How to pet a goldfish

The goldfish are messy fish that can get to be over 12 inches long and can live to be over 30 years old. Even the fancy ones (the ones with bodies that are round and have double tails can get to be over 4 inches long and have as much body mass as their cousins so they need a much larger body of water than a bowl can provide them. They need at least 20 gallons per fish unless you do not wish them to live to be as large as they can get or as long as they should get. So the equipment that you need is an aquarium, gravel for the bottom (one pound per gallon will give about one inch of gravel on the bottom of the common sizes of aquariums), a filter that is rated for 1 & 1/2 to 2 times what the filter says, and any ornaments that you wish to have, also you should have a cover of some kind to keep the fish from jumping out and other things (that might be harmful to the fish) from drooping in or being put in.

first thing you might want to do is get rid of the fish bowl. A gold fish needs more space, as they make a LOT of waste. If you do decide to use the bowl make sure to not fill the water up beyond the widest point of the bowl - as soon as it starts tapering in do not allow the water to reach that point - as this will reduce the surface area which will reduce the oxygen level in the water. when you put the fish into the water - keep him for several minutes in his own bag from where you got him from - and let that bag float in the new water - this will help aclimate him as the temperature of the two waters will even out let the water sit for a few days before bringing goldie home, this will help create the environment for him and also the chlorine should subside if you have chlorinated water. like I said earlier goldfish produce a lot of waste - if you are using a bowl you will need to refresh the water often - the best bet is to remove 20% of the water on a continual basis and add the 20% back fresh - rather than emptying the whole thing and causing trauma to the fish. best of luck and please consider at least a 10 gal tank if not more if getting a gold fish. the bowl would be better for a betta or even a few guppies