Bubble Eye Goldfish Question

[bizdevguy]

I was in PetSmart today and saw some very neat looking goldfish called bubble eye goldfish. I was about to get one, but the sales guy told me that it's a man-made fish. Someone injects them with air to make air bubbles appear under their eyes. This seems cruel to me, especially since if the air bubble bursts, the fish will die.

Can someone confirm this for me? Any thoughts on this?

[My Peanuts]

I'm not 100% sure, but I don't think that info is correct. When I owned goldfish I used to do tons of research and I never came across that. I could be wrong though.

[bizdevguy]

it is supposedly a new thing they're doing...maybe very recently...sounds like a Frankenfish to me

[My Peanuts]

Bubble eye goldfish aren't new. I've seen them for years. I'll try to find some articles for you.

[My Peanuts]

Here is a short but sweet one. It says the bubbles develop between 6-9months and are filled with water, not air. If they were filled with air the fish would have a hard time staying off the top of the tank. I never owned them but it does seem they have a few more health issues then other goldfish types. Basically, make sure there are no sharp objects in the tank. If the bubbles bust the fish won't necessarily die. It could get and infection or it can heal up too.
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/goldfish/BubbleEye.php

Hope that helps a little, I'll try to find a better one when I have more time. :) It seems that that person at petsmart had no idea what they were talking about.

[bizdevguy]

great info! thanks...i wonder if i could keep them in a plain ol' goldfish bowl, with no filter....ideas?

[My Peanuts]

Goldfish need 10 gallons per goldfish no matter what type. You don't need a filter, but it's a good idea so the ammonia levels don't spike every time you do a full water change. I'm thinking if you have no filter you will dump all the water out and then the ammonia levels will be constantly going up and down. This will put a lot of stress on a fish and goldfish aren't know for dealing with stress well. Plus, if the ammonia goes too high it will poison the fish and it will die. A single goldfish should do well in a 10 gallon (minimum) cycled tank with a filter and 25% water changes weekly. Fish, of any kind, are the most complicated animals to own, in my opinion. I have cichlids at the moment and it gets really expensive.