my black moor fish died

Question
today my sister me and her friend changed our black moors tank. his tank was only about 2inches by 2inches and had no other fish in his bowl . but when we changed his water we picked him up with a mesuring cup, but i dont know if thats why he died . maybe it was from changing water, but im not sure. we went out for a few hours and when we got back ,he was floating at the top of his bowl.

please answer me back and tell me whats wrong thanks chris
from kaitlin

Answer
Hi Kaitlin;

Poor little guy. I'm so sorry you lost him and so sorry you didn't get good advice on how to care for your new fish. Your black moor goldfish needed a regular tank with a filter in order to stay alive. It's a common mistake, and unfortunately a common myth that goldfish are meant to live in bowls. Fish bowls are simply not big enough to give them enough oxygen in their water and they basically suffocate. There are places where it is actually illegal to sell fish bowls because so many fish have suffered and died in them. Goldfish grow very large and are very messy deep-bodied fish. A tiny bowl that small is not big enough for any fish at all actually. Bettas can live and be healthy in about a gallon of water but not so small as yours. Fish also need water conditioner when you change the water and the new water must be the same temperature as the old water to avoid shock.

If you want to try again with another goldfish like your black moor was, get a 10 gallon or larger with a good filter. It's what they need just for one fish because goldfish of all types get over 6 inches long and are very messy. Here are some web pages to help you get started with a proper tank when you are ready, starting with my own page about starting a new tank;

http://www.xanga.com/Expert_Fish_Help

http://www.petlibrary.com/goldfish/fishcare.htm

http://www.firsttankguide.net/goldfish.php

If you want to look into getting a betta, get a one gallon bowl or larger and see these pages;

http://www.healthybetta.com/Care/page1-general.htm

http://www.fishpondinfo.com/betta.htm

Good luck...

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins