# My friend is keeping a goldfish in a vase!



## eemmais (Oct 28, 2012)

My friend told me she has a goldfish in a vase!! :| it can't be more than two gallons! And she doesn't even condition the water! What should I do? I think I might be able to get it a proper set up if she would let me have it.....it's really bothering me. I tried to just forget about it but I can't pretend that the fish is being stunted and burned by its own waste.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

Have you talked to her about it? I'd maybe send her an email saying something along the lines of, "I couldn't help thinking about your goldfish the other day. I was wondering if you knew that your vase is too small for him? I know the petshop probably said it was fine, but it's not ideal...[insert sympathetic, non-judgemental explanation of what a fish suffers in a space that's too small, tell what a goldfish actually needs, ask if she's considered rehoming it as a result]."

People mistreat their animals so badly out of pure ignorance.


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## eemmais (Oct 28, 2012)

Yeah I emailed her...even offered to set up a tank for her....but she ignored it all except she said she would buy a conditioner. Oh well, I guess that's all I can do :/


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## Hadoken Kitty (Jan 24, 2013)

Ughhh how annoying. My best friend's girlfriend's sister (long line. wow ) just bought one of those HUGE goldfish. The kind with the funky, puffy faces. She put him in a ten gallon. She showed me a video. That thing doesn't look like it has much space. It makes me so sad. I can't stop thinking about it. I was reading that they needed a minimum of like, 29 gallons! That poor little guy.  She was in my room looking at my fish, and everyone was looking at me like I was a crazy fish lady. T.T


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## eemmais (Oct 28, 2012)

That's horrible  I once saw this video on YouTube where this guy had a common pleco (not sure but I think it to be in needs at least 70 gallons) in maybe a ten gallon, and the water was super cloudy and the fish was clearly holding on for its life....and all he was talking about was how "lazy" the fish was and how he just kept growing even though they were supposed to only grow to the size of the tank. I also have a different friend who kept a black moor and common pleco in an unheated 20 gallon.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

It sucks that pet rescue places can't deal with fish. I swear, they suffer more per head than any other animal ever.


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## veggiegirl (Nov 20, 2012)

You can get second hand fish tanks really cheap sometimes....... you could buy her an early birthday present he he alternative motive........ have an very early merry christmas goldfish:lol:


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## eemmais (Oct 28, 2012)

Bombalurina said:


> It sucks that pet rescue places can't deal with fish. I swear, they suffer more per head than any other animal ever.


I know, it's horrible. They are always thought of as throw away pets or decorations. Some fish can live to 30 years...


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## eemmais (Oct 28, 2012)

veggiegirl said:


> You can get second hand fish tanks really cheap sometimes....... you could buy her an early birthday present he he alternative motive........ have an very early merry christmas goldfish:lol:


Or maybe...her fish....goes missing one day :twisted:


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## Fishybitty (Dec 29, 2012)

I would simply be nice but stern. Example: "If you are going to keep a fish as a pet, you should know how to take care of them and what type of habitats they need. If you can't be responsible, then you shouldn't have a fish."


Try teaching her that what she is doing is wrong. Tell her about this site?


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## brookeandbubba (Feb 8, 2013)

I can see how u can keep a betta in a vase temporarily . But a goldfish permanently ??? ?. Not cool man. I fell kinda bad for my bettas . They dont have heaters yet... im trying to ge heaters real soon tho


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## eemmais (Oct 28, 2012)

What's even worse is she just told me her grandma gave her a thousand dollars for Chinese New Year and she's not willing to spend even $100 dollars to get the fish a proper home. :roll:


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## Hadoken Kitty (Jan 24, 2013)

That's ridiculous.


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## eemmais (Oct 28, 2012)

I know...! It's almost impossible to get anyone to think of fish as real, living things.


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## brookeandbubba (Feb 8, 2013)

ATHOUSAND??? if i ever get dat tipe of money id go on a petsmart shoping spree, including buying the stuf for my fish AND buying 2 new fish ,, i mean dang thats a lot of money ,, man your freind is selfish to not think about their pet


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## eemmais (Oct 28, 2012)

I mean really, like she can't use a little bit of that money to buy an acceptable home for a pet that's life is in her hands :/ if I had that much money, you wouldn't want to see how many new fish/fish tanks I would buy!


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## brookeandbubba (Feb 8, 2013)

yea ,, just like me ,, that person is quite rude


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## Elsewhere (Dec 30, 2012)

Oi... Seems like quite the epidemic on your hands... She needs to move that fish ASAP, or be doing a lot of water changes until she can get it a bigger home. I got my Goldfish today, and he's in a 5g- for now. Soon he'll be in a 30g, which is STILL too small for him if he wants some friends :/ Goldfish seem to be much harder to keep than most people expect! My friend wants to keep 3 Comet Goldfish in a 5g- permanently! I told her she was nuts and she ignored me... Gonna go talk to her mum so she can talk some sense into her... Good luck with your friend!


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## eemmais (Oct 28, 2012)

I told her she needs to move it...but she insists that it's fine in its vase. I even sent her a nice email offering to give her my extra ten gallon (yes, even that's too small but it was much better than its vase). She says she does daily water changes but that doesn't mean it's growth won't be stunted. It really bugs me too because I have a 30 gallon Rubbermaid bin that I have never used soap on and if she gave me the fish, I could keep it in that until I could buy a real tank. Btw, I saw your post and your goldfish is gorgeous! I too have always kinda wanted one..good luck with yours!


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

I have repeatedly told my friend that her 2.5 gallon tank is too small for her 3 comets, yet she buys more every time one dies. I think she cares, but not enough to let it override her desire for more pets. I bought her a filter, which she turns on once a week or so. I bought her water conditioner, which she uses when she remembers. She only feeds the fish when it occurs to her to do so. It frustrates the heck out of me.  Her poor fish.

I feel for you, and that girl's fish!


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## eemmais (Oct 28, 2012)

That's so sad  I think my friends vase is around 2 gallons, at least she doesn't have 3 goldfish in it. And it's not like it's gonna kill her to buy him a proper set up. If your gonna buy a pet, whether its a dog or a fish, you need to be able to provide proper care. Period.


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## veggiegirl (Nov 20, 2012)

I can't believe that she was given a $1000 and still won't buy the poor goldfish a better home, in situations like these it is a matter of your friends priorities, not of being unable to afford a better tank.......


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## eemmais (Oct 28, 2012)

I agree...and she doesn't have any thing she wants to spend the money on :-? I suggested she buy a big fish tank but she said no. Whenever I suggest something like that she just says,"he's fine, he has been living in the vase for a few months". A person can live in a closet for a few months and still be "fine"


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

I don't know if this will help, since I wrote it about bettas, but you may find some inspiration in it: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=98214.


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## eemmais (Oct 28, 2012)

Thanks, I read through thar post and it was awesome! I'll definetly use tho.se answers after she says something like that. The last one really bugs me...people always say they need a "sucker fish".:roll:


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

My goodness, Yahoo! Answers was the absolute worst for people talking about how they needed suckerfish. I'm much happier now that I don't visit it any more.


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## eemmais (Oct 28, 2012)

Some people on yahoo answers have the worst tank set ups imaginable....so many people say they have a common pleco in a 10 gallon :-?


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