Betta Fish, Goldfish and Bamboo.. Oh My!

Hi, I'm Linda. Every week my daughter, Laura, will be

doing a post on plants from her new greenhouse.

By Laura in the Greenhouse

Last September, Faith (my daughter),wanted a carnival birthday party. I, of course, went all out and had games, bounce house and a prize booth including goldfish. After all the party guests took home a goldfish, I ended up with two goldfish left over. Well, I thought for sure these 10 cent feeder fish would have died, but they didn't... So after a couple of months cleaning out their bowl and another goldfish bowl that housed our pretty white Betta fish, I decided it was time to merge the bowls into one. Now, I know, Bettas are known for being aggressive fish, but I figure when they are out in the wild they don't live alone. So that's when I decided the goldfish were going to get a new roommate whether they liked it or not.

Here's the Betta fish:

I added the Betta and at first he was mad. His white tail flaring as he chased the poor little goldfish around the bowls.

I was about to take him out, but I didn't, because I'm lazy.. I didn't want to have to keep cleaning two fish bowls out every other day. Since I work nights, I have a hard enough time keeping up with the everyday house chores. So I added another hiding place to the bottom of the bowl. However, the goldfish are not smart enough to go into them or maybe they are too smart and afraid they'll be trapped. Whatever the case it didn't work, but I was determined. I had a vase with two beautiful bamboo stalks next to the goldfish bowl, which I promptly took out and plunked into the bowl.

Then it stopped. The Betta stopped chasing the goldfish, and it's been perfect harmony since. All of the fish are happy, the bamboo seems to like it, and I'm happy that I don't even have to clean out the bowl that often.

I think the bamboo likes the nitrogen from the fish waste and the fish appreciate the cleaner water and something to duck behind when the Betta is on the rampage.

I am very pleased to with the way that it looks and that I don't have to clean the bowl all of the time.

Here is the table with the goldfish/bamboo...

Thanks for viewing. See you next week at The Greenhouse!

Hi there and WELCOME! So happy that you came by to visit.
I'm Linda. My sister, Carol, and I have a super creative family (my nephew even makes cabin furniture) and I try to log it all right here on Two Succulent Sisters/Crafts a la Mode.
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13 comments

Sandy2/16/2013 5:18 AM
I can't count how many gold fish in
such bowels we have had over the years
and the tears of my little ones when
we had to tell them 'they went to heaven'
Lovely photos
Sandy
Angela @ Cottage Magpie2/16/2013 7:21 PM
So cute! That's the prettiest Beta I've ever seen, just love it! I had the same experience -- I couldn't stand cleaning two tanks so I just put the Beta in with the other fish and it was fine. Not with another Beta, of course, and not with Angel fish (they nip the fins) but with goldfish and such it seemed to be fine. Pretty! ~Angela~
Anonymous2/17/2013 7:22 AM
That does look so cute with the bamboo! We have to decorate around pets here too - sigh - and it's a lot of work but the kids enjoy them. Thanks for sharing your fish!
Unknown2/19/2013 10:14 PM
SucH a great idea. I am surprise they got along. I am glad. Thanks for linking!
Xo
Charlene@APinchofJoy2/23/2013 2:03 PM
Great idea -- I'm all for that which makes life better and easier for everyone and that includes goldfish! We had a red Beta for along time we called Junior -- such fun to watch. Thanks so much for sharing on Busy Monday!
Bella @ Bella before and after2/23/2013 9:59 PM
What a lovely idea. We've had beta fish before, and I never thought of pairing them with live bamboo!!

Thanks for sharing.
Glad I stopped by today, first time here. You have a lovely blog.
Looking forward to checking out your garden projects. SUmmer is coming, and I need inspiration!!

Have a wonderful day, and stop by anytime to say hello if you can.

P.s. After coming back from an extended blogging break, I've started a 40 day challenge to get HEALTHY by my birthday. If you get a chance to check it out, I could sure use the support!
Hugs, Bella :)
Bella's 40 Day Challenge
Betsy Pool2/24/2013 12:57 PM
The bamboo looks great in the goldfish bowl!! Great idea. Thanks for sharing this at Romance on a dime!!
Anonymous5/14/2013 4:47 PM
This is a horrible idea. Goldfish produce so much waste that they need 20 gallons to themselves and bettas need at least 2 and shouldn't have tankmates in tanks smaller than 5 gallons, and even then, it's limited to shrimp and snails. I feel bad for any fish in your care. YOU LET THEM SWIM IN THAT TOXIC SOUP BECAUSE YOU ARE "TOO LAZY" TO CLEAN TWO TANKS?! I sure as hell hope you don't treat your children like that. I bet they're both dead now. Too bad, because bettas can live 4-6 years or longer and goldfish can live over ten, but definitely not in a bowl that size.

The only good thing you gave these fish were live plants. It's a shame that you and everyone else here condone such cruel behavior to a living animal. Definitely something you should not teach a child.
Matt6/23/2013 10:40 AM
As heated and poorly thought out as the above comment is, the information is true. The idea that goldfish are small and short-lived is a myth propagated by poor care. Think of those goldfish as puppies: if given a proper home they will get much larger and stay with you a long time.

They would greatly appreciate a nitrogen-cycled tank of 30 gallons or more with lots of filtration and several feet of swimming space. As cold water fish they will also appreciate a lower temperature range than your betta, so you'll never need to buy them a heater. With proper care they can easily live 10-15 years and grow to 12 inches. They're much smarter than they are given credit for, and will learn your habits and interact (mine beg for food all the time and will usually study me any time I'm in the room when they're not hungry). When they get bigger some will allow you to hand-feed and pet them.
Matt6/23/2013 11:03 AM
Oh! I forgot to add that while it's not necessarily cheap, a larger tank will also be lower maintenance. You'll need to do a lot of cleaning to keep all three fish healthy in that bowl, and in the end it just won't be enough anyway (although the betta might pull through, and would certainly be okay on his own in there). Big tanks on the other hand will self-stabilize after about a month, requiring only a small (~10%) water change every week, and less with a good set of plants and clean-up crew (shrimp, snails etc.)