anything that can grow that large in a ten gallon aquarium is wrong.

Also, for the sake of convinience, all previous posts have been edited, as I don't want to stir up more ruckuss (sp?).

[span class="edited"][Edited by Klee 2004-08-03 19:29][/span]

Like I posted earlier, if you think it's ok to keep a large fish in a pickle jar there isn't a whole lot that I, or anyone else for that matter, will be able to say to change your mind. If you want to make up excuses for keeping goldfish in bowls or anything small, you're more than welcome to do so to justify your own cruelty if it helps you sleep at night.

PLEASE though, I don't think this is something we should be promoting here. Cruelty to any living creature isn't accepted on this site as far as I'm aware. You're welcome to your own opinions but I don't think your comments are helping to answer the original question at all.

How would you know? Are you a fish? I didn't think so. As long as it's active, free of deformities, and eating properly, I have no reason to doubt that it is at least living a decent lifestyle. On the other side of the spectrum, that tank must look like heaven compared to the fair from which it was taken.

A decent lifestyle is still far from an enjoyable one, we take these fish into our homes to care for them, not to stash them in the most convenient thing we can find at the time. It is our job as pet owners to ensure the best home for our animals. And I dont believe anyone can call a 10g a decent lifestyle for a fish that would literally be the size of the tank if properly cared for.

I don't exactly recall her saying her goldfish was brain dead, nor that she had a respirator attached to it. What would this analogy have anything to do with the topic onhand?

My analogy was that you take keep something that's incredibly sick alive, but it doesn't mean it's happy to be there.

I never promoted it, I merely stated that it is possible for a goldfish to live in such conditions without suffering.

Without suffering? Stunting is a very unpleasant process.

The official definition of stunted:
Main Entry: 1stunt
unciation: 'st&nt
Function: transitive verb
Etymology: English dialect stunt stubborn, stunted, abrupt, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse stuttr scant -- more at STINT
: to hinder the normal growth, development, or progress of
- stuntedness noun

That sound's pretty much like my definition.

IIRC, stunting is when the internal organs outgrow the fish itself, thusly resulting in a slow, untimely (and unsightly) death. Well then, if your defenition of stunting is true, then keeping a goldfish indoors in a, say, 200 gallon is also stunting, as it rapidly increases their rate of growth, as it is definitely not analogous to the growth rate at which it experiences in it's "natural enviornment" (Asia).

A goldfish in the wild would be in an amount of gallons that would be immeasurable, so how could a 200g possibly speed up their growth more then being in the wild in perfect water and almost unlimited space?

That's how it's possible (not right, but possible) to keep a goldfish in a 10 gallon for 15+ years. That's not my definition of deadly.

It is deadly seeing as how proper cared for goldfish can live up to and beyond 30 years, just because it's stunting and dying slowly doesn't mean it's not happening.

I don't appreciate your attacking my lack of "common decency", as I've posted nothing offensive or crude. Again, I am not saying that it SHOULD happen, I'm saying that it's possible for a goldfish to live in such cramped quarters. Also, mammals and fish differ greatly in anatomy, so they really can't be compared. But w/e.

The common decency I spoke of was your treatment of animals and not the manner in which you spoke.

[span class="edited"][Edited by john.stone 2004-08-03 19:01][/span]

Too big for a 10.

[span class="edited"][Edited by Klee 2004-08-03 19:28][/span]

Hello all~~
I have some type of large fancy goldfish that my father bought spur of the moment for my daughter. It has been living unhappily in a two gallon plastic thingy. Well I would like to transfer it to a large ceramic pot that has a little bamboo pump/fountain thing running in it outside. It is a lot larger than what he is in, and I feel he will be more appreciated for all his glory. Can I just do this? Will I need a filter in it, or can I just do partial water changes weekly?
Thanks in advance!!!!
ffwife

Thanks Klee. . . . I'll be out buying a few pacus and an arrowanna for my 10 gallon if anyone's looking for me.



EDIT: Ok so I guess that doesn't really help without an explanation. While yes, a goldfish in a pickle jar would be much healthier with good water, the fish actually grows FASTER under good conditions. Good water or not, if you don't give a fish enough space it will stunt. I've seen it, I've even done it before I knew any better. If you want to make up excuses for keeping fish in less than optimal conditions we could go on all day but it still wouldn't be a good thing to do.

Klee, if you feel it's ok to keep a goldfish in a pickle jar then there's nothing I can do to stop you. But please, the point of this site is to educate members who may not know the effects of stunting and it might be a good idea to keep those opinions to yourself before you assist in endangering someone else's pets.[/font][/font]

[span class="edited"][Edited by trystianity 2004-08-03 16:49][/span]

Goldfish grow large.

[span class="edited"][Edited by Klee 2004-08-03 19:28][/span]

Well it seems as if we're all failing to realize the potential size of goldfish. Being a carp they grow throughout their entire lives and will only stop if kept in inadequate conditions where they will stunt and die as described above. Just because they can take horrid conditions doesn't mean they should have to.

A torpedo goldfish will reach a size of about one and a half feet long and will need a pond with at leas 120 gallons or it will stunt and die. Fancy goldfish will eventually look like a large grapefruit with fins and will need at least 55g to it's self (pond or aquarium). I would not even bother putting him in the 10g fountain as goldfish grow extraordinarily quickly and would stunt in a 10g within months.

So unless you can provide these things (which ever your goldfish may be) you should take it back to the store or donate it to a local pond where it will be taken care of properly.

[span class="edited"][Edited by john.stone 2004-08-01 03:31][/span]

No, I'm not... Just remarking on the durability of them. xD It was a large sized pickel jar, I think 2 gallons. I won him at the fair as well, and often forgot to feed him. My poor fish.

Well the fountain would be outside in the pacific northwest it does not snow here in the winters. we are on the coast. the container is approx. 10 gallons, and the fish seems torpedo in shape, but double finned with sort of a mask over it's face. he is already 3-4 inches long.
thanks so much!!!!
ffwife~~

my first goldy lived 7 years in a pickel jar. xD

I hope youre not recommending any one do that or even that it's ok, because your pickle jar goldfish suffered greatly because of it's confines. It would have been stunted to the point of kidney failure as it's organs pressed against it's horribly misshapen body.

Ceramic? I wouldn't.It might be chemichal treated, or something... Alot of times manufacturers do that, when it's not made for fishie use. Go for glass or plastic, if you want something bigger for him. But then again, my first goldy lived 7 years in a pickel jar. xD

1. What kind of goldfish is it? Fancy (ball shaped) or Common (Torpedo Shaped)

2. Where is fountain located?

3. How large is this fountain (in gallons)? and what are it's dimensions?

4. How cold does it get in the winter time?