Why is my goldfish dying within minutes...

Question
Hi Karen,

I bought a goldfish about a year and a half ago... and he survived in the bowl for that long... I bought 4 new goldfish in the same day and within minutes of putting them in the bowl they die... I did clean out the bowl...these goldfish are the mini one too.. what am I doing wrong.   Water to Cold?  No Idea what to do... so wierd...

Answer
Hi John,
There are many things that could be happening to your goldfish and it all revolves around the problem of the fish bowl itself. Bowls with such a small water volume become saturated with pollution within less than a day and its only the hardiest lucky fish that survives for as long as he can adapt to such a harsh environment. Even tiny goldfish produce enough waste/ammonia that they can literally kill themselves. A fishbowl is equivalent to a toilet and that's where your problem lies.

Another thing is did you make sure to dechlorinate your water with a water conditioner before putting the fish in?

Either way, I hate to be the bearer of bad news. But you'll never really have much success trying to keep goldfish in a bowl. It is still a popular and endorsed practice but reality is the goldfish only survive, they don't thrive in such a environment.

A better setup would be at least a 20-gallon tank. Goldfish under the right conditions can grow into big gorgeous critters reaching lengths of up to 8 inches or more with brilliant colors. Few people ever get to see them reach their full potential but its quite a sight to see!

Best of luck and I hope this helps!
Karen~