Am I being inhumane towards my goldfish?
Asked by
Finley (
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April 18th, 2010
I just got a goldfish (named Tom Felton by the way) and I feel like I am being cruel to him. He just hovers at the bottom of the bowl all day. I feed him his special food, he has a nice floor with shells on the bottom, a nice view in my room and out my window but I feel like I am killing him. What should I do?
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32 Answers
Get him a “misses fishes”, he will be completely occupied then ;D
But be careful to get a compatible and cooperable fish. Having many a fish in my life time I have discovered there is a fine line between “fish bowl party” to “fish bowl massacre”.
What, specifically, makes you think that you are killing him?
@ChaosCross he might be a she, there is no way to tell. I am planning on getting him a friend definitely, though.
@gemiwing he just seems so miserable that I feel terrible for the little guy. Oh but right now he is swimming incredibly fast running into the sides of the bowl. He’s trying to get out. Maybe i should feed him again?
Yes. Giving him a name like Tom Felton is inhumane.
@Finley: Maybe he hates his name. Something simpler, perhaps, like poisson.
Is the water cool enough? Is it hard enough? Goldfish like cool water with a high mineral content and a little bit of aquarium salt. They should not be treated like tropical fish. Remember, they are freshwater carp.
@dpworkin the water is naturally cooled. I haven’t gotten aquarium salt yet. What kind of plant should I put in there?
I don’t know enough about the needs of plants to give you good advice. We have some great aquarists on Fluther, though.
You have been dechlorinating the water he swims in, right?
You need to be careful about the plants you choose for a Goldfish, not only do they eat plants but they easily uproot them and you’ll be constantly be aquascaping your your aquarium. There are some plants that Goldfish tend to not like that would be a good choice for the tank (as in not like the taste). Plants are very beneficial for your tank though. Seeing how Goldfish produce heavy bio loads they create alot of ammonia in the water which then produces nitrates and nitrites. Plants absorb these toxic chemicals which makes the water much healthier for the fish. It’s a sort of “bio filtration”. How big is this tank by the way? I would also dump the shells and maybe get some river rock, make it a more natural setting for him.
Some plants that are suggested for Goldfish tanks are:
Java Fern (Microsorum pteropus) A very hardy plant, with low light requirement. Goldfish tend not to like the taste of this one. It can be tied to rocks, decorations is therefore not easily uprooted.
Anubias (Several varieties) Again a hardy plant with low light requirements. It has thick leaves and goldfish leave it alone. Best when tied down to decorations.
Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum) A plant that can float or be placed in the gravel if you prefer. It is hardy and usually escapes goldfish jaws. Mine have kept pace with goldfish grazing the last three years. I like this plant. It provides cover and it is a good nitrate consumer. If I plant it in the gravel and if (or when :)) it gets pulled out I do not have to rush to replant it. It likes to float and it gets good light at the top of the tank.
Crypts and Swords (Echinodorus species) Crypt and swords are rootfeeders. They require a good and nutrient filled substrate. They would not like to be uprooted nor have their roots exposed. For that reason they do not always make the best choices but if you have goldfish that are not too pushy try them. They are very beautiful, and will do well with moderate light levels (at least 2.5 per gallon). While my goldfish were smaller I had both plants.
Vallisneria (Vallisneria species) produce runners and it gets part of its nutrients from the water and part from roots so it requires a substrate. It is hardy and with low requirements. While my goldfish uproot this plant often it does well if I keep replanting it.
Hygrophilas (different varieties) and Watersprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides) These are stemplants and relatively hardy. However goldfish do tend to like to snack on their rather soft leaves. I tend to find them ‘cut down’ a bit if I leave the goldfish without food for a couple of days. But if you have luck with ones above you may want to try these next. Both tend to like better lighting than low, though. Watersprite has the advantage that it does well floating if it is uprooted.
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You need to change the water daily, unless you have some type of oxygen flowing. Otherwise he will die.
@slick44: If he dies just swap him out. They are only $0.10! The main cost is the time standing in line. I would even swap him out for suspicion of sickness.
@slick44: He could rename him Louis and have a little plaque where he changes out the roman numerals like gas station prices.
Maybe he should have named him “Flushie”.
@slick44 , @dpworkin , @malevolentbutticklish im a girl. and if i rename him it will be something like draco or malfoy. I figured if I name him the name of a celeb I love, I will try to keep it alive longer.
@Finley… sorry for he gender mistake, the pic. threw me off.)
When I was little I had goldfish and they kept dying. Finally we found out the bowl was too small. Is it possible he is sad because he needs a bigger bowl?
When my daughter was about 8 she had 3 goldfish,“Small, Medium & Large’ were their names. haha
She will never let me forget her fish crisis when she came screaming downstairs that one of her fish was choking. lol
I guess I wasn’t terribly concerned and so she went back upstairs and performed the hiemlich maneuver on Large.
Apparently it worked and he expelled a piece of gravel he had inhaled. hahahaha
I did not take her fish emergency seriously I guess. lol
surprisingly tom felton is still alive. I feed him twice a day and change his water once a day (sometimes skip a day) but i haven’t gotten him a friend yet. i should probably get him a voldemort. does anyone know a goldfish’s attention span?
Well, that’s good news. Mazel Tov.
The brains of a goldfish are not capable of complex emotions. They are not cats or dogs. Experts can tell you what a goldfish needs. Treat them nicely.
Hooray for Tom Felton! A resilient fish!
he’s dead. i went two days without cleaning his bowl and it got really dirty and he died yesterday night.
@Finley
No more pets for you!
Maybe just get a rock and paint a little face on it, low maintainance pet. lol
Finley; There is a special place waiting for negligent pet owners. Shame. Tom Felton, Rest in Peace.
I feel horrible! He was alive just moments (maybe an hour…) before eating his food at the surface of the bowl..
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