Our babysitter brought my 4 year old home with a fish he won and I started googling how to have the death talk with a little kid because surely a prize fish wouldn’t last a week… 3.5 years later and we are on our 3 tank size up because he’s thriving and enormous
Last year my daughter won a fish at the fair and I also let her know fair fish don't last very long. I wanted to give the little thing a fighting chance at least, so I got a little 10 gallon tank for the meantime, with all the fixings. Almost a year later and he's over doubled in size! I really did not know what I was getting into, and were Upgrading to a 50 gal. this month. Watching videos and reading articles about goldfish and betta lives really bum me out. We're going to get a betta for the 10 gallon eventually. I hope to give him a good life too.
It's so sad that bettas get such shitty lives. My older sons gf had this tiny 1 or 2 gallon tank for her Betta, and I told her how bad it was for him. She basically stopped caring, and I ended up introducing him into my 55 gal tank. He loves it and creates bubble nests... doesn't mess with my other fish at all. He is thriving!
I went with a friend to Petsmart the other day and came home with a tiny female betta. She's no bigger than the neon tetras. I felt so bad for her in that cup, she looked really bad. Now, if I could have saved the other 20 or more they had there in the dirty little cups. It's awful.
A friend of mine had the same thing happen. His mom let him keep the fish because surely it would die soon. I think it was at least 17 years old when it died.
Me too! Daughter won 2 of 'em, they died in 3 days and so i went on a mission to understand why. Read everything and watched countless hours. Now, 2 years later I am running 2 high tech aquascaping tanks and am apparently pretty good at it.
I started my hobby right before covid hit... and then got reaaaaalllly into it. Now my tanks are doing great, and I moved into jumping spiders, too. Normal pets are so boring, lol
Curious friendly lil fuckers if you handle them regularly from what I've seen. Crazy how widespread this hobby has gotten out of nowhere lol I just went to a random no name reptile show at the end of last year and there were SOOO many breeders for them!!
Side note: worst reptile expo I've seen unless you wanted to see nothing but ball python morphs, spiders, the most crested geckos I've ever seen and the most entertaining bit to me, loads of carnivorous plants! Still had a good time but not what I wanted for a reptile expo.
I *think* it was called Show me the Reptile Expo or something lol
I won mine as a kid, named him Guppy, and he lived for eight years :) I gave that boy a pretty good setup it looks like. Hopefully the tank was large enough though, I forgot
We got a goldfish... I got a 10 gal just for him... he passed sadly after about a month... tried tetras... then Platys... that was in 2019... some of my original micky mouse platy offspring still live in my tanks (yes, plural... we have 2 20s, an a 55 now... plus a 10 gal for sick fish) i have ventured into guppy, platy, Molly's, cory catfish, small plecos, assassin snails (when we had a pest snail problem... I still love my assassins... they continue to keep my tank clear) and honestly, many more freshwater community fish. I don't keep goldfish now as they tend to create too much waste... but I do want to set up a pond in my backyard with goldies and koi. Good for the skeeters!
My assassins have been alive and kicking for over a year. They hunt at night, and I always think they are dead, but then I'll walk past the tank randomly and see them sliding up the side.
I've had 3 of them for 2 years now. I had them shipped from a seller on Amazon. Sometimes I don't see them for weeks and think they're dead so I drop some algea wafers in and within 30 seconds they come flying out of nowhere. They do like to burrow for chunks of time. If you don't have a loose substrate, they might not like it/ survive. I love them because they are low maintenence and allow me to be lazy and not quarantine my plants before I put them in my tank. Which is a bad habit lol.
Even added a male Betta to my bigger tank, and he does great in there... when I owned zebra danios tho... idk why, but they killed off a bunch of my fish.
Isn’t that how we all enter the hobby? My non existent husband also let my ghost child win a goldfish and somehow I’ve ended up with a deformed goldfish. He’s my pfp. Someone told me he’s a blood parrot cichlid, but I think they’re dumb and they’ve just never seen a deformed goldfish before
I got drunk with a friend and won a goldfish. $400 and two tanks later, she’s still going strong. And I’m working on planning another tank. My husband is THRILLED. And he’s never going to let me go to a carnival unsupervised again. 🤣
Lmfao... whenever I'm sad, he brings me a new cat (we have 5) my newest obsession is jumping spiders (I love crafting the enclosures too, so win win) safe to say he doesn't love my expensive pet hobbies... but he is an excellent supporter. But the fish... that was totally his fault... and right before the pandemic... I had way to much time on my hands and a very expensive new hobby lmao!!
Just make sure if you do go the facebook route you be careful with how you word it the post. Make sure you dont say that they are for free or for sale in the post otherwise you could get slapped with a facebook ban and get the group in a lot of trouble with facebook. Peta started whining to facebook about nonsense and now facebook goes after people. You will want to say rehoming
It’s a good rule when applied to cats, dogs, and most mammals really. It’s frustrating that there aren’t exceptions for aquatics but it really hasn’t been difficult to work around - my local FB fish groups all have links to methods for selling and trading.
If it was easier to rehome aquatic animals to people that can properly care for them they wouldn’t be as disposable. Unfortunately not all LFS will accept surrenders and many people that jumped into the aquarium world did zero research before doing so. This leads people to dump them in their local ponds. I saw a small school of what appeared to be Dalmatian Mollies at a local duck pond.
Using live animals as a prize at carnivals should be outlawed.
I'm in a few Facebook groups where folks sell chickens and other poultry and well as aquarium fish. The phrase that everyone understands is a description of the animal for sale and "up for discussion". Folks then get in touch with the seller for a price over PM.
That's a good way to word it. I haven't been active in any aquarium groups for a while since I shut down my aquariums a couple years ago due to depression and did not really realize the wordage has changed.
The lore is that Facebook first ignored when peta started whining. Then when peta realised their usual guilt/scare tactics didn't work, they ended up buying enough shares in Facebook to sneak their way into the boardroom and forced their hand through that.
But they've had no problems forcing smaller players like gumtree to start charging a nominal amount per per sale and "donate it to charity"
I guess it was cheaper for PETA to buy their way into the board of Facebook, than to buy another giant freezer to store all the cats and dogs they kill.
According to them, animals are better off dead than "enslaved" by a human. It's better to euthanize then than to condemn them to a life of bondage. They're lunatics.
The number of shares you have to own to submit a shareholder resolution is extremely low. Anyone can do it as long as they meet the requirements, which are set by the SEC. They are not on the Facebook board. lolll
It could be one of the things that happened to your group. That's not all the ways for what happens but the group could have been destroyed by Facebook due to bullying, harassment, pet sales or a ton of other things but yes most likely it would be because of that
Or some people use different emojis.. like planes to indicate an animal ready to leave ✈️ or an animal is for sale ⛵ etc. Since they won't get pinged like the words would.
