Goldfish Are Pets Not Disposable Toys

Yesterday I was having a conversation with an acquaintance of mine. She asked me what kind of pets if any did I have. I told her that my apartment complex has restrictions on breed and sizes for dogs, but they allowed cats and aquariums. Since my husband is allergic, we don't have cats, but we have 6 aquariums.

Five of our aquariums, I added, have African Cichlids and the other one has Goldfish. I went on about my aquariums, sizes, number of fishes, after I was done she replied. "Oh yeah I have been thinking about getting a bowl and a gold fish lately. My kids have been nagging me about getting a pet. A dog would definitely be too much work for me and I don't like cats. I think the best solution for now is getting a Goldfish, they are cheap to buy and to take care of, not too much trouble and if they die they are cheap and easy to replace."

I felt my blood rushing to my face and sick to my stomach. I stopped for a second to take a deep breath before answering her. After I was done explaining to her everything that I thought was wrong with that statement, she replied with a blank look on her eyes. "Clearly you are one of those 'Animal Lovers' and I am not, so we are going to have to agree to disagree on this one, besides I need to get going."

After that conversation, one of many I have had about Goldfish I decided that I had to write about it.

First I have to say that a well taken care of Goldfish could live up to 10 years. The myth that Goldfish have short life spam comes from the wide practice of giving the GF to young children and people who don't know how to take good care of them or just don't have the time or interest in doing so.

Second, a bowl is a perfectly good home for a Goldfish. That is another myth. Goldfish produce a lot of feces and waste, this will make the water toxic if you don't have a proper water filter and pump.

You cannot over feed a GF. Another myth, Goldfish like most fishes eat whenever they find food, is part of their nature. In the wild most fishes have several predators that they have to avoid in order for survival so when they have the chance to eat they do it in its full. This is particularly dangerous for Goldfish because they already produce more waste than the average fish plus the excess waste from being over feed and the excess of food that remains in the water will increase the toxicity levels in the aquarium.

Goldfish are stupid. Yet another myth, different studies show that Goldfish can recognize and discern different humans. In my personal experience my guys now when it is time to be feed or just time for me to go talk to them, one of them in particular likes it when I go and loves to be the center of attention.

My final comment is that I do understand that there are people out there like me who proudly accept the term "animal lovers" and there are people out there who are not, but my point is that if you are thinking about adopting a living being then you are thinking about getting a pet, and it is your responsibility to educate yourself and be prepared to provide that pet with the best living conditions and care than you can provide. Neglecting a pet to the point of endangerment is murder in my book.