the best Fish bowl

Fish bowls have contained fish for entertainment and aesthetic purposes for more than a thousand years. The most famous fish kept in a bowl is the goldfish, and this was indeed the first fish kept in captivity as a "pet." The Sung dynasty of 900 A.D. China is recorded as the first goldfish keepers, and this spread to Japan, and then to Europe when the far east became opened for trade. Unfortunately, goldfish are one of the most inappropriate fish to be kept in a bowl, but due to their hardiness and ability to live under horrid conditions, they are still found in bowls, even though the common "feeder" variety can grow to a foot in length.

Though goldfish are not suited for bowls, there are several other fish that can live in an unfiltered, unheated environment. Many aquarists frown on the fish bowl, thinking it cruel or inhumane. Often, fish are anthropomorphized when it comes to their keeping in small spaces, and people claim their psychology and longevity is negatively impacted. But this argument can also be made for any aquarium as it is not their natural environment, and thus could be regarded as "cruel" because it is, after all, a rectangular prison surrounded by glass. Personally, I believe there is a line in fish keeping... and it is crossed when fish are kept in spaces so small your fist could barely fit into the tank, such as the infamous Aquababies cell, yet it is acceptable in larger 1-2 gallon bowls or vases where the animal has some degree of swimming room.

One of my most stable and beautiful tanks is a 1.2 gallon glass vase. This tank is remarkably easy to set up and maintain; it can be kept on desks, tabletops, shelves, or workstations; there is little maintenance required, and it is a wonderful system for someone who has little desire to invest the time or money in a larger, filtered and heated system.

Here are seven easy steps in making a bowl or vase system just like mine