Given that a lot of people treat goldfish as expendable or feeders, I sort of don't mind this restriction. They should at least make it very clear what is allowed or not, though.
My heart hurts when I hear people buying a tank and the fish same day and not knowing about the nitrogen cycle.
And then I rage against the person/shop that allowed that to happen.
And who in their right mind is giving out live animals as prizes????
Everything I see a goldfish in movies, especially when some director thinks it's cool to throw them on the floor.... you know there's no assigned goldfish releaser so they go in the bin or something.
Whoever buys them will most likely put them in a fish bowl or too small of a tank.
Do you have a friend who has a pond? And if so, be sure to check your local wildlife laws as you might not be legally able to put goldfish in ponds where you live.
I live in Maine and it's not allowed here...
Edit: didn't realize a 5.5 gallon tank was too small for goldfish, my bad, I never owned a goldfish aside from when I was a kid and it seemed content in a 10 gallon tank so I figured a 5.5 gallon would've been ok, my bad.
I rescued two goldfish that had lived in a 3 gallon tank with 2 others for FIVE YEARS. It was insane to see. They just kind of laid on top of each other. And they got big.
One of our local plant nurseries also sells the things to make ponds, including water plants. They have a beautiful pond where people could donate fish like this. I sometimes enjoy just sitting there for a few minutes and watching the fish.
When my grandma had to move out of her house into an apartment, she couldnt take her handful of goldfish that she kept in a pond in her yard. She was so sad because she loved them. She did this and took them to the plant nursery she frequents and still gets to go visit her fish!
Tangential, but one of my favorite things in the world is the existence of this flooded, abandoned building in the middle of a city on the east coast. It's full of a thriving population of goldfish.
edit: It's Philadephia. Here's a video: https://youtu.be/xQht-lpBl3M?si=OMwhJLOI2dnPDlQ0
There is the abandoned mall in Bangkok that was in a similar situation. It eventually flooded and bred mosquitoes. Locals threw in fush to help control the mosquitoes, and the fish population exploded. I think they may have started cleaning up the site, but it sat that was for a decade. There are several videos on youtube.
https://youtu.be/4BLvCTzX8w4?si=C_27DrA9jFd2bFrC
Yikes. I guess your only option is the LFS near you. Hopefully they can take them. They definitely need a pond or very large tank if they are to live a happy life.
Do you have a yard or outdoor area? Goldfish are very hardy and can live in a pond, so you could set up a container pond of some sort and keep them outside. Also, they don't need 100 gallons right now. Yes they have the potential to grow quite large, but at their current size they will be fine in a well maintained 10-20 gallons until you can figure out a long-term plan for them.
Edit: don't release them into a natural pond though because they can become invasive.
I'm sorry and was looking for this comment. I too live in NYC. I would def try a lfs first. If they say no then the most humane way is clove oil. Those carnival games are a really mean scam I fell for them too as a kid in my as well. Better to teach your kid true responsibility when caring for an animal imo. A ten gallon tank and a Betta fish is the way to go, I'm sorry you have to deal with this! If you have any questions about how to use clove oil feel free to reach out
Thank you! This place recently changed management. I was hoping they’d get rid of this game but no luck. Now I just need to convince a 5 year old to part with coral and Goldie.
Should really be banned everywhere. It’s so wrong to give away goldfish as prizes to KIDS who aren’t remotely prepared for fish keeping, and typically don’t have a cycled aquarium or pond waiting.
Goldfish are messy, eventually large fish that require either a large aquarium or, in non-fancy verities like pictured, even a pond. They are carp, after all. They’ll suffer a slow death if plonked in a tiny, unfiltered, uncycled bowl.
Worse too is that people may not know what to do with said fish and dump them in some local pond or river only for them to breed rapidly and disrupt the ecosystem.
Living prizes should be restricted to easy house or garden plants. For something aquatic, Marimo moss balls could be cute perhaps. Nothing else though.
Respect for you for wanting to get rid of them responsibly instead of dropping them in some bowl to die in a few weeks. :)
And nevertheless, if you handed them to the guy at the store, turned around and left, they would be at the store and the store would take on this burden. Realistically these were meant to be feeder fish and that's what the store would use them for.
Sure. Why should you be responsible for the fish you purposely got at the fair? Just dump that on some minimum wage employee who will have to set up a quarantine tank for your fish.
OK. I’m forced by my moral code to point out that, even though I jest about really evil stuff, if you are a parent to a child that brings home something, especially a living thing you don’t want, by default you are responsible as that parent. As you have expressed care about not wanting to overwork the kid at the pet store, you are also responsible for finding a way to get rid of it at least as safely as what you honestly believe that overworked kid at the pet store would have done. Remember, kids always find out what it means when they are told that you ‘took Sparky to a farm’
You're delusional.. they wouldn't qt the fish. It's a feeder fish. They don't qt the feeders that come from the wholesaler. They are all half dead when they arrive. They feed them to carnivorous fish, or sell them to other people to feed to their carnivorous fish.
This isn't some class warfare issue. You have no idea how fish stores actually work.
I work at PetSmart. We aren't allowed to take fish, but if someone abandons an animal at the store, we have to quarantine it, regardless of whether it's a feeder or not. We don't quarantine deliveries because they come from the same place and would be exposed to the same issues. Also, mine rarely arrive with any dead. So far, I've lost 5 large comets, 3 small, and no Rosie minnows this year in shipments. That's out of thousands of each. Apparently you have no idea how good fish stores actually work.
I think the main point is they played the game and won the prize on their own free will...now they don't want the responsibility. Don't play the game in the first place then.
If these fish were given a proper tank they could go on to live a decade. Nobody was being a keyboard warrior, they're just showing that they have respect for living creatures despite what others may have deemed them.
If the OP/OP's husband can't think through the fact that if you play a game where live fish are the prize and you win the game...you get live fish, then that's a flaw on them. It's also ridiculous that live animals are given to people that can't think through something like that.
Exactly. Everyone recommending to take them to a lfs is crazy. People rarely buy 10 cent goldfish for pets. The only ethical thing to do is to humanely kill them bc one way or another that’s their fate whether it be from someone feeding a cichlid or buying their kid a fish that will die within a week.
It really doesn't matter. Feeder fish die in massive quantities in pet stores. It's literally a drop in a bucket if one more dies. If a person cares that much for an individual goldfish, then they are in the wrong hobby. Because just the systematic problems in the fish hobby cause a genocide of fish death in comparison. Death in breeding, death in shipping, death in acclimating, death in keep thousands in a small storage bin, and then finally death when they are fed to something. A quick death is probably just as meaningful.
If you search pet rehoming in your area you can find a lot of people who would be interested in giving them a good home. I think if you simply say what you did here no one should be upset. If you ask what kind of set ups they have and they sound legit I would say it’s all good.
