Need a Good cubicle fish?
I work in a cubicle and I am looking for a fish that can live in a fishbowl and don't require a lot of fluent light.
And no goldfish! they need filters and crap. And no betas! They die too hurriedly! :)
Hate to be the bearer of fruitless news, my friend, but I believe you can find what you are looking for is in the aisles of a toy store. The tanks next to the little plastic fish that move in the air currents. Cool thing give or take a few these guys is they don't need water changes, food or even lighting.
Sorry, couldn't resist. The desire of a fishkeeper is to reproduce a fish's natural habitat, or as close to it as you can. You play fish-god. And, fish-god sometimes requires heaters and filters. There are one gallon and two gallon starter kits that own the basics. An cheepo undergravel air stone propulsion filter, lights, and a hood. The gallon jobbies run about $15. This isn't the great set up, but it is the best chance you get at keeping fish alive. You should not keep more than three fish surrounded by these, because rule of thumb is "one inch of fish per gallon" and you'll look really goofy with a tank with one fish. Shoot for smaller fish: guppies, platys, tetras. A Betta can live surrounded by this tank just fine too. You'll probably drop $30 or more on your little tank and some fish, but it'll be better for you within the long run than your fishbowl.
No fish can live contained by a fish bowl, so you can forget that.
The only time you could keep a fish without a filter is whether you did 100% water changes at least once a week and have a tank (not a bowl) of at least 2.5 gallons, and the only fish you could hold on to like this is a betta. Also, bettas need heaters, since they're tropical fish.
Bettas SHOULD live for 2-3 years, so if they've be dieing "quickly" on you, you haven't been caring for them properly.
Fish are living creatures and need to be care for just like any other pet. It sounds like you aren't really prepared to give them that care, so I suggest finding something else to do up your office.
If you ARE willing to put in the time and crack it takes to care for a fish, then a blue bliss fish is actually a pretty good idea. You would want a tank of at least 5 gallons, absolutely no smaller amount than that. You wouldn't need a heater, but you WOULD need a filter, and you'd enjoy to learn about tank cycling--that's not an odds, that's a requirement for keeping your fish alive.
I have my male blue paradise fish surrounded by a 5.5 gallon heavily planted tank with a small sponge filter. He's extremely active and curious, and will step absolutely nuts the minute he sees me. He also "follows" me around the room, zooming over to whichever corner of the container I'm closest to and watching me. I'd love to get him a 10 gallon tank, and when I get the space for one contained by the future he'll be upgraded.
Paradise fish are awesome little guys, but again, they, like any fish, require a lot more aid than you seem to think is necessary.
nothing
the smallest non betta tank would be a 5-10 gallon filtered and heated reservoir
bettas live for over 3 years if kept in filtered heated reservoir over 2.5 gallons
all fish need filters and most requirement heaters and airpumps
so the smallest tank would be a betta tank
2.5 gallon tank
gravel
small low current filter
adjectives heater (bettas are tropical)
food
dechlorinator
silk/live plants
net
gravel siphon/turkey baster
edit: yada yada blue ecstasy fish need atleast 10 gallons filtered and goldfish should live for over 15 years if properly care for
Um, no fish should ever be in a bowl unless its being transported. Betas are really the only entry that can be put in a small bowl and survive, they wont thrive but they'll live. Bettas die quickly if you dont clutch care of them properly, just like any other fish. They can live anywhere from 2-7 years. Goldfish shouldnt be contained by bowls either, the majority of them get big. The very smallest you would ever want to go for is 5gal but as with any small tank they are seriously harder to maintain the water and dont give you plentiful good stocking options. Even in a 5 gal you're predetermined to bettas, white cloud minnows, small tetras, stuff like that. Any tank is going to need "filter and crap". You cant just expect to put a fish in a bowl of tapwater, feed it some flakes every immediately and then, theres a lot more to keeping fish than that!
Oh, and Yada Yada, you have get to be one of the dumbest people Ive come across on here, you have no idea what you're chitchat about, Paradise Fish, like any other gourami need bigger tank than a 5gal
All fish entail filters. Depending on the size of your bowl, the betta is probably your only option. But they call for filters and heaters. And at least 2.5 gallons. Dont get me wrong here, when I right to be heard depending on the size of the bowl, Im not fond of putting fish in bowls. But if the bowl is filtered and heated, and at lowest 2.5 gallons, then its no different than a tank.
