I went to walmart to get a fish, a betta fish actually, and they were all out so I was just going to get a goldfish instead and put it in a fish bowl but the lady was like "Oh, it won't survive in a fish bowl it has to be in a tank." But, the fish was full grown and it was just as big as a betta maybe a bit smaller and she said it was too big. I was really mad. So, can a goldfish survive in a fish bowl that is like a 2 to 3 gallon ish bowl... I think.

Yes... of course it can, hence the name fish bowl.

We have had many goldfish over the years and all have lived in fish bowls.

I think that lady was just trying to up her sales.

By all means you go back into the shop and buy your goldfish... ok

I think the main problem is if they have the air filters and stuff that an aquarium would be set up with. I remember when I was a kid you could win goldfish at the amusement parks and we would be disappointed the next day because everybody put them in a rather small fish bowl and they would die anywhere from 24 hours later to a week later and I am sure it had to be because nobody bothered thinking about the air.
I am not sure about what would be the smallest size you can get away with but nothing is going to work to give your fish the longest best quality life without filtering.

Sorry nohelp... Goldfish have been kept in fish bowls for many years, with out such things as filters etc.
AS long as the water is changed regularly and the bowl is a descent size, it will be fine.

A goldfish is a cold water fish so you don't want to put it where it will get hot.

Why did nobody's ever live more than a week then?? :(

Mine lived for a very long time.. it was a long time ago so don't remember exactly, but I had them and my kids had them all were fine.

Yes we had a few that were won from the fairground and yes 2 of them died, trouble is you don't know how long they were kept in those plastic bags before we won them, but the pet shop ones were fine.

All the kids used to have them years ago, they didn't take a lot of looking after or money to keep, probably that's why.

I have been told the same thing, but honestly I have had fish all my life and I started with goldfish in a bowl. I am now 30 and still have my first goldfish I won at a fair when I was ten. No filter, no big tank. Just a bowl and monthly water changes.

First.. you went to wal-mart to buy a fish? Big mistake. Secondly, if the fish was the size of a betta then it was not full grown. Most fish sold at pet stores are sold as juveniles and that's why they are small. Goldfish can grow to be the size of koi, and on average have a lifepan of 20 years in captivity, if kept in an adequate environment.
2 reasons goldfish NEED filters:
1. Goldfish are coldwater fish, so they need more oxygen (gases dissolve more quickly in cold water than in warm water).
2. A little thing called The Nitrogen Cycle helps explain why goldfish live only a couple years MAXIMUM in a bowl (and those two years are very stressful for the fish indeed!) When you put water in a bowl or tank, bacteria begins to grow. This is good bacteria. This bacteria will consume the ammonia in your fish's poop and convert it into something less harmful (nitrites then nitrates) But without movement of water (filter) no oxygen is coming into the water, so the bacteria quickly die, thus leaving your fish in a small bowl of basically it's own waste.
The human equivalent would be if you lived in a tiny bathroom, with a backed up toilet. Not fun. And if you wouldn't submit yourself, your kids, your dog or your cat to it, then don't do it to a fish. Even a 25 cent fish from wal-mart. Remember, this is a living animal and you're taking it into your care, so give it a quality of life!

(if this didn't affect your decision, then consider how keeping a fish that needs to swim in a teeny tiny bowl is perhaps a tad CRUEL).
Livia Sue, I challenge the validity of your claim.

Well, it can survive, and I agree with Orphan. I think she was trying to make a couple of more bucks. But, she is still kind of right. Because when the goldfish grows up, it will die because the tank is too small. Fully grown goldfish, (depending on their type), grow bigger than you'd expect if properly cared for. (about 12 inches average So when it gets about 3 to 4 inches long, go by a tank of at least 30 gallons, because pretty soon that fishy is going to get big!

OK... goldfish can not live in bowles! I have two goldfish in a 29g tank. If you want a goldfish that bad I would suggest getting a 10g starter kit! They are cheap and you can still get your goldfish! The 10g is pushing it... every goldfish needs 10 gallons bare MINUMMUM! Just give him a few places to hide and he should be fine!

Well I have 2 Goldfish and they are fine I guess. Sometimes they will go to the top to and stick their heads out of the water and at first they sat at the bottom but not anymore... I would say it's okay if you keep your bowl clean and take good care of them!!

Goldfish die quicker without a filter to clean the tank

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Originally Posted by raisin2002

Goldfish die quicker without a filter to clean the tank

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Not necessarily. I found that changing the water in the fish bowl every couple of weeks allows gold fish to live in a bowl for years. However, it's critical when changing water to not subject the fish to water that has just come from the tap, but rather let the new water stand in a bowl idle for a day or two before putting the fish in it. This gives time for the chlorine in the water to dissipate. I would then transfer the fish to the new bowl, clean out the old bowl, refill with water and again let stand for a day before transferring the fish back into it.

I have 7 goldfish, 4 commens 3 comets, I got them all in a 55 gal tank and they can get from 7-40 inches long I'm getting a 90 gal tank and going to keep them in there and turn the 55 gal into a freshwater reef ( fake reef ) please buy a fancy goldfish and 30 gallons I didn't know better and I need a 300 gallon aquarium according to the calculating. Or buy 10 gallons and a betta that would work.

I could put you in a 4 ft square cage and you would not instantly die, therefore you can survive living in a 4 ft square cage. This is similar to what you would do to this fish.

To start with, that fish is not full grown. A gold fish can and should grow much bigger (anywhere between 6 and 12 inches depending on species). If you put it in that fish bowl however it will not over time get much bigger because the bowl is so small. It's outer body won't change much but it's internal organs will continue to grow. Your fish won't explode or anything but the organs will eventually shut down and the fish will die. This is very painful for the fish but because fish don't cry, scream, or otherwise act in a way that we as humans readily identify as being in pain most people don't realize this.

If anyone says they kept a goldfish successfully in a bowl for less than 10 years, then it wasn't successful. Goldfish can live up to 20 years.

A goldfish should also have proper filtration in it's tank due the fact that they produce a lot of waste. Without a filter, that water gets FILTHY and they live and breathe in that water. They BREATHE in that water. Could you imagine if you lived in those kinds of conditions? You'd wish you were dead.

Yes, goldfish have been kept in bowls for years. But only a few years ago did women find out it wasn't okay to clean their vaginas with bleach, which they'd been doing practically since bleach was invented. But they'd been doing it for so long how could it not be safe? Yes goldfish have lived in bowls since bowls have been around but that doesn't mean it was good for the fish. We now have the technology to PROPERLY care for a fish, and if you'd bother to look into it on Google (just type in "how to care for a goldfish") or even pick up a book on the subject before taking a living creature into your care you would understand exactly why goldfish shouldn't be kept in bowls.