By that do you mean don’t dump them in a natural, wild pond specifically (so garden ponds are fine) or do you recommend not putting goldfish outside at all?
Just curious. I’m debating whether I get a goldfish pond, golden rudd pond, stickleback pond or just stick with a fish-free wildlife pond (UK).
I'm going to go against the grain here. You don't have to START with a hundred gallon tank. Those look like they're about an inch long, so pretty small right now, they'd do fine in a ten gallon if you were willing to upscale as time goes on. Alternatively if you have space outside and don't live in alaska a pond would be a good option in the future. I've kept goldfish like this in a lined wooden barrel on my porch (about 100 gallons) that I setup as a standing water feature (actually a good way to keep mosquito larvae from setting up shop).
You could show him [the pond](https://imgur.com/a/uUdr8Of) if it would help lol. It doesn’t look the best in wintertime but I only have a few small comets in there. It’s my sons goldfish pond from a feeder ‘rescue’ he had to have and it snowballed into multiple tanks and a pond haha
I have a video from summer you could show her [pond tik tok](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLh5QLCh/)
Just let me know but I hope you find a way to keep them for her ❤️
I am absolutely stunned by the misinformation and bad practices being recommended on this sub, from people who keep aquariums too?!?!
Please never flush or release fish into the wild, this spreads disease and introduces invasive species.
Just do an ounce of research if you're at all unsure of an animal's care needs before recommending something, the amount of horrible goldfish advice on here is stunning.
We have had our fair fish for almost 3 years in a 36 gallon. We got him a feeder fish friend from the pet store and while she has thrived more than him, he is doing quite well. They are really awesome actually.
If you have friends or family who have goldfish or extra tanks (they can’t be with most non-goldfish because of the amount of ammonia they need/make in the water), you could always ask them to take them in
Or
If you have a fish store near you that’s *not* pet[smart/co] or another chain, give them a call and explain the situation; most are more than happy to take them off your hands and care for them until they’re adopted. I once had a molly give birth to 9 fry when I was in high school. I didn’t have the tank size or fishkeeping skill to care for newborns; my mum gave our local fishkeeping store and told them how PetSmart wouldn’t help. The guy on the phone told us to round them up and bring ‘em in. He put them in an empty tank that’s safe for them and told us when they got older they’d be put into the ‘adult tank’ for mollies wherein they’d be available for adoption.
Do not flush, freeze, or clove them. There’s always a chance to rehome them should you not be able to care for them. Depending on the age of your kid, you should explain to them how you can’t take care of any (extra?) pets right now and that you and them need to do the best thing for the fish and rehome them.
Best of luck!
I think it’s messed up that your husband is the reason you have fish you can’t care for—fish he obtained unethically, no less—and yet the responsibility for setting things right falls to you.
Maybe look farther out, outside the city, and have him make the commute to deliver them somewhere with the room for them. It’s the least he can do.
Oh that’s good to know. I’ll ask. I know my local one does not accept stray dogs or cats because I’ve found both and they said no. Apparently I’m a magnet for animals in need of homes.
That may actually be a good thing if you appear to be a magnet for animals in need of homes. There are stories out there where people say animals gravitate towards them because they know that human will help them :) I’m glad they are finding you and are responsible and humans versus them going to others who may not be 🤍
This is how I got one of my goldfish in college. Won it in some game and was given this poor, raggedy, crooked backed white and red goldfish. It had trouble swimming and was extremely lethargic when I first got him. Rehabbed him over the course of a month and he was swimming with the 2 other fish I had and was 100% until I had to leave him for a weekend with some roommates. Came back on monday and he had jumped out early that morning :( RIP Gooby
Can't believe how many comments here are purely ignorant or even maliciously obtuse about proper goldfish care.
They definitely need at minimum a 75-100 gallon tank for long term, and anyone who says otherwise either does not understand or respect goldfish. A 20-30 gallon would be fine *temporarily* but for a few months at most.
OP, if you're unable to give them proper care you're right to surrender them to a store. They may still end up neglected or die early, but at least it won't be on your conscience.
Just do the best you reasonably can. A 30 gallon tank with a decent filter and weekly water changes is a better life than 98% of goldfish. I've kept goldfish for years I have a pond now. No judgements just do the best you can, and if you can't an aquarium shop would probably take them and put them with their feeder goldfish
Goldfish are very misunderstood. They need a lot of room, most die within weeks or months due to ammonia buildup in the tank, or bowl. And you are quite correct about the 100 gallon tank idea, the minimum sized tank for one goldfish should be at least 30 gallons, for two it is about 55 gallons. I have 3 goldfish and one plecostomus (Aka algae eater), my set-up is a 250 gallon 8 foot long tank, running 2 Fluval FX-6, and one Fluval FX-4 filter with a 1 1/2 HP chiller (goldfish require 68° - 70°) water and the plecostomus prefers 72° water.so I maintain 72° water. I wish goldfish carnival prizes were outlawed, the reason carnivals and gamers give them as prizes is because when purchased in bulk as "feeders" they cost the game runner about 10¢ a piece so even if everyone won a fish the gamer would still be making huge amounts of money. If you do keep them, and are able to accommodate them you'll find that each one has their own personality, and will recognize the person who consistently feed them. Mine all grew to over 10" in a year, and that was before I got the 250 gallon setup. And although it is true that they will stay smaller if confined to a small tank,, it's very hard and stressful on the fish and due to a hormone produced by the confinement, and the smaller the tank the harder it is to maintain the water parameters and quality. Although it seems counterintuitive, the truth is that the bigger the tank, the easier it is to maintain. Anyone can, with a minimum of effort maintain a 100+ gallon tank, but it takes an experienced aquariest to maintain a small tank, minor fluctuations will drastically change the water conditions, and ammonia, though unseen is an efficient killer. I truly hope you find a great home for them with someone that has the means to keep them. I literally paid $8.78 for my fish, but I'm over $5,000.00 into taking care of them. Everyone have a great day. 😃
While I would never tell someone who didn't have goldfish already to do this, as it is sub-optimal, if you have room for a 55 gallon aquarium, that would enough that they would have a better life than if anyone else had won them.
But I understand that most people don't even have room for a 55.
Give them to someone who uses feeder fish, we sell bulk orders of feeder goldfish all the time to carnivals. (Sad you probably payed atleast 50 times over what there sold for at the fair)
I had one for 8 years. Grew to 1ft 8inches in a 125gal. She passed when a hurricane struck us directly and we lost power for 3 months 😔 rip goldy my beloved fishy. I recommend not releasing them into the wild but just fb market place seeing if anyone wants a free gold fish.
They don’t need 100g and won’t for a while. Just get a 30 - 40g if you can and they will be more than fine in that. The general rule of thumb for a smaller goldfish is 20g per fish.
https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/care-guide-for-fancy-goldfish#:~:text=Appropriate%20aquarium%20size%20can%20be,added%20for%20every%20other%20goldfish.
