Guppy's or goldfish or something else?

[kreecherlivesupstairs]

DD is desperate for a pet. She has had the full works in the past excepting a dog. As we are not planning to be living in Belgium for more than another 8 months or so, I thought a couple of fish would fit the bill.
We have a large bowl and, although I don't want to go down the tank route (again), I could get a bubbling stone thing for aeration. what would be the most suitable fish to buy for it?
Once we have moved back to england, we will either take the fish with us, or donate them to DDs school tank.

[Furball]

how big is the 'large bowl'

The general rule of thumb is 1 inch of (adult) fish per gallon of water but all depends on the fish.

[EauRouge]

Bowls are no good for fish at all, sorry :( the surface area compared to the volume is too small and it's tough getting a decent enough filter to fit (and you need a filter). Goldfish get massive so they are especially unsuitable.

There are no fish that only live for 8 months so you'd end up having to rehome them when you move. Moving them would be really stressful and likely result in them dying.

I'd wait until you get back to the UK and if your DD still wants fish then get a proper tank set up. They don't make great pets for young children really, they are too science-y and not very interactive. Something like a hamster or gerbil might be more fun for her.

[kreecherlivesupstairs]

It really is very big, about the size of a washing up bowl and holds around 50 litres of water. We have had aquariums/aquaria in both Thailand and Switzerland and I am very proficient at keeping fish alive.
Maybe I'll have to rethink the plan. She is definitely not getting anything furry until we are settled somewhere.

[LoopyLoops]

Would it be worth finding out what fish they have at school so they can be compatible?

Bowls really aren't very good.

[LoopyLoops]

How about stick insects? (ewww)

[EauRouge]

50 litres is pretty small in aquarium terms, small bodies of water are much less stable in terms of temperature and water parameters.

[kreecherlivesupstairs]

Had stick insects (as well as kittens, tortoise, fish, hamster, gerbils, ladybirds and snails). The fish in the tank at DD;s school are mainly guppys and tetras. I think perhaps we'll put this plan on hold.

[LoopyLoops]

Tamagotchi?

[kreecherlivesupstairs]

She's had one of those. She was hysterical when she dropped it down the toilet and it died. Strangely much more emotional than when her stick insects passed away.

[arsonistsandoldlace]

Sea monkeys?

[LoopyLoops]

I used to have a pet spring (large car? spring) called Baddoing. Didn't need another pet for a good couple of years. :)

[EauRouge]

You could probably keep some triops in your bowl, they're very creepy interesting.