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Join our community on the Pet forum to discuss anything related to pets.

Pets

Goldfish - what should I do with them ?

33 replies

koolkat · 01/04/2006 13:06

I have a couple goldfish I bought for DS for a bit of fun.

I now regret this as my tank isn't very big and the fish constantly come up to the surface to gulp air !

I change their water quite a lot, but the water gets dirty very quickly.

I feel very cruel, but I don't really have room for a big fish tank.

Can someone tell if the fish would survive if I let them loose in nature ? Where ?

Alternatively would a pet shop take them back ?

Thanks !

OP posts:

Report

ProfYaffle · 01/04/2006 13:10

You could give them to me, I killed ours stone dead within days! (By accident I hasten to add)

RSPCA??

JanH · 01/04/2006 13:15

2 things to try before you give up:

1)get them some fresh weed (they like the wispy kind) which helps keep the water clean and also provides a snack

2) don't feed them on flake food. You can get tiny pellets from a pet shop, which float for ages (chance would be a fine thing!) - just give them maybe 2 each, twice a day, they will eat the lot and then there is no waste to rot down. Ignore them when they waggle at you for food the rest of the time, they will eat until they pop if you let them and they don't need much at all.

(Ours also have a pretty small tank but the water stays clear for ages this way. Good luck!)

Nbg · 01/04/2006 13:36

Pets at home have started to sell little filters for small tanks. I think they cost £5 if that.

Like Jan said, weed is a good thing too. Just make sure you give it a good wash before you put it in the tank.

PinkTulips · 01/04/2006 22:03

aldi have fish tanks with filters and everything this week for dirt cheap.

for the most part though mine gets ignored, he's 4 years old, has lived in 2 tanks in 4 houses, traveled in the boots of cars with only an inch of water, been attacked by 4 differant cats, left without food for months on end, all the water was allowed to evaporate at one stage, fed drugs, steak, wine and blu tack and seems wholly unwilling to die. i hasten to add for most of these events, not counting cats and moving house, he was in someone elses care as i was out of the country so i don't think i can be held responsible for anything other than choosing very bad fish sitters!

he only gets a tiny bit of food once a weeks or so and has live plants and his tank stays very clean and he's huge and in the picture of health.

LadySherlockofLGJ · 01/04/2006 22:07

Goldfish - what should I do with them ?

Deep fried in a salt and pepper batter ??

lou33 · 01/04/2006 22:09

my mum flushed mine down the toilet when i was at school, when she had enough

JonesTheSteam · 01/04/2006 22:12

LOL, LGJ - I read the thread title and thought the same thing!!!!!!

Saggarmakersbottomknocker · 01/04/2006 22:16

We've had loads of goldfish over the years and have found that the less you do for them the better they are.

Feed them every couple of days at most - ours probably only get fed once a week.

Don't use the flake food - it makes the water really murky as does having them near the window.

Like JanH or water stays really clear - in fact I don't think I've done a complete water change since Christmas - just top them up every so often.

GeorginaA · 01/04/2006 22:45

koolkat - ask your local fish shop (of the pet variety not the chip variety ) if they'll take them in. Chances are they will.

koolkat · 02/04/2006 08:01

LadySherlock - I am reporting you to the RSPCA for fish cruelty !

You will notice this topic started in the "pet" section not the "food" section, besides they are only an inch or two long, not much of a meal !

I remember my dad feeding ours bread when I was a kid. They died the next day

OP posts:

koolkat · 02/04/2006 08:04

No laughing matter this, and I hate to stereotype any nationality, but I had a South Korean class mate at school who said he sold his pet dog to the local deli. before he left Korea. A dog is a man't best friend, but apparently it's also rather tastey in some cultures !

OP posts:

Auntymandy · 02/04/2006 08:04

I'll have 'em. Or put a filter in.

koolkat · 02/04/2006 08:06

aunty - can you drive up to North London ?

OP posts:

Auntymandy · 02/04/2006 08:07

it would be down to north london from me!!
They dont post well either do they?
Take them to a pet shop!

7up · 02/04/2006 08:22

a cat will have great fun hooking them out and eating them.

mine did, i left the bowl with 2 in and forgot the cat, came home from work and all that was left was a fin and an eyeball

koolkat · 02/04/2006 09:25

Yes, if I take the lid off the tank, I think DS would do the same !

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Auntymandy · 02/04/2006 09:37

leave them and bowl on someones dorrstep. wait till its dark though!!:)

koolkat · 02/04/2006 09:43

Is there a charity for fish ? Will they adopt ?

OP posts:

Marne · 02/04/2006 10:30

Chuck them in a pond, if there's one next door just chuck them over the fence

koolkat · 02/04/2006 13:52

thanks marne - I live in a flat and no one around here has a garden pond
they will have to go back to the pet shop or in the pond in the park or - although I think one is advised not to do this ?

OP posts:

tigi · 02/04/2006 19:57

Mine have a tube of bubbles going into the water, not a filter, but its a plastic tube, attached to a little motor, that goes off a socket next to the tank. Attach it to an air brick to give lots off fine bubbles - they wont need to gulp for air then. And it looks pretty!
Dont know what the 'proper' name for this is!
Mine are huge huge fish in a bowl, and would be dead without this!

SPARKLER1 · 04/04/2006 09:04

Cna someone answer my question for me? As on other thread, dd's goldfish died this morning. Two days ago I changed their food from flake to sticks. The water has been getting quite cloudy recently so I thought this would help. Do you think this could have killed it?

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tigi · 04/04/2006 10:42

The water was probably cloudy caused by the leftover food being uneaten. If it had stayed like this without having a water change, it could have poisoned them.....sorry

Kelly1978 · 04/04/2006 10:47

if your water is getting that cloudy, then you are prob overfeeding them and that will kill hem anyway. Fish dont need feeding daily, and those that are slightly underweight will live a lot longer. More food = more poo = more bacteria too, which isn't harmful, but will produce a whitish bloom clouding the water.

Kelly1978 · 04/04/2006 10:48

oh and I feed mine on sticks, pellets, flake, lettuce, cucumber, shrimp, and bloodwoprm. Not sure how much of those goldfish will eat, but a variety keeps them healthy too.

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