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Lots of new aquarists like you start their fishkeeping journey from a fishbowl. It is because to maintain a fishbowl aquarists do not require a huge cost like a big or medium-sized aquarium. However, keeping fish in a fishbowl is quite tough for inexperienced fish keepers. So here in this article, we are here to share some tricks about how to keep fish healthy in a fishbowl.
To keep fish healthy in a fishbowl, a sufficient amount of dissolved oxygen and sufficient space is required. So having at least a 3-gallon planted bowl is the most recommended to keep fish healthy. 30% of water change twice per week is needed too. However, an overcrowded bowl is unhealthy for fish.
We know this two-line answer may not have pleased you. But don’t worry, here we will discuss a total of 7 steps comprehensively to keep fish healthy in a fishbowl. So without wasting much time let’s dive deep into the topic.
5 ways to keep fish healthy in a fishbowl
| Aqualifeexpert does not recommend a fishbowl to keep any ornamental fish because fishbowls reduce the lifespan of fish. This article is for those who can’t afford an aquarium or do not have enough space to keep an aquarium |
A fishbowl is considered a good living place among most of the new aquarists. They start keeping fish in a fishbowl because it takes up a small space. Not only that, but a fishbowl takes a small amount of money compared to other aquariums. So they prefer to have a fishbowl. Let’s discuss the 7 ways to keep fish healthy in a fishbowl.
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More than a 3-gallon bowl is recommended
Space is one of the most significant parameters that you need to consider while fishkeeping. Lots of aquarists think that fish do not require much space to live. Actually, this is not true.
If you want to keep your fish healthy then more than a 3-gallon fishbowl is the most recommended. A 5-gallon fishbowl is the most suitable and good for keeping small ornamental fish. Finding more than 5-gallon fish is difficult. Lots of local fish keepers made this. You can search for it if you want.
Note:- You must know a fishbowl is very bad for large or medium-sized fish. They can’t grow in a fishbowl. For big or medium-sized fish it is recommended to build an aquarium. A less than 3-gallon fishbowl is not suitable for any fish. This is suitable for only planted shrimp tanks.
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30% water change is required twice per week
You must remember that keeping fish in a fishbowl is tough. As this has a lack of space so ammonia and nitrite level changes so fast.
In a medium or big sized aquarium, this won’t happen quickly. All of these fluctuations occur due to the lack of maintenance of an aquarium. So if you maintain the tank well then the chances of these rapid fluctuations are reduced drastically.
However, this does not happen for a fishbowl. As the fishbowl has a very short amount of space so a well-maintained fishbowl can have issues like this too. To be safe 30% water change is required twice per week.
This is a little bit of extra work for an aquarist. Nevertheless, if you want to keep fish healthy in the fishbowl then this amount of water change is a must.
Read more:- Why do goldfish die in a bowl quickly? Original truth has been revealed
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Building a planted bowl is most recommended
If you want to keep your fish healthy in a fishbowl then having live plants in it is a must. Due to insufficient space, ammonia, pH, nitrite level rises suddenly and rapidly. To reduce or control these levels, live aquatic plants are the most suitable.
To prevent the algal bloom, you can use plants also. Plants take all the nutrients and carbon dioxide to live. In this case, algae can’t compete with live plants. This way, live plants control algal growth in a fishbowl.
Live plants are a good source of oxygen. If you want to keep fish healthy then having enough oxygen is a must. Live plants release oxygen in the fishbowl to keep water conditions good.
You must know a planted aquarium requires the substrate. Now having a substrate means beneficial bacteria can live in that substrate easily. These help to establish a fishbowl quickly. To keep fish healthy in a fishbowl a running nitrogen cycle is a must. Make sure to start a fishbowl with some hardy live aquatic plants.
Note:- You must avoid plastic plants in a fishbowl. The sharp edge of plastic plants can hurt fish.
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Maintain a ratio between fish quantity and fishbowl
If you want to keep fish healthy in a fishbowl then you must maintain a ratio according to the sizes of the fishbowl and fish.
You must know that you can’t put lots of fish in a fishbowl due to lack of space. A fishbowl may become overcrowded due to lots of fish. So you must maintain a ratio to keep all fish healthy and happy.
Now to maintain the ratio you must know how many fish you can keep per gallon. A rule of thumb says 1-inch fish are suitable for 1 gallon of water. According to this rule, you can’t keep more than 3 fish in a 3-gallon fishbowl.
However, it is not actually true because a 3-gallon tank does not contain 3 gallons of water. It may have a live play, substrate, driftwood, filtration system and so on. These materials take some amount of place to stay in that bowl. So for safety, a pair of neon tetra or a pair of Japanese rice fish is suitable for a 3-gallon fishbowl.
Read more:- Keep Betta Fish Happy & Healthy: 6 unique Veterinary Guidelines
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Oxygen is a must for a fishbowl
Bowl does not have much oxygen just because of its shape. If you have read chemistry a little bit then you may know that oxygen dissolves in water through surface agitation. Not only that, but it is dependent on the surface area of water too. It means more surface area of water is equal to more dissolved oxygen in a fishbowl or fish tank.
Now a fishbowl has an oval in shape. Its inner portion is wider enough than its mouth. So the surface area of water is very less compared to an aquarium. So you must use an external source of oxygen in a fishbowl to keep fish healthy.
Adding an airstone is the most suitable way to add oxygen to a fishbowl. An air stone agitates the water vertically and it creates agitation on the surface of the water too. Due to the agitation, more oxygen can dissolve in the water of the fishbowl.
5 unique fish recommendations for a fishbowl
| Fish name | Size | Space requirements | Tank size | Nature |
| Rice fish | 1-1.5 inches | A pair | 3-gallon | Peaceful |
| Neon tetra | 1.5-2 inches | A pair | 3-gallon | Peaceful |
| Guppy | 1.4-2 inches | A pair | 3-gallon | Peaceful |
| Betta | 2.4-3 inches | One piece | 5-gallon | aggressive |
| Zebra danios | 1-1.5 inches | A pair | 3-gallon | Peaceful |
Read more:- Can We Keep a Fish Tank in the Dark? Know Scientific Truth \
How to clean a fishbowl?
After removing fish from a fishbowl with a small fishnet, aquarists must use a toothbrush to clean the algae of the glass body. Gravels must be cleaned with H2O2 (½ tsp+1 lit water) solution. A good water conditioner is required to clean chlorine & chloramine from new water. Use vinegar to clean bowl instead of soap.
Is a round bowl bad for fish?
As a whole, round bowls are very bad for keeping medium or big-sized fish because of its bad Surface-Area-to-Air ratio. Less surface area of water is equal to deficiency of dissolved oxygen in water. To keep fish healthy, having enough oxygen is a must. However, small-sized fish remain comfortable in a fishbowl.
Why do fish die in a bowl quickly?
Ornamental fish can’t grow fully in a fishbowl. Not only that, but a fishbowl does not carry sufficient dissolved oxygen too. Having enough dissolved oxygen is mandatory for keeping fish healthy. Besides this, due to a lack of beneficial bacteria, fish wastes pile up quickly. So fish die in a bowl within 2 years.
So best of luck & happy fishkeeping 🐟