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A very common misconception about keeping fish as pets for young children regards the space in which said fish is kept. As a now experienced aquarist (I have two fancy goldfish in 30 gallon tank), I now understand that as a child, I was encouraged to keep goldfish in a small, unsuitable, and honestly awful living environment.

Goldfish especially require large amounts of space in order to thrive and live a somewhat "normal" life. Goldfish are relatives of Carp- yes, Carp- those big fish you see swimming placidly in large bodies of water. Goldfish are basically mutated versions of Carp, and their breeding began centuries ago in Eastern Asia. What most people don't understand is that goldfish can live a long, long time, and need a large amount of space in which to do so. A goldfish bowl, usually 1 or 2 gallons at most, is completely unsuitable for various reasons:

-Space . The general rule of thumb (or fin) for Goldfish is 20 gallons for the first fish, 10 gallons for each additional fish

-Size. Goldies can get HUGE. A common goldfish can reach a foot (yes, a FOOT) in length, and many fancy breeds such as Orandas or Black Moors can easily reach 8-10 inches. Clearly, a bowl is not enough room for these large fish

-Mess. As bottom feeders, Goldies are notoriously messy and require a large space to make up for their rather industrious amounts of waste. The smaller the tank, the quicker the mess builds up and pollutes the water. Fish waste turns into ammonia, which is lethal to fish in large enough doses. This is the most common cause of Goldfish death by far.

-Filtration. To keep the mess from overwhelming the aquarium, filtration is an absolute MUST. Under gravel filters are minimal at best, while filters attached to the tank's sides are preferable. For a 30 gallon tank, a 20-40 gallon filter is the minimum requirement. If your fish are messier than normal, a 40-60 gallon filter should be used instead.

-Cleaning. If you're keeping your fish in a large, suitable tank, cleaning needs to occur at least every two weeks. Obviously, for larger tanks, picking the entire thing up and cleaning it at the sink is not possible. This means getting equipment which frankly small children would be quite hard-put to maneuver.

In my humble opinion as a person who's been keeping goldfish for years, I'd highly recommend Bettas as a starter fish. ONE betta per tank, since they will inevitably fight to the death as they are notoriously predatorial. A 1-2 gallon tank without filtration can work just fine, or even one of those small kits you can find at your local pet store with a tiny under gravel filter. Betta don't make nearly the mess of Goldfish and have a decently long lifespan. They require less cleaning, less feeding, and less spending. A definite good start for a small child just learning how to care for animals!

Learn more about this author, Sara Bernardo.
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