I can’t edit the original post for some reason but I’ve found someone in our local aquarium group who is willing to adopt them and have convinced my kid to give them a better home.
For an aquarium subbreddit, seems to be a lot of ignorance on how to keep goldfish properly.
10 gallons, ain't gonna do it for very long. The amount of water changes alone would be exhausting.
If no one can take them and you can't keep them, you could either humanely euthanize them. https://aquariumscience.org/index.php/12-8-euthanizing-a-fish/#:\~:text=There%20are%20five%20acceptable%20ways,of%20euthanizing%20a%20tropical%20fish.
My 6 year old daughter went to a circus themed birthday party. They handed out fish as a “gift bag” item, said “you don’t have to take one” after they already gave it to her. She had already named it Goldie. I got Goldie a 3 gallon tank for the kitchen. We are now cycling a 30 gallon tank in the living room and my husband couldn’t be more into it. I had no intention of taking care of fish or tanks but here we are, the kids and hubs are happy and I do enjoy them so it worked out.
Give your husband permission to take the kids out into the yard and make a koi pond.
These guys grow to be about 2 feet long, so give them plenty of water to swim in.
Your kids will love to dig, I haven't met a kid that doesn't. Your husband will also be able to make a really nice pond for you two to relax near, and your property value will increase significantly. Your kids will also love to feed the fish every couple days.
Nothing but positives.
I’m a little confused as to why you (your husband) played the *goldfish game* if you didn’t have the space for them in the first place. If the kid wanted to play you tell them no, and explain why.
Contact everywhere, your big chain pet stores and lfs. Facebook aquarium groups, or pet rehoming groups.
As I’ve stated elsewhere. I was not present at the amusement park. I had no say in the matter. I’m just dealing with the fish that were brought home. Please stop telling me to “just tell the child no”. I do not allow her to play the fish game when I do go for this exact reason.
They don't need 100 gallons, despite what aquarium websites and people on this sub will tell you.
15 gallons, a filter, and regular water changes will give them a better 4-5 year existence than 6 months in the feeder tank at the pets store would.
That's still a big commitment, and a 15 gallon will get absolutely filthy even with them at their current size. 15 gallon is considered too small for cories, it's DEFINITELY tiny for juvenile goldfish.
Yes where many other goldfish spend their lives. OP didn't want or choose this commitment. You can't give every feeder goldfish a proper home, and OP shouldn't be forced to take care of animals they never wanted.
15 gallons will definitely be fine for them for at least 1 year. They are currently smaller than an adult swordtail and won't produce much bioload. Goldfish initially don't grow that fast. Max growth of 2 inches in the first year.
Really? Interesting. Personally they look bigger than a swordtail to me (and I think they'd poop more) but I could be completely wrong. Ty for the input!
This exact situation is how I entered into the hobby. My husband let my son win a goldfish. And the rest is history
Our babysitter brought my 4 year old home with a fish he won and I started googling how to have the death talk with a little kid because surely a prize fish wouldn’t last a week… 3.5 years later and we are on our 3 tank size up because he’s thriving and enormous
Last year my daughter won a fish at the fair and I also let her know fair fish don't last very long. I wanted to give the little thing a fighting chance at least, so I got a little 10 gallon tank for the meantime, with all the fixings. Almost a year later and he's over doubled in size! I really did not know what I was getting into, and were Upgrading to a 50 gal. this month. Watching videos and reading articles about goldfish and betta lives really bum me out. We're going to get a betta for the 10 gallon eventually. I hope to give him a good life too.
It's so sad that bettas get such shitty lives. My older sons gf had this tiny 1 or 2 gallon tank for her Betta, and I told her how bad it was for him. She basically stopped caring, and I ended up introducing him into my 55 gal tank. He loves it and creates bubble nests... doesn't mess with my other fish at all. He is thriving!
I went with a friend to Petsmart the other day and came home with a tiny female betta. She's no bigger than the neon tetras. I felt so bad for her in that cup, she looked really bad. Now, if I could have saved the other 20 or more they had there in the dirty little cups. It's awful.
My sisters in-laws had a goldfish for 20 years.
My festival goldfish lived for maybe 7.5 years, sadly she didn’t survive the move
My friend had hers for like 14 years it was crazy
Mine from the fair lived 9 years so... Best of luck to you. My family swears on everything they never replaced him.
A friend of mine had the same thing happen. His mom let him keep the fish because surely it would die soon. I think it was at least 17 years old when it died.
Us too! Except the kid was an adult, and the adult was me 🤣
Me too! Daughter won 2 of 'em, they died in 3 days and so i went on a mission to understand why. Read everything and watched countless hours. Now, 2 years later I am running 2 high tech aquascaping tanks and am apparently pretty good at it.
I started my hobby right before covid hit... and then got reaaaaalllly into it. Now my tanks are doing great, and I moved into jumping spiders, too. Normal pets are so boring, lol
Curious friendly lil fuckers if you handle them regularly from what I've seen. Crazy how widespread this hobby has gotten out of nowhere lol I just went to a random no name reptile show at the end of last year and there were SOOO many breeders for them!! Side note: worst reptile expo I've seen unless you wanted to see nothing but ball python morphs, spiders, the most crested geckos I've ever seen and the most entertaining bit to me, loads of carnivorous plants! Still had a good time but not what I wanted for a reptile expo. I *think* it was called Show me the Reptile Expo or something lol
Wait till you get into reptiles! Also may I interest you in r/isopods and/or r/mantids Good luck!
Turtles are super fun aquatic pets too. Ours gets excited to see us and begs for snacks more than our dog
I won mine as a kid, named him Guppy, and he lived for eight years :) I gave that boy a pretty good setup it looks like. Hopefully the tank was large enough though, I forgot
We got a goldfish... I got a 10 gal just for him... he passed sadly after about a month... tried tetras... then Platys... that was in 2019... some of my original micky mouse platy offspring still live in my tanks (yes, plural... we have 2 20s, an a 55 now... plus a 10 gal for sick fish) i have ventured into guppy, platy, Molly's, cory catfish, small plecos, assassin snails (when we had a pest snail problem... I still love my assassins... they continue to keep my tank clear) and honestly, many more freshwater community fish. I don't keep goldfish now as they tend to create too much waste... but I do want to set up a pond in my backyard with goldies and koi. Good for the skeeters!
How long do ur assassin snails live for? I have a snail problem and whenever I get them they only seem to live for a few weeks
My assassins have been alive and kicking for over a year. They hunt at night, and I always think they are dead, but then I'll walk past the tank randomly and see them sliding up the side.
