Poor lonely goldfish. WWYD?

[bushymcbush]

I have been given a goldfish to look after just for the weekend. The person who gave it to me does not own it. They were looking after it for someone else and had to go away themselves, hence asking me to have the fish.

So, what's concerning me is that this is literally just a small goldfish in a small round clear bowl. No gravel, no fake environment of any kind. Nothing.

Is this actually considered acceptable in the fish keeping world? I'm absolutely clueless - never had any fish - but I wouldn't dream of keeping a fish like this.

Am I being over sensitive about a fish? Does the fish even care? It swims back and forth constantly, and I don't know how to tell if a fish is content but this one reminds me of those caged animals you sometimes see in cheap zoos that pace up and down or rock their heads back and forth .

What would you do?

[EauRouge]

Noooo, that hasn't been considered acceptable for some time. There's actually a pretty big movement trying to ban goldfish bowls, they've already been banned in some places in Europe.

The fish does care, there are several reasons why, the most important being-

Lack of filtration means the ammonia level rises and the fish gets burnt. It is being poisoned by its own waste.

Goldfish do not grow to the size of their tank, they should grow very large indeed. Instead what happens is a bit like what happens to a bonsai tree- their growth is stunted and they become deformed. Eventually they die- far sooner than they should have done- from organ failure. The kidneys usually go first.

Those are the two main concerns. I have more if that's not enough to reassure you that you are right to worry.

As for what I would do.... I'd steal it You might want to print out something like this or this to show the owner the error of his or her ways.

If you do decide to liberate the poor thing then you can make a temporary home for it in one of those big plastic storage boxes (make sure it's food grade plastic) with a filter. Get a test kit too to make sure the pH isn't vastly different and then acclimatise the fish slowly. It's probably already a bit knackered so any shocks might finish it off. Then you can set about finding it a new home.

Let me know if I can do anything else to help.

[bushymcbush]

Thanks EauRouge. I'm enlightened by your info and really concerned about this poor fish now.

I would gladly steal it and buy a proper tank but I fear the repercussions for my friend from her neighbour. I'll think about what the best course of action is.

Thanks again.