Why Do People Hate Goldfish

[paw-paw]

Yeah - I hate this too, when they are kept in little bowls with no filtration or room to swimm in...
But the reason I started this topic was because everytime I talk to fishkeeping people and if I happen to mention the word goldfish than they just go why in the world would you want to keep those piggy fish...

But what I find very interesting is that people say goldfish aren't hardy...I used to keep goldfish and they were never ever sick not unlike my tropicals that needed to be treated like the first week they came to me (they didn't show it previously) - OK, so they have been fine since than,but I personally find them less hardy than GF...


well, but I am glad not everyone hates goldfish. i mean I can perfectly understand that some people don't like them and I respect that. After all there are also some fish that I don't like and would never have...

 

[liz2]

Years ago when I was a child I used to keep goldfish. They had a big tank and lived for years. No water conditioners need either. I think the problem today is all the muck they put in the tap water, making them harder to keep. I have both sorts of fish. Got 20 odd goldies in the pond. 3 upstairs in a tank and 3 downstairs in a tank. 12 bettas, and 5 mollies, 2 cories and about 15 baby mollies. i like them all...

 

[LauraFrog]

I don't dislike goldies but I do try to discourage people from buying them because they are NOT suitable for beginners in my opinion. They require too large of a tank and need too much work, and also, looking after the sort of filtration system needed to cope with fish that big is not always easy particularly if you don't fully understand the nitrogen cycle. I totally agree with Honeythorn, it really sucks that stores will continue to sell these fish to people who they must know won't look after them.

The worst thing is that pervasive, malicious myth that if you put a fish in a tank that is too small for it, it will not outgrow its tank. Well sure, if I locked a toddler in a cupboard, underfed it and left it to rot in its own waste, it probably wouldn't grow either. In fact, the same goes for most animals, if kept in a cramped and overcrowded space, underfed or given poor nutrition, and kept in unhygienic conditions - they grow up stunted. Now if you did that to something fluffy, all the 'animal lovers' would cry to the heavens about it. But when it's just a scaly little goldfish, nobody cares.

What I DO dislike are certain fancy strains of goldfish. (And certain fancy strains of guppy and to a point betta for that matter). I can understand that people think it's attractive to enlarge the fins, change their shape, introduce new colours etc. But I think there is simply no excuse for creating a fish that is unable to swim, unable to see, or unable to eat properly - and then to continue breeding the strain! I believe that since we have accepted responsibility for current and future generations of aquarium fish, we have also accepted the responsibility to ensure their welfare. Now if I went and crammed twenty guppies in a five gallon tank, and never cycled it, I would be flamed long and hard for the abuse of the fish's well being. What I can't understand is why nobody complains similarly about fish (and other animals) that have been selectively bred by humans in such a way that reduces their quality of life. I'm also talking about bulldogs that can't breathe properly or give birth naturally, cats that can't run or walk, various breeds of dog that are STILL bred from lines with established hip dysplasia, and the other various unfortunate creatures that are condemned to living their lives trapped in bodies that hardly work and would never have occurred in the wild. I think it is irresponsible and cruel of us to do it.

Excuse the rant. I will de soapbox because otherwise I'll go on all day.

 

[joshjames]

well most people dont like them cos little kids put them in a little bowl with no filter and rubbish ornaments like spongebob and put a goldfish in it
i find nothing wrong with that if your kids want fish and responsability of a pet tho

 

[saz326]

I like goldfish, but I think they are far too humanly messed with.... Thats not clear is it...? What I mean is:

Goldfish like commets, shubunkins - lovely fish.

As soon as you get double/tripple tailed, or pop-eye versions of the fish - there has been too much human intervention. I see it as putting a deformed creature on display - and that's not my cup of tea.

Pop eye fish.. cant see very well (in most cases), and must have a fairly horrid existance looking in every direction but where they are going. Double tailed fishies I have seen in shops seem to struggle to get forward movement.

They may be pretty - but in my opinion, unless they are the more natural form - they ain't fish. and we shouldnt support their breeders.

 

[B13]

I also dislike people who keep their fish in tiny tanks despite knowing and being specifically told that it won't fit in there and will die if kept in such a tiny space. The combination of these two really makes my blood boil.

Can you come an have a chat to a friend of mine please?