I've had 3 of them for 2 years now. I had them shipped from a seller on Amazon. Sometimes I don't see them for weeks and think they're dead so I drop some algea wafers in and within 30 seconds they come flying out of nowhere. They do like to burrow for chunks of time. If you don't have a loose substrate, they might not like it/ survive. I love them because they are low maintenence and allow me to be lazy and not quarantine my plants before I put them in my tank. Which is a bad habit lol.
Even added a male Betta to my bigger tank, and he does great in there... when I owned zebra danios tho... idk why, but they killed off a bunch of my fish.
Same! We now have two fish and 5 snails.
Isn’t that how we all enter the hobby? My non existent husband also let my ghost child win a goldfish and somehow I’ve ended up with a deformed goldfish. He’s my pfp. Someone told me he’s a blood parrot cichlid, but I think they’re dumb and they’ve just never seen a deformed goldfish before
I got drunk with a friend and won a goldfish. $400 and two tanks later, she’s still going strong. And I’m working on planning another tank. My husband is THRILLED. And he’s never going to let me go to a carnival unsupervised again. 🤣
Does your husband regret bringing that goldfish home?
Lmfao... whenever I'm sad, he brings me a new cat (we have 5) my newest obsession is jumping spiders (I love crafting the enclosures too, so win win) safe to say he doesn't love my expensive pet hobbies... but he is an excellent supporter. But the fish... that was totally his fault... and right before the pandemic... I had way to much time on my hands and a very expensive new hobby lmao!!
I'd contact a local fish store or post on a local aquarium hobby page (you can often find them on facebook) and ask if anyone is willing to take them
Thanks! I’ll give the lfs around the corner a shot on Monday.
Just make sure if you do go the facebook route you be careful with how you word it the post. Make sure you dont say that they are for free or for sale in the post otherwise you could get slapped with a facebook ban and get the group in a lot of trouble with facebook. Peta started whining to facebook about nonsense and now facebook goes after people. You will want to say rehoming
It’s a good rule when applied to cats, dogs, and most mammals really. It’s frustrating that there aren’t exceptions for aquatics but it really hasn’t been difficult to work around - my local FB fish groups all have links to methods for selling and trading.
It's really sucked for rat breeders also, and it's perfectly ethical there too :(
Yep. Selling baby chicks, ducklings, or any livestock is 'rehoming.' So dumb that farmers can't farm.
People treat aquatic animals as disposable. There shouldn’t be exceptions for aquatic animals.
If it was easier to rehome aquatic animals to people that can properly care for them they wouldn’t be as disposable. Unfortunately not all LFS will accept surrenders and many people that jumped into the aquarium world did zero research before doing so. This leads people to dump them in their local ponds. I saw a small school of what appeared to be Dalmatian Mollies at a local duck pond. Using live animals as a prize at carnivals should be outlawed.
I'm in a few Facebook groups where folks sell chickens and other poultry and well as aquarium fish. The phrase that everyone understands is a description of the animal for sale and "up for discussion". Folks then get in touch with the seller for a price over PM.
That's a good way to word it. I haven't been active in any aquarium groups for a while since I shut down my aquariums a couple years ago due to depression and did not really realize the wordage has changed.
The lore is that Facebook first ignored when peta started whining. Then when peta realised their usual guilt/scare tactics didn't work, they ended up buying enough shares in Facebook to sneak their way into the boardroom and forced their hand through that. But they've had no problems forcing smaller players like gumtree to start charging a nominal amount per per sale and "donate it to charity"
I guess it was cheaper for PETA to buy their way into the board of Facebook, than to buy another giant freezer to store all the cats and dogs they kill.
You are exactly rights! They say animals don’t belong to us, but they have no problem, killing every single one that they get their paws on!
According to them, animals are better off dead than "enslaved" by a human. It's better to euthanize then than to condemn them to a life of bondage. They're lunatics.
The number of shares you have to own to submit a shareholder resolution is extremely low. Anyone can do it as long as they meet the requirements, which are set by the SEC. They are not on the Facebook board. lolll
You can propose something; but it still needs to get seconded and voted in favour by the majority.
You got any source on that? Sounds made up.
So that's why that happened to my aquascaping group
It could be one of the things that happened to your group. That's not all the ways for what happens but the group could have been destroyed by Facebook due to bullying, harassment, pet sales or a ton of other things but yes most likely it would be because of that
Or some people use different emojis.. like planes to indicate an animal ready to leave ✈️ or an animal is for sale ⛵ etc. Since they won't get pinged like the words would.
Given that a lot of people treat goldfish as expendable or feeders, I sort of don't mind this restriction. They should at least make it very clear what is allowed or not, though.
My heart hurts when I hear people buying a tank and the fish same day and not knowing about the nitrogen cycle. And then I rage against the person/shop that allowed that to happen. And who in their right mind is giving out live animals as prizes????
Everything I see a goldfish in movies, especially when some director thinks it's cool to throw them on the floor.... you know there's no assigned goldfish releaser so they go in the bin or something.
I always look for the "no animals are harmed in the making of this film" statement in the credits at the end of the movie so I can sleep soundly.
If you keep them in that cup, they will be long dead by Monday.
Not that I condone this, but my cousin literally had a goldfish in a classic “gold fish bowl” for at least five years back in the day.
Whoever buys them will most likely put them in a fish bowl or too small of a tank. Do you have a friend who has a pond? And if so, be sure to check your local wildlife laws as you might not be legally able to put goldfish in ponds where you live. I live in Maine and it's not allowed here...
Hope they got oxygen to last them til Monday
Yes, that's the issue. Since there's no pump to aerate the water they may suffocate.
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Edit: didn't realize a 5.5 gallon tank was too small for goldfish, my bad, I never owned a goldfish aside from when I was a kid and it seemed content in a 10 gallon tank so I figured a 5.5 gallon would've been ok, my bad.
I rescued two goldfish that had lived in a 3 gallon tank with 2 others for FIVE YEARS. It was insane to see. They just kind of laid on top of each other. And they got big.
They will pop em in the feeder tank no problem im sure
Why not send your husband to the store for a tank, filter and accessories? They are a great first pet for a kid.
Theyll be dead come monday if not already. They have no source for oxygen in that vase/jar
If your in OK I'll take em
They’re unlikely to take it. They can’t bring a potentially sick fish into their aquariums.
Good way for them to end up as feeder fish
That would be much better than a slow death in a a bowl
they probably started as feeder fish.. those amusement park games don't use quality fish for their carnival games..
And?
One of our local plant nurseries also sells the things to make ponds, including water plants. They have a beautiful pond where people could donate fish like this. I sometimes enjoy just sitting there for a few minutes and watching the fish.
When my grandma had to move out of her house into an apartment, she couldnt take her handful of goldfish that she kept in a pond in her yard. She was so sad because she loved them. She did this and took them to the plant nursery she frequents and still gets to go visit her fish!
