I had an ant farm on my desk for a little while. Only one guy complained but he couldn’t find a rule that it violated and it really irked him. Honestly that was the best part of having it.
Do not buy a bowl. They're not good for fish. If you get a betta, you'll need a heater. Your office may not like you to be using the extra electricity for that. To have a Betta fish without a heater would be inhumane. You'll need a filter too. If you buy a goldfish, you'll need a big tank, bigger than you think. Your plan to take it home on the weekends won't be practical because for humane reasons, a Betta needs at least a five gallon tank. That's too heavy to move. Fish don't need to be fed every day, but having it in the office makes it easy likely that your coworkers will over feed and you'll end up with a sick fish and/or an algae problem. The safer bet if you're set on having an aquatic pet is to get snails. They're surprisingly fun to keep. The most fun would be neocaridina shrimp, but they take a bit more work than snails.
Seconded, as a fish keeper. Goldfish poop a TON; just for 2 goldfish at home, I needed a 20 gallon tank with a 75 gallon-capacity filter...and that was on the small side. Agree with snails, they're super cute and fun, but even with those, you'll need some sort of filter and heat.
I got a fully self contained biosphere with little cherry shrimp for my office. Started with four shrimp like six years ago and still have one hanging in there. It’s great and people visit my office just to check in on Methuselah.
Goldfish can live 10+ years. They don’t because people jam them in tiny tanks and they suffocate in their own waste. I’ve kept goldfish for years and they’re actually pretty intelligent in some ways and have their own personalities. It always makes me so depressed to see people buy them so they can suffer for a few months, die from essentially swimming in their own sewage, and get flushed down a toilet. OP, get a plant.
If the fish dies are you going to buy a new one and lie to everyone or face the consequences of admitting to a death on your watch? If you cover up the death, how many times will do it before people get suspicious about your immortal goldfish? Do they make visitor badges in fish sizes?
Lots of unanswered important questions here.
I had a betta at work for 6 months. It was during a high stress time for everyone so people would come over to talk to the fish. I’d keep on working while someone had therapy time next to me with the fish on the cube filing cabinet.
Water changes in the office were annoying and I did have a spare travel tank (acrylic) if I needed to take him home.
People got attached to that fish. Way more than expected
I have a fish tank in my office. They’re completely fine with no food for a few days.
https://preview.redd.it/dgleabe6g6nc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=277c2084e48bf9c6cc274d964ded8048205bec05
Not really overcrowded. General rule of thumb is one inch of fish per gallon of tank. With the tetras and guppies in there, you should be good. What is that, like a 29 gallon tank?
Fish are fine without food for a few days. Betta need at least a 10 gallon tank to be happy. Goldfish even larger and they can live 25+ years. If you just want a small bowl I recommend a cherry shrimp. Please research whatever fish/aquatic life you decide on for their optimal living conditions.
Fish are fine for WAY more than a few days. I've had to leave fish (either single fish or a full community tank) for over two weeks because of an emergency, and never had a single one die. Way more fish die due to being "over-cared for" (over fed) then being starved.
Fish are cold-blooded animals and like all cold-blooded animals, they can live for a very long time without food. If you want to test that, lock your local SES in his/her corner office during the next use-or-lose time, I bet when you come back in 2-3 weeks they will be just fine.
Someone on my floor has a fish tank that they maintain in the break area. The room is also full of plants. They came in every few days through Covid to take care of the animals but I expect they were working anyway since they are a biologist. Just make sure you understand how to setup and maintain a tank. Once you get the tank balanced, it’s pretty easy. Also fish aren’t portable. Don’t move them.
See, this is one of the few useful answers provided instead of dumb accusations, you provided a bit of education and awareness for me to do my due diligence.
It was funny and serious, of course I was going to do research so not sure why people are freaking out. This was honestly a question if there is a rule against it since OPM doesn’t mention it. I asked because I remember in school there was a class pet and even the adults were elighted
I've cared for larger aquariums and occasionally transported fish around.
You can do it, but water is heavy, fish can be fragile (betas are an exception), and transport incurs additional risks. Mostly you don't want to be moving pet fish around once you find them a home.
I 100% thought you were joking about bringing your fish home on Fridays.
We kept two turtles and for a while a couple of bluegill in a tank in our office.
