Quote Originally Posted by Chilli
My sister received a goldfish as a prize at a fair around seven years ago, and that was before we knew more about fish care. He was kept in a fish bowl, less than two gallons. All he'd really do is stay in the same spot, sometimes swimming a bit every now and then. I'm not exactly for sure what the reason was, but he only lived around 6 months, eventhough he was fed regularly and his bowl was cleaned good on a regular basis. And to my knowledge, goldfish are supposed to live longer. In my opinion, I think the small living space was depressing to him and resulted in a much shorter life than expected.

Hope I was of some help!
thats how I started my fantails and they acted the same way and once i put them in the ten gallons they are very active and eat everything!! My project is does small spaces affect fishes behaviors?? thanks for your info.