I know jack-and-sh*t about goldfish (to be fair, so does my chum - she was given two goldfish as a present.), so I posted up on this very forum a question about what kind of goldfish she has and will a Biorb be OK for them (They are currently in a bowl, but it does have a filter in it and she does regular water changes, etc...). Turns out they are Comets and they grown to quite a size! 12 inches!!

The snag is, my chum is ab-so-lute-ly adamant that the fish will "only grow to the size of the bowl"... and despite my insistence that she takes the advice given here to get a bigger tank, she's full-on determined that they will be fine in a medium-size Biorb.

Now, call me mad, but even if the fish do only grow to the size of the tank/Biorb, their growth is being stunted and that surely causes stress to the fish and therefore will shorten it's/their lifespan?

 

[Night61]

i would like one, one day but thy do need alot more space then i can handle. they certianly seem like social little guys in the store.
any fish that is social i like which is why i am actually not fond of tetras.

 

[Athena]

I'm a goldfish lover! I used to keep them years ago, and shubunkins. The only ones that I don't like are the bubble eye variety as they turn my stomach.

I cried my eyes out when my first 6" goldfish, Jess, developed swimbladder (it was very bad and he was unable to reach any food) and I took him to my LFS thinking they would know of something to cure him. The chap looked at him in the bag of water and said "Well, there's only one thing I can think of for this fish..." He put Jess inside this white box and I stood there waiting patiently, having no idea what was going on or how putting Jess in a dark box was going to cure him...but I stood waiting...and waiting...

Finally the assistant came over and said "Erm...was there anything else you wanted?"

I said "Well, I'm waiting for my fish to get better of course!!"

His jaw dropped open and he gave me the strangest look (ok, yes, I was very naieve and new to fishkeeping back then LOL ) and he said "Noooo, sorry - I'm not curing him - I'm putting him out of his misery. That's a freezer..."

Well, I stood there sobbing my heart out in the middle of the shop, much to his embarrassment!

I was so distraught I had to take the next day off work!! (boy, did I get ridiculed when I went in the day after).

...I think I loved my goldfish maybe a little bit too much...

Athena

 

[drobbyb]

I don't hate goldfish. It's just that they are so common. I have to say though that I don't care for some of the varieties. Those bubble eyes and the ones that have tumors growing on their head (can't remember their name) just freak me out.

My mother in law has a single fancy goldfish in a 110 gallon tank and she hasn't changed the water in over 3 years! I tried to tell her that it NEEDS to be done. She thinks it's cute the way he floats upside down (swimbladder disease.) It's like talking to a brick wall.

Goldfish are one of the most abused fish, and I hate it.

 

[Corleone]

They may be pretty - but in my opinion, unless they are the more natural form - they ain't fish. and we shouldnt support their breeders.

The only place I've ever seen a goldfish in it's wild form is a lake in Michigan where dumped pets have established abreeding population. Comets and Shubunkins aren't much closer to that than Mr. Burn's three-eyed goldfish, Blinky.

Anyway, you won't find many people who hate goldfish. The problem is most of the people who buy them aren't prepared to properly house them, and most of the people who are prepared to properly house them have since discovered big cichilds, knifefish, bichirs, etc.

 

[tenohfive]

Goldfish are very plain to look at, and theres nowhere near as much variety as other fish. And as already mentioned, the fancy ones are quite susceptible to certain diseases/issues. They are also very messy and will demolish any real plants that they can (with a couple of exceptions) and will uproot any fake plants that aren't properly weighted down.

That said for personality alone they are one of the most interesting fish I've owned (from a mix of community fish, bettas, african and sa/ca cichlids, killi's etc.) I've got 5 in 65 litre tank and am desperately waiting to move house so I can find room to fit the new (much bigger) tank I've got for them. They are great fish and are highly underrated. Something I believe strongly is that unless you give them a big tank - aside from the obvious health and welfare implications - you just don't get the most out of the fish.

They may be pretty - but in my opinion, unless they are the more natural form - they ain't fish. and we shouldnt support their breeders.

The only place I've ever seen a goldfish in it's wild form is a lake in Michigan where dumped pets have established abreeding population. Comets and Shubunkins aren't much closer to that than Mr. Burn's three-eyed goldfish, Blinky.

Anyway, you won't find many people who hate goldfish. The problem is most of the people who buy them aren't prepared to properly house them, and most of the people who are prepared to properly house them have since discovered big cichilds, knifefish, bichirs, etc.