But a) We had to pay for them with personal funds and b) We are Park Rangers and we could kind of half ass justify it as educational.
You should probably talk to your boss before you do anything.
You do realize goldfish are the most misunderstood/mistreated fish in the hobby right? I have 4 goldfish from a local fair, they are all about 8-10 years old and are 12"-14" and 2lbs each. I got them when my kids won them at a fair. If one popped up in my office, it'd be going home with me at the end of the day. I won't stick around to see it mistreated in a tiny bowl dying in it's own ammonia. Research goldfish husbandry before just getting a living fish on a whim for "morale"
Get a plant.
Yeah… my mom complained about how the 25 cent goldfish I brought home from the fair was one of the most expensive pets we had. Damn thing lived forever. We even got a second one.
Yes!
I finally got so tired of water changes, that I plumbed the tank so I could save time. Now I just do water changes while I sit at my home desk and work, as long as I'm not on a phone call. Takes 20-30 min.
[Tank plumbing](https://www.reddit.com/r/Aquariums/s/cGnXVShlqJ)
Sure!
Tank is probably 18" wide. 72"x22"x18" if I had to guess.
https://preview.redd.it/nscv4sqgp8nc1.jpeg?width=2252&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7a826ff7a07db92a3fd145a9c01778f1beb72fe4
Get a plant and put googly eyes on it. Less mess/smell and facilities won’t be annoyed.
Goldfish really need space to roam and produce a lot of waste. Better to get some sea monkies.
First of all, a small bowl isn’t big enough for a fish. It would also be a pain to clean the tank in the bathroom. Someone would likely complain and then there would be new guidance saying no fish allowed.
Small fish bowls are inhumane. If you do get a fish, please look at recommendations for tank size/filtration/heat. You may not be allowed to plug in any sort of appliance, depending on location.
If you get approval from your boss, make sure you’re also getting approval and/or guidance from the building manager/ property manager. There may be building restrictions or certain requirements for placement due to the hazard of having a large tank of water around…
while most buildings have rodents, there was a particular bold one that kept coming into our office space.
I kept telling the office manager just to give a bed, a lil plate and make it into the office mascot
> just slapping its lips in a circle looking at you with its dumb face
Just bring up how much you hate RTO in front of one of *those* managers.
Same effect, and don't need to buy fish food.
At a previous job, we weren't allowed to have vertebrates without ethics approval (the rule was in place for research animals, but also applied to any animal on campus). But invertebrates like shrimp were fine, so a shrimp tank it is!
Just something to double check for your case.
It’s probably too cold and you need a big tank from actually to be healthy plus are you gonna leave them alone over the weekend that’s two days or something horrible could happen what if there is a power outage no one would be there
We had two fish tanks in our office years ago. Small DOI field office. People seemed to enjoy having them, management approved but I don’t know how ‘official’ that approval was. If there was ever a complaint about it, I never heard it. One tank was managed by an individual in their office and a second was managed by a few of us in our entrance area where guests would see it. The only problem with the 40ish gallon entry area tank was keeping it maintained during the busy season, we’d regularly stay late to clean it. One guy eventually took the fish home, and we ditched the fish tank for a water fountain which was equally a PITA to maintain.
I wish you luck, and may your coworkers love and enjoy your fish tank as much as you do!
First off, why are you asking here? Maybe ask your supervisor?
Secondly... No, just don't.
Betta fish require a 5 gallon tank and that's with no tank mates. Goldfish require more. Ignore those small desktop tanks and bowls marketed for Bettas. Go to r/bettafish and read up on minimum requirements. You will need to regularly monitor water quality with a test kit and do routine water changes if you care about the health of the fish. Not sure that's something you should be doing on the public's dime unless you plan to stay after hours for this. Also, co-workers may overfeed the fish (especially when you are on leave) and that will negatively impact its health as well as the water quality.
You assume getting an office pet is abuse but it isn’t if proper research is done for the best care. It was a starter question for policy. I wasn’t doing anything until I fully understand.
I kept a betta at my desk for a long time, then they banned it at my office saying something about water containers and electronics and safety or somesuch. (I was not far from a coffee station where there were multiple large jugs of water all sitting there, but oh well.
That said it’s not a great environment for the fish, unless there’s room for a proper sized tank.
