Okay, so I bought 2 fantail goldfish today from Wal-Mart. They were cheap, but I don't want to kill them. Soo... I'm curious. I brought them home and filled up the bowl (I don't have a tank yet and I'm getting one tomorrow but wont have a filter or anything.. they will stay in the bowl for now) with water, let it get to be about room temperature (I did treat it with tap water solution stuff). I let the unopened bag they came in sit in the water for about 30 minutes, opened it and took them out with the net. Placed them in the bowl and have been watching them. These are my first fish ever so I'm super excited. They seem to be active, but occasionally they'll go 'sit' on the bottom of the bowl and not move their fins. Is that normal?

Plus, should I put gravel in a bowl? I have an ornament thing, but gravel?

Good! And thanks about the gravel. The bowl I have has about an inch or so bottom on it that doesn't take out of the 'bowl' part. I don't know exactly how to explain it, though. Also, for gravel, don't you have to replace it like once a week? And about 25% of the water once a week as well?

Actually, gravel serves a purpose other than just decoration. It filters the water in the bowl to keep the excess food and poo from just floating around until you change the water. So, yes, gravel is definitely a good idea. :)

EDIT: You don't have to change the gravel that often... just clean it when you change the water.

Okay, so I feel dumb.. how do I clean it? Do I just replace all the water in the bowl and keep the fish in a seperate place while I clean the bowl and gravel? And another dumb question.. how do you clean gravel? xD

um... you REALLY need a tank with a filter. it keeps the water clean by removing debris as well as gives added oxygen circulation.

Awesome, that makes it easier. :) Okay, one more dumb question (sorry, like I said I've never had fish before, but I'm very intrigied by them) .. live plants, will they live in a bowl with a couple goldfish?

Everyone I've talked to said goldfish can survive in a bowl/tank without the filter. I will eventually get my 10 gallon tank set up with a filter and light, but for now the bowl is fun.

lol... let me rephrase for you....

um... i STRONGLY suggest a tank with a filter. it keeps the water clean by removing debris as well as gives added oxygen circulation.

Yes, It's usually smart to change the water in a fishbowl once a month, but it can go longer if you are good at remembering to do regular partial water changes. And you just put your fish in another dedicated contain just for them. Ideally something that has never been washed with dishsoap. Dishsoap leaves behind a residue that is toxic to most fish. Then just dump the water and use very wam water to rinse the bowl.

As for the gravel, I always dump mine into a strainer and then rinse it as well as I can. I've used gravel cleaners in the past and wasn't too thrilled with the results.

They're GOLDFISH. They do not NEED a filter.

Thanks, you've been very helpful. I think I'm good with this, but can I send you a buddy request and if I have any other questions ask you?

So if I buy a container or something of the sort that should work. I was told about the dishsoap so I was careful not to use it in my bowl. I just let the hottest tap water possible rinse it and then dried it.

I like the strainer idea as well. You've been very helpful too!

That looks like fun.. maybe later after I have more money.

good

A filter is always a plus with goldfish cause they are nasty little buggers. IE they crap alot, and a filter helps to keep the tank clean.

Live plants can thrive with and/or without fish. Live plants help to add oxygen in the water, while plastic plants are easier to take care of.

Also, DO NOT use soap of any kind when cleaning tanks, decorations, plastic plants, or gravel. Use the strainer idea for the gravel. Or even fill the bowl with so much water and slosh it around then dump the water out. Keep doing this, and eventually the gravel will be cleaned.

If they need to be ALIVE, they need a filter.

Goldfish, especially fancy varieties, require at least 20-30 gallon tanks for them to thrive (if you want them to survive past a few weeks or months).

Here:

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=16+1922&aid=2650

Goldfish can live just fine in a bowl, just like a betta can. the only reason they die fast on some people is because those people dont know how to take care of a fish. Just clean the water when it needs cleaning, use water drops if you fill it with tap water to neutralize any chemicals that may harm the fish, and feed them regularly. Goldfish will come the top of the bowl/tank for air even if you have a pump and filter, and the only thing a filter by itself does is keep the water cleaner.

i can live just fine without fruits and vegetables -- doesn't mean it's the ideal conditions for life.

i'm an aquarium hobbyist. i've had betas and bred them (in addition to keeping other varieties). i promise you that they prefer a nice, well-maintained (filtered) aquarium over a bowl.

there really is no excuse for bare minimum when owning a pet... even if that pet is just a goldfish.

Yeah, totally not saying that the bowl is the best choice, but the main point is she already said the bowl is temporary. She's getting a tank but in the meantime wants to make sure they'll be OK in the bowl.

They actually make some pretty nice bowls nowadays though, and if you were diligent enough to clean it every day or maybe even every other day I don't think it would be that much different from having a filter. Just IMO though, i'm no fish expert, just kept a few in my time. :P

Edit: @ OP, Wal-Mart actually has a nice little package deal on a tank with a pump/filter system and some sample packs of water drops and flakes. I got it for my fantails and they seem to like it well enough. It's like this one but mine's only a 5 gallon: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10312734

yeah, i'm glad the OP is gonna move up to a filtered tank. i guess i just didn't want anyone (younger?) getting the impression that throwing a fish in a bowl was next to ideal. i also agree that they have some really great starter tanks with all the stuff for like $20?? maybe less.

i'm skeptical about cleaning a bowl or tank often. the tank environment needs certain bacteria in its ecosystem (which is why the partial water changes mentioned earlier is a good idea). but yeah, i think it is possible to maintain a bowl in the same sense that a filter would work for a tank -- i'm just unsure why anyone would bother with the work. :P

Well,I had plenty of Koi's,Goldfishs so heres the basics: *Gravels DOES have a purpose.It keeps the poo and excess food from floating around. *Depennding on how big the goldfish will get,you need a tank that is comfurtable for them.You know swimming space. *To clean the gravel and filth on the bottom of the tank i use a hose thats not connected to thepipes and suck the filth out. *Place some decorations.It looks pretty,makes your tank more apealing and maybe your fish will like it. *Fish tend to sit on the bottom.You know like a rest stop. I guess those are the basics. Hope it will work for you.

Thanks to everyone. I do look to get a tank, but maybe only a 10 gallon. When I get a 10 gallon I may add another fish, but I'm not sure. For right now, they survived the night so I think I'm doing something right. I am going to get them gravel and put it on the bottom of the bowl and a smaller decoration since this one's so big and makes the bowl have two parts to it.

I can't get a very large tank because my landlord wouldn't allow it. I'm not sure what he'd say about a 10 gallon tank, but I'm looking to move anyway. I've seen the starter kits at wal mart (I've wanted fish for a LONG! time so this is just my beginning step) and like them, but I also already have a tank that was given to me. I just gotta go pick it up sometime. I don't know, I may buy the starter kit, or I may just buy the filter and gravel/etc. separate.

A little side note. I noticed this morning that when I was feeding them one of them came to the top of the bowl and grabbed food, then swam back toward the bottom as the other came to the top of the bowl. I let the food sit for a couple minutes while they ate at it, and then took it out. Now they seem to be having some sort of staring contest where the slightly smaller fish will move toward the bigger one and the bigger one kinda backs away. I'm assuming it has something to do with dominance?

If you get a 10 gallon please do not add another fish. Fancy Tail Goldies need about 8 Gallons of water each to thrive. This has to do with swimming space and the amount of waste they create, because goldfish are poo factories. Believe it or not, goldfish do better when not in bowls, or in cramped spaces.

Also, if you get another fish get another fancy tail. A regular gold fish can swim faster than the fancies and will chase them and stress them out.