Keeping Goldfish

Hmmmm. Not very convincing. I know the whole "goldfish are very big fish" thing and the bowl thing (kudos to the Tippits on 'Bowled Over') but what about, say, keeping them in a pond? I wouldn't know much cause I never kept them- my mom saved me from a then-attractive tiny bowl containing 6 Shubunkins at age 9 and I went into tropicals 2 years later. This was with a 10-gallon tank given from a friend because he was upgrading to a larger for you guessed it- goldfish. (That time I was deterred by Petco's utter lack of healthy "common" goldfish and the fact the tank has a heater. I'm sorry but bubbleheads are just creepy!!!

While I applaud (HEAVILY) the idea behind this article, I believe that more information would have been helpful to people considering keeping goldfish. Something more than just, "how goldfish are challenging and that's why you shouldn't have them", because with so little info, that's how it comes off. Sometimes the best way to make people realize that goldfish can be challenging is to actually present all of those challenges. Things to include in future article that I would like to see possibly included: Appropriate filtration as compared to tropical fish, and how much more expensive it can be; their complex diet requirements, and how a lack thereof can lead to chronic constipation, especially in fancies; pointing out that keeping fancies and commons together is often not a good idea, due to the differences in the breeds requirements and food competition problems; fancies and "feeders" with their tendencies toward disease. . . It would also be nice to maybe summarize such an article about the positives of keeping goldfish in their proper environment, and how rewarding they can really be, but only if you have the money, the time, and the dedication.