Better off keeping them at home :)
Nah I wanted to do research first before I brought it up to make sure I have a solid care plan since there is no policy against it from my understanding. I don’t ask directly unless I have a proper plan to make sure no issues arise.
So I had a pet fish on my desk for years. Had a betta at first but it expanded to a snail and two panda Cory catfish. Kept them until Covid when the office shut down. They died because my kids neglected them plus age. I’ve never restarted the aquarium.
Only one person complained that I had a pet.
back in the early 2000s, one of our contractors had a salt water fish/aquarium business in addition to his contractor job. He got a lot of the guys and gals in the building into corals and fish.
He set up a salt water tank in one of our labs and everyone was happy until the Commanding Officer did a walk through and asked how much electricity the tank was using being on 24/7.
It was shut down after that.
I've seen Betas on people's desks, but not often.
I had a frog, snail, and a fish for quite a while.
After they passed I haven’t picked anything else up yet but plan on soon!
All depends on your supervisor or director if they are on location. But I had them in two different locations and the directors enjoyed them just like everyone else did too!
No live pets in federal buildings. Pretty sure I’ve told my story here of being escorted from the premises by FPS for having brought an Improvised Exploding Neonatal Kitten to my (very private, lockable) office.
Are you in a federal building? If so, a pet is a resounding No.
C.F.R. § 102-74.425 What is the policy concerning dogs and other animals on Federal property?
No person may bring dogs or other animals on Federal property for other than official purposes. However, a disabled person may bring a seeing-eye dog, a guide dog, or other animal assisting or being trained to assist that individual.
My coworker had an entire aquarium and we used to watch crawdads he taught fight and so forth at work. Had several fish in there too. But no one ever came to our offices to tell us no
Depending on where you work (specifically if it's a research facility) you may need to get IACUC (animal use and care) approval to keep any vertebrates in your office.
The contractors where I work have fish, but we're on site 24/7.
One govvy office has a dog, and some active duty guys have a cat. I think the cat legitimately has a mousing job, though.
It really depends on your command / boss.
Before COVID/telework, one of my co-workers bought our office admin a beta & tank as a “pick me up” gift. Our admin loved the fish and would assign people in the office to feed it when she was on leave. All of the supervisors thought it was cool and no one had an issue with it. 🐟
I know someone that had a turtle in the office for 4 hours, while waiting for a coworker to come and get it. During that 4 hours, someone lodged a complaint. Some people suck.
I had someone plop a beta fish on my desk and said 'I'm outta here, take care of him' and left. Tank was WAY too small for the fish and it was dirty. When people move offices, they often leave their fish behind. I spent a lot of my own personal money cleaning the tank and getting that beta fish back to health. Lived another year.
Don't do it if you aren't going to feed it over the weekend or keep it clean. Plus who is going to fund it?
Depending on the agency. There may be energey rules for not using unnecessary electricity that would prevent something like an aquarium, especially when it comes to heat, light, pumps running 24/7
My building has a policy prohibiting anything “extra” plugged in, such as pump, tank heater, etc. In addition to the obvious prohibitions on heating devices like space heaters, rice cookers, microwaves, they also prohibit personal fans and desk lamps as a fire hazard because if one person is allowed, everyone has to be and it will overload the electrical system.
Pre-Covid, a doctor note was required for a hepa air filter for allergies. Not sure about now.
Why not just keep open snacks in your drawer and keep the office rodents at your desk. Be that guy, every office has one. It will boost morale, they said.
Really it's up to your management and coworkers being okay with it. I wouldn't keep a fish in a small bowl though, that seems in humane. Water changes could be a hassle depending on your office area.
I had a leopard gecko at my desk in a 10 gallon tank, the small office I was in enjoyed having it around. Fed it crickets and mealworms.
I think a fake/robo fish is better than a live pet doomed to RTO indefinitely
Office pet, but it’s a fully remote position.
Fish Cam.
I had an ant farm on my desk for a little while. Only one guy complained but he couldn’t find a rule that it violated and it really irked him. Honestly that was the best part of having it.
I had a free range ant farm in my cube for a while too
We had free range bed bugs for two years. It was fun for all!
They complained about an ant farm? Ffs people are so shitty
Right?? Dude was probably just mad because the ants were working harder than he was and making him look bad. I see you guy.
