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My kids have two goldfish in a bowl.
It has constantly lots of algeas.

Any good and natural tips to handle that?

PS. I know about the chemical ways. Just want to know if there is any other way.

some naturals ways are to reduce feeding, reduce lighting, make sure the sun is not hitting the tank, make sure proper water change routine is being done. How high the nitrate, are the fish beening overfeed. Get an aglae eating fish, like a Bristlenose catfish.

Okay that was some suggestions

Here is the part that you are not going to like and might disagree with me on

Gold Fish should NEVER be kept in bowls.
1) they get way,way to large
2) way too messy
3) they can shunt
4) it is cruel
5) alot of other people agree on this issue
6) usually no filter on bowls and it can lead to very, very poor environmental conditions.
7) alot of stores will sell this setup and should not be allow to.
8) it is like keeping a horse in a dog run that is built for a poodle.

I know you won't want to do this, but I would personnally return the fish and get something more bowl suited like a betta or african dwarf frog.

yea, before you worry about the algea, get a 55g tank, that's ATLEAST the minimum tank size for 2goldfish, and that's assuming that these are actual goldfish and not pond commets

Daka<<<<

Well, if the algae is growing on the sides of the tank, you can buy magnetic glass brushes that brush off algae.

Best way of dealing with that algae problem is simple, but expensive. Set up a 125 gallon aquarium for the goldfish. If that sounds outrageous to you, then bear in mind that if goldfish are put into a large pond and allowed to grow without restriction, then a body length of 15 inches is within their reach. Even in a 55 gallon they'll be a bit cramped in several years' time.

If they're Comets, double the tank size as a safety margin because Comets not only grow large, but are active, streamlined fish that need LOTS of swimming space. And, you'll have the bonus of seeing them develop huge tails.

To give you an idea of the effect of a bowl, think of this analogy. Imagine cooping up the athlete Carl Lewis in a 6ft x 6f x 6ft cell for five years, with just a hole in the floor for a toilet. Imagine what that would do to him. Welcome to the world of the average goldfish.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Or, other than a tank, go with a pond either indoor or outdoor. Rubbermaid stock tanks make for great indoor ponds as they offer a wider footprint than standart tanks.

I have one in my living room .

^_^






[hr width='40%'] "Ah, yes," said the toad. "You've got Nac Mac Feegles!"

OK this picture has been posted everywhere, but to restate how big a goldfish can get, and that is any and all goldfish, I'll post the picture of Bruce...my kids love to see how he is...and if you keep them in the bowl, no the body won't grow, but the inside will and imagine your insides growing without the room to expand...now that is how the poor goldies feel...get the boys a larger tank...55 is nice, then they will feel as though they are in HEVEN Heidi



heidi attached this image:


"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

I have one in my living room

oooooooooooooh, could u post a pic of it?

I can relate back then when I and my gf was primitive to this hobby kept a fancy in a bowl (bad me. It died very fast, life expectance is reduced by a 90% at least. They won't surive. Thinking back me and gf felt really bad for doing this.

Gee

Gee

!!I think I just learned somthing new!!

Well, except for the moralizing lectures - thank you for trying.

I understand now that you know of no effective natural way to get rid of algeas in cold water. I'll guess i'll have to settle for the chemical ways. But thanks anyway.

P.S. Our goldfishes are now nearly 3 years old, beacuse we take good care of them. This is their winter home. In the summertime they are in a little pond outside our house.
And I didn't say how big this bowl was, did I?
I think they would have been worse off in that pond that has frozen solid now, don't you think?

Please try to be less biassed in the future, ok?

So it is only their winter palace because their summer palace is outdoors. I am sure they are fine.

People do hit the panic button about goldies in small tanks...usually because they love fish so much. I think there is a middle ground somewhere in the middle.

Just an idea here...
Perhaps moving the bowl to where it gets less natural light may help? If it is close to a window daylight can make the algae grow. Or if it has light for a lot of the day from an artificial source (eg desk lamp)

All the best to your little wishies for their winter getaway adventure.



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

I have an idea, if your pond is deep enough, add a surface heater.

They sell floating heaters for ponds and horse troughs to keep it from freezing over. This gives the fish a larger area, saves you maintenance, and really should be better for your fish long term.

My family in the Netherlands overwinter their fish in their pond in the backyard, with no heater and they do fine. It does freeze over from time to time, but it is about 2-3 metres deep.
I understand its probably colder where you are, but with the surface heater, and no feeding over winter, i'm sure its an option worth investigating.

(and unless its a 10 gallon bowl or larger, it doesn't really matter how big the bowl is. Goldfish are messy and active, and bowls really aren't suitable.)


I hope this is an option you can consider next year


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

My apologies. Just I killed a goldie in a bowl and hope it won't happen to anyone

Gee

Gee

!!I think I just learned somthing new!!

Jbrondbo, if you'd mentioned right at the start that the bowls were only a temporary home to protect pond stock in bad winters, none of us would have hit the panic button and launched into our favourite sport of getting alarmed about poor goldies in cramped quarters

The fact is, though, that too many goldies live less than deligthful lives in woefully unsuitable conditons, and this causes many of the people here to wince. Especially when we've seen what an enormous difference it makes when goldies are given space to move and grow. As yours spend most of their time in a pond, that isn't an issue: in your pond, they'll have room a-plenty, and good on you for giving them that.

Incidentally, if you're looking for a solution to overwintering that still gives your goldies lots of space, check out some of the fishkeeping publications for the plastic quarantining vats used by Koi keepers. Put one of those in a garden shed and put a pond heater in it during the winter (if necessary, lag the sides with polystyrene foam in addition), and you'll have winter quarters for your goldies that will not only alleviate your concerns about them dying of cold, but give them the space you want to give them all the time. A tad expensive, possibly, but if you're a pond keeper already, then perhaps you'll be used to it!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

There are some natural ways that might help you with the algae which are worth trying even though they are not guaranteed to help. One is to change the water more frequently and the other is to put some fast growing plants in there in sufficient amount. You can combine both methods, of course. Algae magnets won't work if your bowl is round. If that doesn't work you can always try the chemicals.

Good luck with the algae.

Last edited by untitled at 28-Feb-2005 15:28