possibly strange behavior

Question
Hello James,
I know that your profile didn't say common goldfish but you did mention goldfish and i need help. I bought my little brother in law two small goldfish and they are in a bowl.  He's at the beach and I volunteered to take care of them for him.  I have them sitting right by me and they are both at the top of the water and they appear to be lapping the water. They are making the strangest noise and I was just wondering if that was normal or if something is wrong.  Oh, also...should a goldfish be fed a few times a day or just once?

Answer
Hi Aimee,

Just so you know, I deal with all types of goldfish.  Personally, I don't recommend keeping any fish besides a betta in a bowl.  Why not get him a 5-15 gallon tank when his birthday rolls around.  There are two reasons why the goldfish could be like this.

1) There is probably not enough oxygen in the water.
2) Did he put in the appropriate conditioners such as water ager?

Make sure that the water is ok and if it is then I would suggest removing them and putting them in a tank or pond with enough oxygen.

I hope I helped =),
James