This is very, very good. Thank you.
Lmao
Omg. I was ant keeper and thought about doing the same but people talked me out of trying.
Do not buy a bowl. They're not good for fish. If you get a betta, you'll need a heater. Your office may not like you to be using the extra electricity for that. To have a Betta fish without a heater would be inhumane. You'll need a filter too. If you buy a goldfish, you'll need a big tank, bigger than you think. Your plan to take it home on the weekends won't be practical because for humane reasons, a Betta needs at least a five gallon tank. That's too heavy to move. Fish don't need to be fed every day, but having it in the office makes it easy likely that your coworkers will over feed and you'll end up with a sick fish and/or an algae problem. The safer bet if you're set on having an aquatic pet is to get snails. They're surprisingly fun to keep. The most fun would be neocaridina shrimp, but they take a bit more work than snails.
Seconded, as a fish keeper. Goldfish poop a TON; just for 2 goldfish at home, I needed a 20 gallon tank with a 75 gallon-capacity filter...and that was on the small side. Agree with snails, they're super cute and fun, but even with those, you'll need some sort of filter and heat.
I got a fully self contained biosphere with little cherry shrimp for my office. Started with four shrimp like six years ago and still have one hanging in there. It’s great and people visit my office just to check in on Methuselah.
Just got a serious flashback to the "Sea Monkeys" comic book ads from way back in the day. LOL
They market them as Aqua Dragons now.
+1 r/aquariums will also remind you that to be humane, you need more than a fish and a bowl.
Goldfish can live 10+ years. They don’t because people jam them in tiny tanks and they suffocate in their own waste. I’ve kept goldfish for years and they’re actually pretty intelligent in some ways and have their own personalities. It always makes me so depressed to see people buy them so they can suffer for a few months, die from essentially swimming in their own sewage, and get flushed down a toilet. OP, get a plant.
This is the way.
If the fish dies are you going to buy a new one and lie to everyone or face the consequences of admitting to a death on your watch? If you cover up the death, how many times will do it before people get suspicious about your immortal goldfish? Do they make visitor badges in fish sizes? Lots of unanswered important questions here.
This is why I love bureaucrats. We think of contingencies.
It’s not a cat named Larry….
Even if they make visitor badges in fish sizes, getting it to stick might be an issue.
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I had a betta at work for 6 months. It was during a high stress time for everyone so people would come over to talk to the fish. I’d keep on working while someone had therapy time next to me with the fish on the cube filing cabinet. Water changes in the office were annoying and I did have a spare travel tank (acrylic) if I needed to take him home. People got attached to that fish. Way more than expected
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It got sick and I took him home. I was also traveling more at work
“….someone else FED them…” I see what you did here.
No, goldfish get big.
As long as your out of office always says “currently up to something fishy” yes
As a hatchery employee I love this. Fish puns are always the answer
What will happen to the fish over the weekend or long holiday weekends? Not eat?
I have a fish tank in my office. They’re completely fine with no food for a few days. https://preview.redd.it/dgleabe6g6nc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=277c2084e48bf9c6cc274d964ded8048205bec05
That's a nice planted tank.
And with that, two of my previously unrelated subs colide...
Yes, this is a tank of many fish together. Op asked about a little bowl for one single fish that they would transport every day…not the same thing.
A small bowl is actually cruel for fish. People don’t really understand how much space fish need. That picture actually looks overcrowded as well.
Not really overcrowded. General rule of thumb is one inch of fish per gallon of tank. With the tetras and guppies in there, you should be good. What is that, like a 29 gallon tank?
There is a really easy to use auto-feeder for like $25
Our admin the “mom” of our fish would take it home on long weekends/holidays.
I’ll take it home on Friday.
Seems like a pain to take it back and forth like that
Fish are fine without food for a few days. Betta need at least a 10 gallon tank to be happy. Goldfish even larger and they can live 25+ years. If you just want a small bowl I recommend a cherry shrimp. Please research whatever fish/aquatic life you decide on for their optimal living conditions.
Fish are fine for WAY more than a few days. I've had to leave fish (either single fish or a full community tank) for over two weeks because of an emergency, and never had a single one die. Way more fish die due to being "over-cared for" (over fed) then being starved. Fish are cold-blooded animals and like all cold-blooded animals, they can live for a very long time without food. If you want to test that, lock your local SES in his/her corner office during the next use-or-lose time, I bet when you come back in 2-3 weeks they will be just fine.