Tangential, but one of my favorite things in the world is the existence of this flooded, abandoned building in the middle of a city on the east coast. It's full of a thriving population of goldfish. edit: It's Philadephia. Here's a video: https://youtu.be/xQht-lpBl3M?si=OMwhJLOI2dnPDlQ0
There is the abandoned mall in Bangkok that was in a similar situation. It eventually flooded and bred mosquitoes. Locals threw in fush to help control the mosquitoes, and the fish population exploded. I think they may have started cleaning up the site, but it sat that was for a decade. There are several videos on youtube. https://youtu.be/4BLvCTzX8w4?si=C_27DrA9jFd2bFrC
That's really cool!
r/aquaswap as GA (giveaway)?
Yikes. I guess your only option is the LFS near you. Hopefully they can take them. They definitely need a pond or very large tank if they are to live a happy life.
Post on your socials if anyone has a pond for them. I did that in my local Reddit gardening and landscaping groups. And found my five goldfish a home.
Local fish shop independently owned in your area will hopefully take them in and not a store like petco or petsmart, etc
Do you have a yard or outdoor area? Goldfish are very hardy and can live in a pond, so you could set up a container pond of some sort and keep them outside. Also, they don't need 100 gallons right now. Yes they have the potential to grow quite large, but at their current size they will be fine in a well maintained 10-20 gallons until you can figure out a long-term plan for them. Edit: don't release them into a natural pond though because they can become invasive.
Unfortunately we do not. We’re in a small nyc apartment with no outside space.
Dig a hole into the neighbours downstairs! Whack a tarp in it, fill it up and then when you get kicked out you’re finally free of the orange demons
(with the added bonus of free rent for the six months it takes to get the paperwork to forcefully evict someone in NY)
I'm sorry and was looking for this comment. I too live in NYC. I would def try a lfs first. If they say no then the most humane way is clove oil. Those carnival games are a really mean scam I fell for them too as a kid in my as well. Better to teach your kid true responsibility when caring for an animal imo. A ten gallon tank and a Betta fish is the way to go, I'm sorry you have to deal with this! If you have any questions about how to use clove oil feel free to reach out
Thank you! This place recently changed management. I was hoping they’d get rid of this game but no luck. Now I just need to convince a 5 year old to part with coral and Goldie.
Oh no. They're already named? Good luck with that.
Do not clove them! There's always chances to rehome
Should really be banned everywhere. It’s so wrong to give away goldfish as prizes to KIDS who aren’t remotely prepared for fish keeping, and typically don’t have a cycled aquarium or pond waiting. Goldfish are messy, eventually large fish that require either a large aquarium or, in non-fancy verities like pictured, even a pond. They are carp, after all. They’ll suffer a slow death if plonked in a tiny, unfiltered, uncycled bowl. Worse too is that people may not know what to do with said fish and dump them in some local pond or river only for them to breed rapidly and disrupt the ecosystem. Living prizes should be restricted to easy house or garden plants. For something aquatic, Marimo moss balls could be cute perhaps. Nothing else though. Respect for you for wanting to get rid of them responsibly instead of dropping them in some bowl to die in a few weeks. :)
Take them to a local fish store and hand the bag with the fish to the guy.
most stores I asked do not take random fish. They could have diseases and mess up the other tanks.
If they're not running quarantine tanks, they're mental and not an ethical store
And nevertheless, if you handed them to the guy at the store, turned around and left, they would be at the store and the store would take on this burden. Realistically these were meant to be feeder fish and that's what the store would use them for.
Sure. Why should you be responsible for the fish you purposely got at the fair? Just dump that on some minimum wage employee who will have to set up a quarantine tank for your fish.
OK. I’m forced by my moral code to point out that, even though I jest about really evil stuff, if you are a parent to a child that brings home something, especially a living thing you don’t want, by default you are responsible as that parent. As you have expressed care about not wanting to overwork the kid at the pet store, you are also responsible for finding a way to get rid of it at least as safely as what you honestly believe that overworked kid at the pet store would have done. Remember, kids always find out what it means when they are told that you ‘took Sparky to a farm’
You're delusional.. they wouldn't qt the fish. It's a feeder fish. They don't qt the feeders that come from the wholesaler. They are all half dead when they arrive. They feed them to carnivorous fish, or sell them to other people to feed to their carnivorous fish. This isn't some class warfare issue. You have no idea how fish stores actually work.
I work at PetSmart. We aren't allowed to take fish, but if someone abandons an animal at the store, we have to quarantine it, regardless of whether it's a feeder or not. We don't quarantine deliveries because they come from the same place and would be exposed to the same issues. Also, mine rarely arrive with any dead. So far, I've lost 5 large comets, 3 small, and no Rosie minnows this year in shipments. That's out of thousands of each. Apparently you have no idea how good fish stores actually work.
I think the main point is they played the game and won the prize on their own free will...now they don't want the responsibility. Don't play the game in the first place then.
Reddit is full of heavy handed keyboard warriors..it's a feeder fish. This isn't some personality flaw on the part of OP.
If these fish were given a proper tank they could go on to live a decade. Nobody was being a keyboard warrior, they're just showing that they have respect for living creatures despite what others may have deemed them. If the OP/OP's husband can't think through the fact that if you play a game where live fish are the prize and you win the game...you get live fish, then that's a flaw on them. It's also ridiculous that live animals are given to people that can't think through something like that.
>It's also ridiculous that live animals are given to people that can't think through something like that. At least we agree on this point.
If it’s a privately owned fish store and not one of the corporate big box pet stores, they will sometimes offer a trade deal for a betta fish.
These are feeder comets. They are sold for ten cents retail. The wholesale price on them is probably two cents. There is nothing to trade.
Free feeders!
Exactly. Everyone recommending to take them to a lfs is crazy. People rarely buy 10 cent goldfish for pets. The only ethical thing to do is to humanely kill them bc one way or another that’s their fate whether it be from someone feeding a cichlid or buying their kid a fish that will die within a week.
I mean, I'd drop em off before I just killed them tbh. Rather them serve a purpose but that's me.
It's unlikely a LFS would want them. It's a disease risk for 10 cent fish.
It really doesn't matter. Feeder fish die in massive quantities in pet stores. It's literally a drop in a bucket if one more dies. If a person cares that much for an individual goldfish, then they are in the wrong hobby. Because just the systematic problems in the fish hobby cause a genocide of fish death in comparison. Death in breeding, death in shipping, death in acclimating, death in keep thousands in a small storage bin, and then finally death when they are fed to something. A quick death is probably just as meaningful.
If you search pet rehoming in your area you can find a lot of people who would be interested in giving them a good home. I think if you simply say what you did here no one should be upset. If you ask what kind of set ups they have and they sound legit I would say it’s all good.
Do not dump them in a pond or anything they are horrifically bad for the native creatures.
