Is this normal?

[Burger Wife]

This tank is only a short term solution as big tanks are quite expensive

Please get a bigger tank soon.

How long have your fish stayed at 5cm? If it has been long you might think that "oh they are small fish so it is ok" but no. The only reason why they haven't grown bigger is because they can't. They have so little space that their brain tells their skin to stop growing. However their organs will keep growing. There will come a day when the organs are too big to by held in my the morbidly stretched skin and the fish will die.

 

[Floop123]

It could take a LONG time. Some fish are extremely hardy and will live up to ten years in those conditions. But as Burger Wife said, their organs will grow. Your fish will die a horrible death. I also believe you should reread the forum rules.

 

[nirbhao]

I didn't ask if my tank was suitable I purely wanted to know if my fish having a string like substance hanging (shown in picture) was normal

You didn't clarify that you were asking about the feces. You asked if the picture showed a normal fish. It shows a fish in distress, likely due to ammonia poisoning or lack of oxygen.

Poop that stays attached is a sign of constipation. Try feeding your fish a shelled pea.

This site is a very good resource for keeping healthy fish. It's hard to hear when you've made a mistake, but the only bad thing to do is not to fix it. I started out with a one gallon bowl, so I can tell you many of us have made mistakes. We learn and get better. This is a learning opportunity.

 

[Charlie.]

Please get a bigger tank soon.

How long have your fish stayed at 5cm? If it has been long you might think that "oh they are small fish so it is ok" but no. The only reason why they haven't grown bigger is because they can't. They have so little space that their brain tells their skin to stop growing. However their organs will keep growing. There will come a day when the organs are too big to by held in my the morbidly stretched skin and the fish will die.

I've only had them a week

 

[Floop123]

It still doesn't matter. They WILL die. You NEED a large tank now. They will probably die soon

 

[idol1]

Not to be rude but there is no such thing as a goldfish bowl. Please read some of the threads on goldfish.

If you want fish in a bowl get a couple of common guppys.

It is only produced by manufactures that care nothing about fish. Only making money.