Dawn Moneyhan wrote:
> Larry, I hate to be the one to say it, but 2 - 3 adult fancy goldfish in a 55 gallon, even with something like an xp filter on it and daily water changes... wouldn't make it for very long.
>
Well, I did say I'd get disagreement on that :-). We could argue all
day about optimum conditions for various fish. The optimum for goldfish
is a lake :-). But just like people living in a noisy cramped city
apartment, goldfish can do quite well in less than optimum conditions.
As a horrible example, when I was about 5 or 6 years old, I had two
goldfish in a 10 gallon tank. At least I knew a bowl was too small
:-). With what I know now, those fish were undoubtedly stunted - they
never got over 3" long. There was no filtration and no plants, only a
weekly water change. There wasn't even a cover or a light and the tank
was in the basement although it did get light from a window.
Really bad conditions, right? But those two fish lived without any
visible signs of distress for over 8 years. They only died when my very
young sister decided to feed them and dumped a whole large container of
food in the tank. By the time I found them the next day they were dead.
Now I'm certainly not suggesting that anyone keep goldfish in a 10
gallon tank today. But I stand by my previous post in that 2 in 55,
while it may not be optimum, is certainly not cruel and unusual
punishment. And since I know I'll never change anyone's mind I'll let
this drop here.
Larry B
P.S. I am totally opposed to keeping bettas by themselves regardless of
the size of the bowl or tank. Every betta I've had wound up in a
community tank and loved it - by themselves they sulked and even refused
to eat. So we all have our pet causes :-).
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