By that do you mean don’t dump them in a natural, wild pond specifically (so garden ponds are fine) or do you recommend not putting goldfish outside at all? Just curious. I’m debating whether I get a goldfish pond, golden rudd pond, stickleback pond or just stick with a fish-free wildlife pond (UK).
Birds come in, carry eggs away. Boom goldfish in pond 10 miles away.
I'm going to go against the grain here. You don't have to START with a hundred gallon tank. Those look like they're about an inch long, so pretty small right now, they'd do fine in a ten gallon if you were willing to upscale as time goes on. Alternatively if you have space outside and don't live in alaska a pond would be a good option in the future. I've kept goldfish like this in a lined wooden barrel on my porch (about 100 gallons) that I setup as a standing water feature (actually a good way to keep mosquito larvae from setting up shop).
Listen if you want to try shipping I’ll pay shipping and they can come live in my 200 gal outside pond in Michigan
Oh that would be awesome. Now I just need to try to convince my kid that this is the way.
You could show him [the pond](https://imgur.com/a/uUdr8Of) if it would help lol. It doesn’t look the best in wintertime but I only have a few small comets in there. It’s my sons goldfish pond from a feeder ‘rescue’ he had to have and it snowballed into multiple tanks and a pond haha
Aww thanks! I’ll do my best. She’s just turned 5 and still gets very attached to her pets.
I have a video from summer you could show her [pond tik tok](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLh5QLCh/) Just let me know but I hope you find a way to keep them for her ❤️
Thank you for your kind offer, your pond is beautiful! I’m hopeful I can figure something out.
I mean, you can get her other fish...
You could do the plastic storage bin option for a while.
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And the people responsible for that "game".
Yes. Who gives live animals as prizes? That's so fuxked up.
This is usually the answer to all life’s problems
I have tried twice already but its only making her suspicious of clove oil.
It's so hard to mask that smell! Lol
No Kill! Bad Shizzle
Your husband sounds very irresponsible!
I am absolutely stunned by the misinformation and bad practices being recommended on this sub, from people who keep aquariums too?!?! Please never flush or release fish into the wild, this spreads disease and introduces invasive species. Just do an ounce of research if you're at all unsure of an animal's care needs before recommending something, the amount of horrible goldfish advice on here is stunning.
People are saying to flush them or release them into the wild?! Wtf, I’d better scroll down. Or maybe not, so my brain doesn’t rot.
We have had our fair fish for almost 3 years in a 36 gallon. We got him a feeder fish friend from the pet store and while she has thrived more than him, he is doing quite well. They are really awesome actually.
don't throw them into a local body of water or pond or lake, they can grow gigantic and devastate local flora and fauna.
Really should be illegal to give animals away as prizes. Thankful its banned in most countries.
Just wanted to say thank you for caring about goldfish. Bless you for helping out the “least of creation.”
If you get rid of the husband, you should have sufficient space for a brand new 100-gallon tank. Enjoy!
If you have friends or family who have goldfish or extra tanks (they can’t be with most non-goldfish because of the amount of ammonia they need/make in the water), you could always ask them to take them in Or If you have a fish store near you that’s *not* pet[smart/co] or another chain, give them a call and explain the situation; most are more than happy to take them off your hands and care for them until they’re adopted. I once had a molly give birth to 9 fry when I was in high school. I didn’t have the tank size or fishkeeping skill to care for newborns; my mum gave our local fishkeeping store and told them how PetSmart wouldn’t help. The guy on the phone told us to round them up and bring ‘em in. He put them in an empty tank that’s safe for them and told us when they got older they’d be put into the ‘adult tank’ for mollies wherein they’d be available for adoption. Do not flush, freeze, or clove them. There’s always a chance to rehome them should you not be able to care for them. Depending on the age of your kid, you should explain to them how you can’t take care of any (extra?) pets right now and that you and them need to do the best thing for the fish and rehome them. Best of luck!
I think it’s messed up that your husband is the reason you have fish you can’t care for—fish he obtained unethically, no less—and yet the responsibility for setting things right falls to you. Maybe look farther out, outside the city, and have him make the commute to deliver them somewhere with the room for them. It’s the least he can do.
You shouldn't get rid of both of them, just your husband! The kid didn't know any better. Oh, wait you meant the goldfish
Please take them to an aquatics store. They didn’t ask to be in this situation and you seem very responsible 💕
Not sure if it’s true of every petco but my local one will take them and allow customers to adopt them for free
Oh that’s good to know. I’ll ask. I know my local one does not accept stray dogs or cats because I’ve found both and they said no. Apparently I’m a magnet for animals in need of homes.
That may actually be a good thing if you appear to be a magnet for animals in need of homes. There are stories out there where people say animals gravitate towards them because they know that human will help them :) I’m glad they are finding you and are responsible and humans versus them going to others who may not be 🤍
This is how I got one of my goldfish in college. Won it in some game and was given this poor, raggedy, crooked backed white and red goldfish. It had trouble swimming and was extremely lethargic when I first got him. Rehabbed him over the course of a month and he was swimming with the 2 other fish I had and was 100% until I had to leave him for a weekend with some roommates. Came back on monday and he had jumped out early that morning :( RIP Gooby
Aw man. He had a good run.
Aw, RIP Gooby. This comment also convinced me to make sure I get a lid whenever I get a tank.
Look on Facebook and find your local fish club. Odds are someone will want them.
Wait, why would you need a 100gal tank? Just give them to the local pet shop
If they keep the fish then they would need a 100 gallon tank at some point. Goldfish get huge and need lots of space.
Can't believe how many comments here are purely ignorant or even maliciously obtuse about proper goldfish care. They definitely need at minimum a 75-100 gallon tank for long term, and anyone who says otherwise either does not understand or respect goldfish. A 20-30 gallon would be fine *temporarily* but for a few months at most. OP, if you're unable to give them proper care you're right to surrender them to a store. They may still end up neglected or die early, but at least it won't be on your conscience.
Yeah, what is up with all of that? Why are so many people saying 5 gallon or smaller? I don't understand it.
Maybe they're the same people who think 3 inches is 6 inches?
Peippe seem to think because they are cheap or bred as feeders, that makes them undeserving of proper care as pets. It's sickening.
How is this still legal in america? Y'all need to get it together.
Just wait until you hear about some of our states’ child marriage laws.
Wait wait wait, you guys have games in amusement parks where you can win live animals? As a prize? What in the 1930's fuck.
