Fish Bowls - Newby

[Marniesfishyfriends]

Hi, I'm a brand new fish mummy and I am terrified that my fishy children are unhappy.

I don't have much space (and I was after something easily transportable) so I bought two ~1.5 gallon Fish Bowls.

Bowl#1: 3 x male Guppies and 12 Neon Tetras.

Bowl#2: a Golden Sucking Catfish and 12 Neon Tetras.

I added lil (26°c) heaters and thermometers but no filters. I'm treating the water and have added hidey holes and small fake plants for the new owners.

1. Is this too many fish for the bowls?

2. Do catfish prefer to have friends?

3. How regularly should I change over the water?

4. How much should I feed these teeny fish? (Current menu options: tiny pellets, flakes and blood worms.)

5. Is it best to use a very fine gravel or possibly sand for the catfish, as I feel the pebbles I bought are too big for him to bury in, although he mostly attaches himself to a pebble or hides in his fake coral tunnel.

Please note (!!) I did not plan to have so many Tetras, they were purchased by a friend who's also just starting out, his Loaches were eyeing them off for dinner (as I tried to warn him would be the case) so they are now seeking refuge with my fish fam-bam.

I need all the advice I can get!

Thank you

 

[shellieca]

Oh yes your 1.5g bowls are WAY overstocked. With that # of fish in that small of a space you will be having dead fish soon because of the ammonia building up. You will need to be doing daily water changes to keep the water as safe as possible, mulitple water changes in a day really. Instead of two bowls I would look at getting a 5 - 10g tank & then redoing your stocking. You will want to research each type of fish you want to ensure you are providing what the ADULT fish will need. The gold sucking catfish is, to my knowledge, otherwise known as a Golden Chinese Algae Eater which means a 10g tank will NOT be sufficient for him, they can grow to be anywhere from 6"-12", averaging 6" in an aquarium setting. So, bottom line, you need much bigger tank or take them all back & start with a little bigger tank in which you could house fish properly. Also make sure if you are purchasing tropical fish you invest in a heater. Good luck & ask as many questions as you want before you make furhter purchases.

 

[bigbanker]

Your best option here is to either get a decent sized tank (20 gallons or so) or return all of your fish.

Very few fish will be happy and flourishing in a 1.5g bowl with no heater.

 

[Fishperson]

You should do a LOT of research on cycling, stocking, and other stuff. Pretty much nothing can live happily in a 1.5 gallon bowl. You need at least a 29 gallon tank to put the fish you have in.

 

[calfishguy]

You should do a LOT of research on cycling, stocking, and other stuff. Pretty much nothing can live happily in a 1.5 gallon bowl. You need at least a 29 gallon tank to put the fish you have in.

Agreed you need to upgrade to a 29 gallon at least.

 

[Scottyhorse]

I'd say a 36, because then you will have a little buffer for fish in cycling.

 

[Fishperson]

But whatever you do, you need to realize that you can never be nice to your fish if you don't do research about them first. Putting 15 fish in one 1.5 gallon bowl is completely ridiculous, that's like keeping a dog in a 2 foot by 2 foot box! Although I am going to get about 50 people telling me that this is wrong, a good rule of thumb (or better than the one you are using at least) is about 1 inch of fish per gallon of water. You would need to do more research about each fish first (for example, goldfish are very messy fish, and need at least 3 gallons per inch, versus one for a clean fish like tetras). That is called bioload, how much waste a fish creates. Do lots of research on cycling, beneficial bacteria, and the nitrogen cycle in aquariums. Until then, either get a 30+ gallon tank, or return ALL of the fish back to the store.

 

[Oohitsae]

I'm sorry, but I have a hard time believing that anyone in their right mind would really do this, and am pretty sure that this is probably a troll.

 

[Fishperson]

I'm sorry, but I have a hard time believing that anyone in their right mind would really do this, and am pretty sure that this is probably a troll.

Are you an adult?
I thought only kids say troll! Me and my friends use it all the time. But yeah, I thought this was a joke too!
It is just ridiculous.

 

[Oohitsae]

Haha I'm legally an adult, but only 23. I actually had to ask my boyfriend what the word was, because I haven't had to use it on so long, but there's no way this could be real. I don't understand how anyone would think to themselves "oh 13 fish in 1.5 gallons, sounds like a great idea!"

 

[Scottyhorse]

Unfortunantly, based on the picture (avatar) I think this is real.
This is just horrible and I can't imagine ever doing this to fish.
But yes, why would somebody go to the fish store and say "Hey, lets get 15 fish that are really active and poop a lot and stuff them in these little bowls with no filter and a bad heater. Sounds like a great idea!"

 

[calfishguy]

Unfortunantly, based on the picture (avatar) I think this is real.
This is just horrible and I can't imagine ever doing this to fish.
But yes, why would somebody go to the fish store and say "Hey, lets get 15 fish that are really active and poop a lot and stuff them in these little bowls with no filter and a bad heater. Sounds like a great idea!"

Instead of embarrassing the op shouldn't we try to give helpful advice.

 

[azmodan]

Agreed. There are unfortunately countless people who use fish bowls because they're the stereotypical home for things like a simple goldfish. Naturally that doesn't make it the right decision but we should remain tactful at the thought that this does occur (likely a lot more commonly than we think), particularly if the occasion to educate someone new to the hobby arises.

Marnie, I'd recommend giving this article a read: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium/. Your fish definitely do require a considerably larger aquarium and you'll learn a good amount from that article on what that will require. The good news is that once you buy that first tank it's only going to get more and more fun! However, if you're not as interested in setting up a fully filtered and appropriately sized tank you should look into rehoming your current fish. On a side note those fish bowls you have would make excellent Walstad bowls. Google them for more info.

 

[josh7]

Are you an adult?
I thought only kids say troll! Me and my friends use it all the time. But yeah, I thought this was a joke too!
It is just ridiculous.

Haha this just made my whole night trolls a great word use it daily.

But agreed with what everyone else has said you need to rehome all your fish ASAP and buy at least a 29 gallon tank or just a 10 gallon tank. So you can set up a nice aquarium fish can actually live in.