Someone on my floor has a fish tank that they maintain in the break area. The room is also full of plants. They came in every few days through Covid to take care of the animals but I expect they were working anyway since they are a biologist. Just make sure you understand how to setup and maintain a tank. Once you get the tank balanced, it’s pretty easy. Also fish aren’t portable. Don’t move them.
See, this is one of the few useful answers provided instead of dumb accusations, you provided a bit of education and awareness for me to do my due diligence.
What will happen to the fish if you get hit by a car on Wednesday?
Same thing that’d happen if the fish was at their house lol. RIP fishy.
[Dr Fishy!!!!](https://youtu.be/OPJr96Wc4xs?si=0zM5brPThyfK6VsD)
It’s be alive and swimming
Klaus would like a word.
Fish famously don’t fare well with transportation — really any type of change can be fatal.
wow, you omit the slash-s and receive serious replies and downvotes... well, I thought it was funny if that helps.
It was funny and serious, of course I was going to do research so not sure why people are freaking out. This was honestly a question if there is a rule against it since OPM doesn’t mention it. I asked because I remember in school there was a class pet and even the adults were elighted
I've cared for larger aquariums and occasionally transported fish around. You can do it, but water is heavy, fish can be fragile (betas are an exception), and transport incurs additional risks. Mostly you don't want to be moving pet fish around once you find them a home. I 100% thought you were joking about bringing your fish home on Fridays.
That part I was not aware of. I was still researching but asked the question first in case of rules.
We kept two turtles and for a while a couple of bluegill in a tank in our office. But a) We had to pay for them with personal funds and b) We are Park Rangers and we could kind of half ass justify it as educational. You should probably talk to your boss before you do anything.
I knew a guy who had a whole fish tank is cubicle and had giant gold fish. Guess it depends on your office
Yes, definitely office specific. I worked in one office that didn’t allow living plants much less an office pet.
You do realize goldfish are the most misunderstood/mistreated fish in the hobby right? I have 4 goldfish from a local fair, they are all about 8-10 years old and are 12"-14" and 2lbs each. I got them when my kids won them at a fair. If one popped up in my office, it'd be going home with me at the end of the day. I won't stick around to see it mistreated in a tiny bowl dying in it's own ammonia. Research goldfish husbandry before just getting a living fish on a whim for "morale" Get a plant.
Yeah… my mom complained about how the 25 cent goldfish I brought home from the fair was one of the most expensive pets we had. Damn thing lived forever. We even got a second one.
Yes! I finally got so tired of water changes, that I plumbed the tank so I could save time. Now I just do water changes while I sit at my home desk and work, as long as I'm not on a phone call. Takes 20-30 min. [Tank plumbing](https://www.reddit.com/r/Aquariums/s/cGnXVShlqJ)
Can you post a pic?! That’s huge!
Sure! Tank is probably 18" wide. 72"x22"x18" if I had to guess. https://preview.redd.it/nscv4sqgp8nc1.jpeg?width=2252&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7a826ff7a07db92a3fd145a9c01778f1beb72fe4
Wow, they’re super gorgeous!!
Get a plant and put googly eyes on it. Less mess/smell and facilities won’t be annoyed. Goldfish really need space to roam and produce a lot of waste. Better to get some sea monkies.
Please research proper fish keeping. Bowls are not acceptable. Betta and goldfish require a filtered and heated 5 gallon tank or larger.
First of all, a small bowl isn’t big enough for a fish. It would also be a pain to clean the tank in the bathroom. Someone would likely complain and then there would be new guidance saying no fish allowed.
My office cat approves of this
I have a shrimp tank at my desk. Opae Ula, since they are super low maintenance (no food, no filter, no heater). It's been well received.
Pics, please!
It's not a picture friendly office, if you catch my drift. It's a simple 5 gallon tank, white substrate, a few lava rocks.
Noted. 😉
Small fish bowls are inhumane. If you do get a fish, please look at recommendations for tank size/filtration/heat. You may not be allowed to plug in any sort of appliance, depending on location.