I think the point Saz is making is that deliberately breeding fish with genetic defects purely for the aesthetic qualities of said fish is wrong, and when you think of it that way I think most conscientious fishkeepers would agree.

 

[Corleone]

I think the point Saz is making is that deliberately breeding fish with genetic defects purely for the aesthetic qualities of said fish is wrong, and when you think of it that way I think most conscientious fishkeepers would agree.

I might be as well if the same wording didn't come up several times a week about livebearers.

 

[wendywc]

I love goldfish; great personable guys and I've seen them do tricks. They're like aquatic puppies.

I'm still extremely tempted into making my 55 gallon coldwater tank for them.

 

[Honeythorn]

well most people dont like them cos little kids put them in a little bowl with no filter and rubbish ornaments like spongebob and put a goldfish in it
i find nothing wrong with that if your kids want fish and responsability of a pet tho

How can you find nothing wrong with a child who more than (very) likely cannot even begin to understand why Goldfish are more than just a pretty orange blob,keeping one in a small cramped bowl with hideous clown sick gravel and horrendous ornaments? Allowing that teaches a child NOTHING about the responsibility of keeping a living thing of any description let alone a goldfish. Will a 6 year old seriously do thrice weekly water changes with dechlorinator on that little bowl? Will he or she save up their sweetie money for a 55 gallon with a decent external filter? I doubt it. Parents who allow children to keep fish this way are also on my "most detested" list. Fair enough a child knows no better but a parent and adult who has been to school and leaned basic science and knows what a measuring tape looks like , has no excuse not to either esearch or just use the eyes they were born with.

 

[Honeythorn]

I also dislike people who keep their fish in tiny tanks despite knowing and being specifically told that it won't fit in there and will die if kept in such a tiny space. The combination of these two really makes my blood boil.

Can you come an have a chat to a friend of mine please?

I know jack-and-sh*t about goldfish (to be fair, so does my chum - she was given two goldfish as a present.), so I posted up on this very forum a question about what kind of goldfish she has and will a Biorb be OK for them (They are currently in a bowl, but it does have a filter in it and she does regular water changes, etc...). Turns out they are Comets and they grown to quite a size! 12 inches!!

The snag is, my chum is ab-so-lute-ly adamant that the fish will "only grow to the size of the bowl"... and despite my insistence that she takes the advice given here to get a bigger tank, she's full-on determined that they will be fine in a medium-size Biorb.

Now, call me mad, but even if the fish do only grow to the size of the tank/Biorb, their growth is being stunted and that surely causes stress to the fish and therefore will shorten it's/their lifespan?

Your friend is basically in denial and cannot accept that she is ( now knowingly, unfortunately ) causing cruelty. The fish will suffer and if she can bear that on her conscience then so be it. There's only so much you can tell people before they chuck up the battlements and refuse to accept that they are doing something incorrectly.

You say she has a filter in there and does regular water changes? This is good, but the thing is, the goldfish will either outgrow the bowl/biorb ( they release a hormone into the water that stunts them, which she is removing by water changes, plus she is removing harmful waste toxins and basically keeping them healthier than most goldfish in bowls ) OR, if her dilligence wanes , they will become stunted and die very early deaths. Either way the fish are screwed if she doesn't get her backside into gear and get them a 30 gallon at the very least for now.

I'd ask her where she gets her absolute certainty that the goldfish will be ok. I'd love to know how she can be so confident even when it is proven that goldfish die from the effects of stunting. Would she do it to a cat? A dog? A rabbit? If she replies no t all of these then what is her excuse for doing it to a fish? The species may differ but the effects and suffering are the same andhave the same result. A miserable life and a painful death.

Does she know they have a lifespan of about 30 years? Did the pet store tell anyone that? The worlds oldest recorded goldfish lived to be around 42 if I recall correctly. Could she handle keeping one that long? I'd ask her if she would be willing to care for the fish that long regardless of what size tank they are in. Would she still be interested in them in say 15 years? more? From what you describe of her attitude to their care, forgive me but I find that unlikely.

If you can, show her some actual full sized adult Comets. In someone's pond or something. Point out that this is the natural adult size of the fish. They are supposed to be this large by nature and to not allow them that because she can't be arsed to give them the care they need due to her obvious denial and refusal to admit she is wrong, is basic and blatant cruelty. That's not an exaggeration or slur, just plain biological and moral FACT.