Now, my goldies measure 3-inches in length, and they’re growing by the day! When I bought my fancies a few months back, they were tiny, timid little 1-inch long creatures that spent their whole day hiding in the plants. I enjoy watching the way that they interact with each other. I love their individual characteristics and personalities. Goldfish are quick growers and active swimmers - a cramped bowl is clearly no place for fish of that size. Long-bodied goldfish such as Comets are more at home in a pond rather than a tank, growing up to 12 inches long, and tiny, inch-long baby Calico fantail goldfish will reach at least 6 inches in length as adult goldfish. This might be surprising since carp are large fish, but, in fact, most of the 100 or more species of goldfish can grow pretty large too. Goldfish are actually the domesticated descendants of a species of wild carp. Size Mattersįun fact: you’ll never find a goldfish living wild natural habitats. There are several reasons why keeping fish in bowls is totally unsuitable for captive fish. Unfortunately, despite the efforts of animal rights activists and animal welfare experts, the rest of the world is still lagging behind changing animal welfare law in recognizing the unsuitability of bowls for keeping pet fish alive. The reason? They are happier in groups of additional goldfish. Other cities, including Monza in Italy and most cities in Mexico and Sweden, quickly followed suit, establishing their own animal protection rules for goldfish keeping.Īdditionally, since 2008, the government of Switzerland established terms for people who owned goldfish, making it illegal for them to keep only a single goldfish. These forward-thinking lawmakers also passed a by-law banning pet owners from keeping their pet fish in goldfish bowls.Īlthough the council in Rome didn’t precisely state the reason for the ban, the newspaper Il Messaggero claimed that keeping goldfish in the dreaded fish bowl caused them to go blind. In October 2005, the Italian city of Rome established new animal welfare rules that officially banned the giving of goldfish as fairground prizes. Hover over image to pin to Pinterest Where in the world are goldfish bowls banned? Keep reading to find out why and, more importantly, what a proper goldfish aquarium looks like. It’s a recipe for disaster, and these fish bowls should be banned. Many people simply buy any one of the generic fish bowls they see at pet shops, drop the goldfish in it with some tap water and a plant - maybe an ornament for aesthetic reasons - and consider that to be good enough. The classic setup for a common goldfish isn’t really a “setup” at all, though. They are generally low-maintenance pets compared to cats and dogs, and with proper care, they can live up to 20 years. Goldfish are the most popular type of fish at home and for good reason. Most people have owned a goldfish at some point in their life.

Telescope goldfish ethics