Is it true the bigger the fishbowl is that's how large the fish will grow?

I am getting my daughter a goldfish for her birthday and I understand that they grow as large as the bowl.Is it true the bigger the fishbowl is that's how large the fish will grow?
Hmmmm kind of....





It's not a case that the fish adapts to the size of the tank. There is a lot of misunderstanding with regards to goldfish, they are not as easy to look after as people think and invariably kill their fish by mistake.





A goldfish will grow to the size of the bowl and their growth will be stunted...on the outside.... inside their organs continue to grow and of course they die.





To be humane to a goldfish, each fish should be given 10G of water EACH and a filter. Goldfish are eating and pooing machines and can easily poullte their water quickly and are for that reason one of the most difficult to keep....humanely.





Instead opt for a betta. They do not need as much space as a goldfish but only keep to 1. They are very pretty fish. Bettas are also known as Siamese fighting fish.Is it true the bigger the fishbowl is that's how large the fish will grow?
no. they will become stunted, stressed, their immune system will become weak leaving them open to disease and parasites, and then they will die prematurely.





the sooner this myth dies out the better!





do NOT buy the bowl. it is not a suitable environment for ANY fish.





buy your daughter a book on fishkeeping, it will be far more educational than watching a fish suffer and die because research was not done on their care.





this may sound harsh, but this does get asked a lot on YA! and we do our best to kill off vicious rumours such as this. fishkeeping is more than just a vessel full of water and a fish plonked in it.





keeping fish is pretty much keeping water, if you can keep water healthy and all parameters balanced (which are always balanced on a knife-edge) then you can keep healthy fish. it takes a lot of hard work and elbow grease to set up a healthy tank and a bit of science know-how along the way. i was crap at science at school, but since i started fishkeeping my poor old brain has become educated in ammonia and nitrates and the delicate balance a contained environment needs in order to thrive.
I won't go on about how bowls kill goldfish, I just hope you believe all those people above me.





Since a bowl is a lousy home for ANY fish, you should get your daughter a small tank instead. You can get a plastic kit of 2-3 gallons with a filter for very cheap.





Then get a few fake plants and some gravel, and a betta. Bettas are great because they are small and stay small, so you won't be killing it by putting it into this tiny tank. Betta's are kept in bowls all the time, but those people don't understand how active bettas can be and how long they can live.





And of course, if your daughter is a child it's up to you to learn how to properly maintain this tank and treat the fish right, so you can lead by example.





Good luck, hope you make the right decisions!
try and get a fish tank then the goldfish will grow comfortably
not all fish grow like that but gold fish can get pretty big
It is only ture in that the larger the bowl the longer the fish is likely to survive to grow larger. However no fish should be kept in a bowl. A single fancy goldfish needs a minimum of a 20gal aquarium with 10 gal added for each additional fish. Fancy goldfish grow to 8';+. Common goldfish grow much to large (24';+) for anything smaller than a 120 gal for a single fish and really do best in a pond. Also goldfish are heavy waste producers and you need at least double the regular filtration on the tank (ie in a 20gal you need at least filtration for a 40gal)
fish grow to fit their surroundings, well goldfish do, Japanese fighting fish don't.