goldfish

[GregW]

My nine year old son just walked in the door with a quart-sized jar containing water, gravel, a bare-root plant, and a live 2" goldfish in it. They did some kind of project today and I'm guessing about 60 fourth graders surprised their parents with this. I wonder what percent will be alive by the end of the week. Is it just me or does this sound like a very irresponsible thing for the school to do? I guess one could say "it's just a goldfish" and the ones sent home today were probable destine to be some reptiles' meal but It just seems like a waste to me.

So now I'm in the process of cleaning out an old 5 gallon tank, making some r/o water, and trying to figure out where it's gonna go. Hmmm, maybe I can convert it to a saltwater tank next week.

 

[JohnS_323]

Sounds pretty irresponsible to me. How would that teacher feel if all of the parents got together and bought him/her a pet snake for St. Patricks Day (just trying to keep it topical)? I think it's wrong to force a life onto someone and then expect them to care for it.

 

[ReeferNets]

Come on lets hear it everyone give up your long living goldfish story

Mine was a comet from a community fair 5 years and about 6 inches in a 20 gallon.

 

[AnDom1]

Wow!!!

What's next on your hit list guys ???

Apple Pie? Or perhaps, Motherhood? :'(

Dom

 

[Hawkeye]

In an ideal world, it would have been far better for the school to have kept one tank with all the comets and then ask the PTA for volunteers to help take care of the tank inhabitants during summer break. Or if the science teacher wanted to show how the fish are part of the food chain they could have asked the PTA for folks who had aggressive fish/reptiles that would consume the fish.

Just to add (off-topic) - we traumatized my little cousin years ago when she came by and asked why the little goldfish couldn't swim in the tank with the big arrowana. My father thought she wanted to see the arrowana in action and promptly put the goldfish in and he's never lived down the scolding from my family because my lil' cousin was crying and crying when the big arrowana "wasn't nice in the sandbox".

 

[Brian]

When I lived @ home, I put a goldfish in our above ground pool that wasn't being used anymore...it was covered for about 4 years or so...When they had it taken down the the guys had a nice surprise... a 12" long goldfish! I had totally forgotten about it!

I took it to the local pond and set it free...hopefully it didn't start walking from pond to pond wiping out all the native species!

 

[monsterfishkeeper]

A carnival goldfish is what got me started in this hobby.
Don't hate on the goldfish 8)

 

[reefsandrotts]

When I lived @ home, I put a goldfish in our above ground pool that wasn't being used anymore...it was covered for about 4 years or so...When they had it taken down the the guys had a nice surprise... a 12" long goldfish! I had totally forgotten about it!

I took it to the local pond and set it free...hopefully it didn't start walking from pond to pond wiping out all the native species!

Now thats funny,I can't imagine the look on they're faces...

 

[KillaGoby]

Hey, if you are a Vegan I guess carrying around an egg to simulate taking care of a baby for Home Economics would seem cruel too.

My goldfish in a jar!!! Ahhh, public schools!

 

[Carlo]

To bad they didn't at least use betas instead.

Carlo

 

[mott768]

Greg,
Don't use the RO/DI water, regular tap water is better for freshwater fish, just get a bottle of start right to dechlorinate the water.

 

[MadReefer]

I agree it was very irresponsible. My son’s school sends a notice home asking if any one would like the animal as a pet. The notice must be signed by the parent and returned. One year my daughter found two water turtles in the street. They kept them in the science room and she and her friend cared for them all through the school year. The science teacher even obtained permission for them to come into the school during breaks and the summer to care for them. Unfortunately, a teacher’s aid let kids touch them and parents complained, for obvious reasons. They were released at a local pond.

Mark

 

[blange3]

Greg,
Don't use the RO/DI water, regular tap water is better for freshwater fish, just get a bottle of start right to dechlorinate the water.

Either treat the tap water or aerate it for a couple of days.

You can use RO if you replenish some of the missing minerals. Kent makes a product called R/O Right that I have used.
(And will be using again soon as I will soon have a freshwater tank again. Don't tell Phyl!)