Cloudy Fish Bowl

Question
QUESTION: Hi Nicole,

I hope this question hasn't been answered a million times before!!!

My fish bowl has gone cloudy after cleaning it as directed by the pet shop.  From what I have read online I think I "overcleaned" it.

What I want to know is will this cloudy water hurt my fish?  I am not sure what to do but don't want him to get sick.

Thanks

ANSWER: Hi Toni,

To clear up the cloudiness, you should change about 1/4-1/2 of the water in the bowl every day. It will get clearer with time, but more importantly, I have to ask...

What kind of fish do you have in this bowl? Goldfish are certainly not bowl fish, this is no sort of life for it at all. Goldfish are very messy fish that need at least a 10 gallon tank for starters, with a filter.

If you have a betta in a bowl, consider that these little fellas need to be kept warm, between 78-80 degrees is perfect. You need a heater to keep the water that warm. Bettas benefit so much from the addition of a filter, and since "all in one" kits of 5 gallons sell at Walmart for between $30-40, it's not too big an investment to make for your pet. These tanks come with a light, an acrylic tank, and a little filter. You just need to add a heater and voila! You have a real aquarium instead of a bowl.

In the meantime, keep doing those partial water changes daily. You might consider adding something like Stress Coat or aquarium salt (which is actually just non-iodized salt, like kosher salt) to the bowl, a teaspoon or so won't hurt.  Mix it in warm water first. Know that, if your tap water is chlorinated, you always need to add some dechlorinator to water when keeping fish - chlorine hurts fish. Stress Coat dechlorinates chlorine as well as chloramine, which is important. Many other brands do too - Start Right, Prime, Aqua Safe are just a few off the top of my head.

For more information on keeping fish, check out:
http://freshaquarium.about.com

And also www.bettatalk.com if you have a betta, or www.kokosgoldfish.com if you have a goldfish....

Thanks for writing. Take care!
Nicole

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much Nicole.

I will keep changing a quarter the water and replace with fresh water treated with Start Right.

Unfortunately yes, Babel is a goldfish, I was mislead by the petshop where I bought him they said he would be fine in a bowl.

I will buy him a bigger tank, but in the meantime I will keep changing the water so it stays clean for him.

I do have one other question... Sorry, I feel so naive for taking the pet shop's advice!!

When I go near his tank he always comes to the top and looks like he is hungry, is feeding him a few flakes once a day enough, or is he in fact hungry?

Thanks again!

ANSWER: Hi again Toni!

Sorry to hear that the pet store misled you. If this is a feeder type goldfish, I know some pet stores will say - oh, he'll be fine in a bowl - because why spend $60 on a tank for a 25 cent goldfish? However, if they are saying that commercial goldfish (the ones actually for sale as fish, not living food) are ok to put in a bowl, there is something seriously amiss. If you do much of your shopping there, I would not hesitate to complain to the manager. This kind of ignorance was a little more understandable before the internet. Any kind of internet search will tell you that goldfish are not bowl fish. Tell the manager that it's better business for his staff to sell an aquarium kit to give their customers' goldfish proper homes rather than lie to them and say a bowl is OK. If this is not a case of deception, rather a case of ignorance, this is still not OK for a business! If you don't want to say all that, just print this letter! ;) Or print the text from these sites:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/goldfish-bowl-home-guide-planning.html
http://www.googobits.com/articles/1780-goldfish--beyond-the-bowl.html

Now that that's over with, know that you can get yourself a reasonably priced kit at Walmart. The other day I saw a new kind of kit, 14 gallons (a fairly good size for one goldfish!) for about $60.

As far as the feeding goes, goldfish always appear hungry. Eating is probably their biggest pleasure in life, and in a bowl, there's not much to do - the only fun is eating! So your goldfish isn't hungry so much as bored. The good news is, you can give your goldfish plenty of foods that aren't bad for him, that won't cloud the water or give him bloat. Chopped up cucumber, spinach softened up in boiling water, pieces of banana, a slice of squash or dark green/curly lettuce softened up in boiling water - all of these are excellent snacks to give your goldfish roughage. If you drop in a few flakes, and then a few more, you're going to pollute that tank in no time. So it would be far better if you'd just feed flakes (or crisps, or pellets, just for goldfish - or Spirulina, even better..) once a day or every other day, and the rest of the time just offer vegetables. It will keep your goldfish from bloating, clean out his intestinal tract, and it's just the kind of diet he needs - a green one! Goldfish are vegetarians, although they relish small insects and crustaceans as well.  

To make his life more bearable in the bowl, add 1 teaspoon of cooking salt (preferably the non-iodized kind) to his bowl. Dissolve it in warm water before adding it. And do change out a percentage of the water daily. About as much as a full measuring cup, or two if you have the time.

Another short term solution is to buy an air pump, connect it to airline tubing, and put an airstone at the end - then put the airstone into the bowl. It will oxygenate the water in the bowl and make your goldfish a lot happier. You can use it when you get your larger tank, also.

I hope that helps! Take care.
Nicole

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks Nicole, he was sold as a commercial gold fish and we were told that goldfish are hardy and could live in anything... pretty disappointing!  The setup we have (bowl, shells and plastic plants) cost us about $80.

I actually feel like a really bad mother to Babel for not finding out all of this info before we bought him!

I am glad I know now so I can do what it takes to make him happy :)

Answer
Hi again Toni,

Wow! That's a lot more expensive than I expected. I noticed that decorative bowls were $20-40 the other day, I had no idea the prices would be so exorbitant.

I suppose it's possible that this was just plain ignorance on the part of the employee/store, but nonetheless surprising. Goldfish poop - a lot! - and need well oxygenated water to thrive. Besides a preference for temperature, warmer water holds less oxygen, so cool water (70-72 F) is ideal for goldfish. Let me share with you a page full of links to other goldfish websites:
http://www.goldfishparadise.com/links/

Feel free to write back anytime. Have a great weekend!
Nicole