Bettas can actually live for probably almost 2-3 years on average, thats not exactly quickly. They are probably one of the easier fish to house and care for. If you acquire them a filter and heater. And a lid for the bowl. They like to bail sometimes...
Paradise fish get larger than bettas. Therefore, they cant live contained by the same tanks bettas can. Every one of the sites I went to for information something like them said they required a 10 gallon if they were by themself, and at least a 20 gallon whether they were to be with other fish. Paradise fish are gouramis basically. Gouramis and bettas are pretty closely related, so you will see alot of similarities between the two species. If you cant save a betta alive, most likely, you cant keep a paradise fish alive. They still stipulation filters. Paradise fish would actually do fine without a kiln, but their colors would fade out as with most fish.
And keeping a fish in a jar? Tsk tsk. That doesnt prove how hardy the fish was, it proves how irresponsible you are.
If you want something that can live in a small biotope go with shrimp, a 2.5 or a 5 gallon would be wonderlands for shrimp.
Also, a righteous encorporated system is the BiOrb or BiUbe. http://www.casco-group.com/biorbbiube.ht...
You can find one that will work and look awesome, then by doing some research on the internet find a great price.
If you can't go with something that pricey you can other get one of these at Petsmart:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.js...
Or one of these at WalMart for $30:
http://www.petmountain.com/show_product/...
The 5 gallon would be your minimum for a betta, the biorb or biube could house two or three small fish such as platys or mollies, or a school of 6-8 neon tetra or cardinal tetra, or small rasboras like the harlequinn.
---EDIT---
Paradise fish, or anibantidae, are fish that hold a labyrinth organ which allows them to breath straight air from the surface of the water, though the 1 inch of fish per gallon rule still applies. All of those discussion about "Paradise fish" are being a bit narrow minded since copious different types of fish use the common name "paradise fish" and proper name should be used. Any dwarf gourami [what i assume Mr. Yada Yada is referring to] will reach a minimum length of 3 inches and require dense planting to hide because trust me from personal experience, that is what they approaching to do. As everyone else has said, gold fish, all of them, attain quite large. Most fish stores or pet store that sell fish will know how to tell you, or have a label on the cistern, what the adult size of the fish will be. Basing your gallons/inches of fish on the adult size is the best thing you can do for your fish.
Also, those Biorbs are really popular for their style and manageability. I would recommend those over the others whether you are looking for easy cleaning and maintenance on the parts. They also come with abundant options for lighting which I think makes them even more appealing. As others peer into your cubicle they'll take notice of how awesome the system is and how well you hold your fish.
For more information on different types of fish, as well as compatibility and care I recommend visiting
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/profile.h...
You don't really have any options- fish need an aquarium - near " filters and crap". It takes more than just a "bowl" (that is whether you want them to live). Sorry to disappoint you.
The betta is your singular option in a fishbowl, they will survive but not thrive. Bettas do much better in a 2.5 gallon beside a heater and filter. Bettas do not die fast with great comfort, there average lifespan is 3-4 years. I have one that died in parade, 8 years old.
Answers: No fish can live in a fishbowl or live without a filter/heater.
The only piece you stated correct on your question was that Goldfish entail filters.
All fish need filters and heaters (except for Goldfish, they don't stipulation a heater).
Bettas don't die quickly, you just weren't taking the proper care of them. They requirement a 2.5 gallon tank minimum with a filter and heater.
If you place a goldfish surrounded by a bowl, it'll get stunted and die. Stunting is when its body stops growing but its organs don't.
If you don't want to buy the tank, filter "and crap", then you shouldn't be keeping fish.
People here have no imagination or experience. Just ignore what people influence about you having to have a Betta. Bettas are crap fish that die within a week in a jar. Goldfish are crap fish that die overnight in a jar. What you want is a Blue Paradisefish. They are not inbred like Bettas but they cart a gulp of air to live on like them. They are not the most beautiful fish within the world, but they are calm and sturdy and watch what you are doing. I kept one in a one gallon jar for nearly a year and a half until someone thought they'd be funny and stuck the jar in the freezer and froze the water. I be upset. I dumped it in the toilet and it thawed out and I didn't realize until it was going down the drain that it recovered, somehow, and be still alive! That's pretty sturdy, but I wouldn't try it. I have also had one jump out onto the floor and seem to be nearly dried up and I put it back in the water (I don't know why...) and once it hydrated again it started swimming around again! I wouldn't try that any though... So, Blue Paradisefish is what you need. Any other color is too inbred to live in a cubicle though so get a Blue Paradisefish.