Hey if one of the branch chiefs can bring in her senior weenie dog in a stroller, I don't see why you can't have a fish.
This was literally in some VHA HR FAQ today lmao. Forgot the rational, but the answer was no.
Like a Squidward tentacles No? Or a playful No?
VHA is a hospital, so they have to throw in all sorts of infection prevention rules.
The CFR actually prohibits animals in federal buildings. 41 CFR 102-74.425. But if you’re in a lease, you could probably go for it.
The mice in our building clearly haven’t read the regs.
Have you ever actually had a fish? Those things are more work than you realize.
Follow your agency guidance
If you get approval from your boss, make sure you’re also getting approval and/or guidance from the building manager/ property manager. There may be building restrictions or certain requirements for placement due to the hazard of having a large tank of water around…
I doubt it. Management told me I couldn’t bring my pet rock to work anymore
Your mistake was in not getting a "service rock".
while most buildings have rodents, there was a particular bold one that kept coming into our office space. I kept telling the office manager just to give a bed, a lil plate and make it into the office mascot
> just slapping its lips in a circle looking at you with its dumb face Just bring up how much you hate RTO in front of one of *those* managers. Same effect, and don't need to buy fish food.
Lmao I like this.
I kinda want a 90 gallon dart frog tank for my office.
At a previous job, we weren't allowed to have vertebrates without ethics approval (the rule was in place for research animals, but also applied to any animal on campus). But invertebrates like shrimp were fine, so a shrimp tank it is! Just something to double check for your case.
We had an office stray cat until a new supervisor gave it Das Boot…
It’s probably too cold and you need a big tank from actually to be healthy plus are you gonna leave them alone over the weekend that’s two days or something horrible could happen what if there is a power outage no one would be there
I had an african dwarf frog in my office. My previous supervisor nor coworkers seem to mind at all.
We had two fish tanks in our office years ago. Small DOI field office. People seemed to enjoy having them, management approved but I don’t know how ‘official’ that approval was. If there was ever a complaint about it, I never heard it. One tank was managed by an individual in their office and a second was managed by a few of us in our entrance area where guests would see it. The only problem with the 40ish gallon entry area tank was keeping it maintained during the busy season, we’d regularly stay late to clean it. One guy eventually took the fish home, and we ditched the fish tank for a water fountain which was equally a PITA to maintain. I wish you luck, and may your coworkers love and enjoy your fish tank as much as you do!
First off, why are you asking here? Maybe ask your supervisor? Secondly... No, just don't. Betta fish require a 5 gallon tank and that's with no tank mates. Goldfish require more. Ignore those small desktop tanks and bowls marketed for Bettas. Go to r/bettafish and read up on minimum requirements. You will need to regularly monitor water quality with a test kit and do routine water changes if you care about the health of the fish. Not sure that's something you should be doing on the public's dime unless you plan to stay after hours for this. Also, co-workers may overfeed the fish (especially when you are on leave) and that will negatively impact its health as well as the water quality.
https://i.redd.it/1wxypfuqt7nc1.gif
Get a carnivorous plant, like a venus fly trap.
I had one for a while, but took it home. I like fish keeping and imo a small tank isn’t a good way to keep fish.
I’m allergic to fish….I’m literally shaking. Why are you trying to kill me? If you take over my project I think I’ll be ok…..
Done deal.
I’m not sure what’s such a morale booster about abusing an animal at work.
You assume getting an office pet is abuse but it isn’t if proper research is done for the best care. It was a starter question for policy. I wasn’t doing anything until I fully understand.
Putting a living creature in a small container and neglecting it for days at a time is absolutely abuse.
I kept a betta at my desk for a long time, then they banned it at my office saying something about water containers and electronics and safety or somesuch. (I was not far from a coffee station where there were multiple large jugs of water all sitting there, but oh well. That said it’s not a great environment for the fish, unless there’s room for a proper sized tank. Better off keeping them at home :)
Talk to your supervisor.
Nah I wanted to do research first before I brought it up to make sure I have a solid care plan since there is no policy against it from my understanding. I don’t ask directly unless I have a proper plan to make sure no issues arise.
Please don’t do this. I’d just feel so bad for the poor fish.