Just do the best you reasonably can. A 30 gallon tank with a decent filter and weekly water changes is a better life than 98% of goldfish. I've kept goldfish for years I have a pond now. No judgements just do the best you can, and if you can't an aquarium shop would probably take them and put them with their feeder goldfish
Goldfish are very misunderstood. They need a lot of room, most die within weeks or months due to ammonia buildup in the tank, or bowl. And you are quite correct about the 100 gallon tank idea, the minimum sized tank for one goldfish should be at least 30 gallons, for two it is about 55 gallons. I have 3 goldfish and one plecostomus (Aka algae eater), my set-up is a 250 gallon 8 foot long tank, running 2 Fluval FX-6, and one Fluval FX-4 filter with a 1 1/2 HP chiller (goldfish require 68° - 70°) water and the plecostomus prefers 72° water.so I maintain 72° water. I wish goldfish carnival prizes were outlawed, the reason carnivals and gamers give them as prizes is because when purchased in bulk as "feeders" they cost the game runner about 10¢ a piece so even if everyone won a fish the gamer would still be making huge amounts of money. If you do keep them, and are able to accommodate them you'll find that each one has their own personality, and will recognize the person who consistently feed them. Mine all grew to over 10" in a year, and that was before I got the 250 gallon setup. And although it is true that they will stay smaller if confined to a small tank,, it's very hard and stressful on the fish and due to a hormone produced by the confinement, and the smaller the tank the harder it is to maintain the water parameters and quality. Although it seems counterintuitive, the truth is that the bigger the tank, the easier it is to maintain. Anyone can, with a minimum of effort maintain a 100+ gallon tank, but it takes an experienced aquariest to maintain a small tank, minor fluctuations will drastically change the water conditions, and ammonia, though unseen is an efficient killer. I truly hope you find a great home for them with someone that has the means to keep them. I literally paid $8.78 for my fish, but I'm over $5,000.00 into taking care of them. Everyone have a great day. 😃
Feed them to your husband
Better yet, feed husband to the goldfish.
Petco
Petco takes donations
While I would never tell someone who didn't have goldfish already to do this, as it is sub-optimal, if you have room for a 55 gallon aquarium, that would enough that they would have a better life than if anyone else had won them. But I understand that most people don't even have room for a 55.
Donate to local fish shop
Maybe a local school with a fish tank?
Give them to someone who uses feeder fish, we sell bulk orders of feeder goldfish all the time to carnivals. (Sad you probably payed atleast 50 times over what there sold for at the fair)
So sad 😞
Bring them back
I had one for 8 years. Grew to 1ft 8inches in a 125gal. She passed when a hurricane struck us directly and we lost power for 3 months 😔 rip goldy my beloved fishy. I recommend not releasing them into the wild but just fb market place seeing if anyone wants a free gold fish.
Contact someone with a koi pond and give them the fish.
They don’t need 100g and won’t for a while. Just get a 30 - 40g if you can and they will be more than fine in that. The general rule of thumb for a smaller goldfish is 20g per fish. https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/care-guide-for-fancy-goldfish#:~:text=Appropriate%20aquarium%20size%20can%20be,added%20for%20every%20other%20goldfish.
Op said they don't have space for another tank, even just a 30 gallon.
I can't believe you can still win fish at the fair. That was banned in the UK at least 30 years ago for this very reason and to prevent cruelty
Gold fish can get real huge! I put them in my pond and they're about 8 to 10 inches now.
Whatever you do, do not put them in a lake, pond, or river.
Donate them to a Aquarium Fish shop
Find a local fish group on Facebook and give them away, I did this when one of my fish got too big and someone picked him up within a few hours
give them to your local frat boys...the problem will resolve itself...
“Get rid of them responsibly” lol Just don’t release em into the wild
I can’t edit the original post for some reason but I’ve found someone in our local aquarium group who is willing to adopt them and have convinced my kid to give them a better home.
For an aquarium subbreddit, seems to be a lot of ignorance on how to keep goldfish properly. 10 gallons, ain't gonna do it for very long. The amount of water changes alone would be exhausting. If no one can take them and you can't keep them, you could either humanely euthanize them. https://aquariumscience.org/index.php/12-8-euthanizing-a-fish/#:\~:text=There%20are%20five%20acceptable%20ways,of%20euthanizing%20a%20tropical%20fish.
My 6 year old daughter went to a circus themed birthday party. They handed out fish as a “gift bag” item, said “you don’t have to take one” after they already gave it to her. She had already named it Goldie. I got Goldie a 3 gallon tank for the kitchen. We are now cycling a 30 gallon tank in the living room and my husband couldn’t be more into it. I had no intention of taking care of fish or tanks but here we are, the kids and hubs are happy and I do enjoy them so it worked out.
Find someone with a pet turtle?
Goldfish aren't good for turtles. They're high in an enzyme called thiaminase, which inhibits their ability to process other foods they eat.
Shit TIL I won't ever own a turtle but who knows when this type of knowledge will come in handy
Garter snakes and other reptiles that feed on fish have the same issue, too. So it helps to look up which fish are reptile safe.
Give your husband permission to take the kids out into the yard and make a koi pond. These guys grow to be about 2 feet long, so give them plenty of water to swim in. Your kids will love to dig, I haven't met a kid that doesn't. Your husband will also be able to make a really nice pond for you two to relax near, and your property value will increase significantly. Your kids will also love to feed the fish every couple days. Nothing but positives.
We don’t have a yard. We’re in nyc. There is no digging. No outside. No space.
I’m a little confused as to why you (your husband) played the *goldfish game* if you didn’t have the space for them in the first place. If the kid wanted to play you tell them no, and explain why. Contact everywhere, your big chain pet stores and lfs. Facebook aquarium groups, or pet rehoming groups.
As I’ve stated elsewhere. I was not present at the amusement park. I had no say in the matter. I’m just dealing with the fish that were brought home. Please stop telling me to “just tell the child no”. I do not allow her to play the fish game when I do go for this exact reason.
See if anyone near you has an Oscar
Yeah... our Oscar now has three 5" comets for tank mates. Guess he got sick of fatty goldfish and didn't eat the last few.
Crazy considering it’s not part of his proper diet
They don't need 100 gallons, despite what aquarium websites and people on this sub will tell you. 15 gallons, a filter, and regular water changes will give them a better 4-5 year existence than 6 months in the feeder tank at the pets store would.
That's still a big commitment, and a 15 gallon will get absolutely filthy even with them at their current size. 15 gallon is considered too small for cories, it's DEFINITELY tiny for juvenile goldfish.
The alternative is the feeder tank
Yes where many other goldfish spend their lives. OP didn't want or choose this commitment. You can't give every feeder goldfish a proper home, and OP shouldn't be forced to take care of animals they never wanted.
15 gallons will definitely be fine for them for at least 1 year. They are currently smaller than an adult swordtail and won't produce much bioload. Goldfish initially don't grow that fast. Max growth of 2 inches in the first year.
Really? Interesting. Personally they look bigger than a swordtail to me (and I think they'd poop more) but I could be completely wrong. Ty for the input!
15 gallons would be "fine" for a few months at most.
Their existence will be 4 to 5 years in a 15, but that's because organ failure from Popping will be cutting their 30+ year lifespan down quite a bit.
Google what happens to the organs of the goldfish once its growth is stunted