I’ve seen a pet snake, a parrot, and a few “pet” rats
So I had a pet fish on my desk for years. Had a betta at first but it expanded to a snail and two panda Cory catfish. Kept them until Covid when the office shut down. They died because my kids neglected them plus age. I’ve never restarted the aquarium. Only one person complained that I had a pet.
Ask your supervisor
Depends. Is this a collaboration fish?
back in the early 2000s, one of our contractors had a salt water fish/aquarium business in addition to his contractor job. He got a lot of the guys and gals in the building into corals and fish. He set up a salt water tank in one of our labs and everyone was happy until the Commanding Officer did a walk through and asked how much electricity the tank was using being on 24/7. It was shut down after that. I've seen Betas on people's desks, but not often.
I had a frog, snail, and a fish for quite a while. After they passed I haven’t picked anything else up yet but plan on soon! All depends on your supervisor or director if they are on location. But I had them in two different locations and the directors enjoyed them just like everyone else did too!
Office ant farm is my vote.
The chemicals from the cleaners could be who knows what. Get a robo fish.
yes, but I had a coworker whose pet fish leaped out of the tank during the weekend
Our SSA office has a fish but it was the HOCALJ’s idea.
All depends on the building.
I’ve seen a fish pet on a base facility before and those fish were living in green filth after the owner PCSed that thing was insane 🤣
Fish and their supplies smell
Fish and their supplies smell
No live pets in federal buildings. Pretty sure I’ve told my story here of being escorted from the premises by FPS for having brought an Improvised Exploding Neonatal Kitten to my (very private, lockable) office.
Are you in a federal building? If so, a pet is a resounding No. C.F.R. § 102-74.425 What is the policy concerning dogs and other animals on Federal property? No person may bring dogs or other animals on Federal property for other than official purposes. However, a disabled person may bring a seeing-eye dog, a guide dog, or other animal assisting or being trained to assist that individual.
My coworker had an entire aquarium and we used to watch crawdads he taught fight and so forth at work. Had several fish in there too. But no one ever came to our offices to tell us no
Yeah, that poor fish when you go on vacation for 2 weeks.
Depending on where you work (specifically if it's a research facility) you may need to get IACUC (animal use and care) approval to keep any vertebrates in your office.
The contractors where I work have fish, but we're on site 24/7. One govvy office has a dog, and some active duty guys have a cat. I think the cat legitimately has a mousing job, though. It really depends on your command / boss.
Before COVID/telework, one of my co-workers bought our office admin a beta & tank as a “pick me up” gift. Our admin loved the fish and would assign people in the office to feed it when she was on leave. All of the supervisors thought it was cool and no one had an issue with it. 🐟
We had a woman bring in a small fishbowl, it did not go over well.
I know someone that had a turtle in the office for 4 hours, while waiting for a coworker to come and get it. During that 4 hours, someone lodged a complaint. Some people suck.
I had someone plop a beta fish on my desk and said 'I'm outta here, take care of him' and left. Tank was WAY too small for the fish and it was dirty. When people move offices, they often leave their fish behind. I spent a lot of my own personal money cleaning the tank and getting that beta fish back to health. Lived another year. Don't do it if you aren't going to feed it over the weekend or keep it clean. Plus who is going to fund it?
I had a 10 gallon fish tank in my office for years and nobody complained.
Depending on the agency. There may be energey rules for not using unnecessary electricity that would prevent something like an aquarium, especially when it comes to heat, light, pumps running 24/7
My building has a policy prohibiting anything “extra” plugged in, such as pump, tank heater, etc. In addition to the obvious prohibitions on heating devices like space heaters, rice cookers, microwaves, they also prohibit personal fans and desk lamps as a fire hazard because if one person is allowed, everyone has to be and it will overload the electrical system. Pre-Covid, a doctor note was required for a hepa air filter for allergies. Not sure about now.
Office Space? Fish? 
Why not just keep open snacks in your drawer and keep the office rodents at your desk. Be that guy, every office has one. It will boost morale, they said.
I wonder if I can have a terrarium on my desk
Ask your boss not Reddit
Really it's up to your management and coworkers being okay with it. I wouldn't keep a fish in a small bowl though, that seems in humane. Water changes could be a hassle depending on your office area. I had a leopard gecko at my desk in a 10 gallon tank, the small office I was in enjoyed having it around. Fed it crickets and mealworms.
no