Goldfish for Kids?

A pet can be a beneficial experience, but are Goldfish the ideal pets for children? From a parent's perspective they aren't going to mess up the house, they are quiet, they don't require a specialized pet sitter if you have to go away, and they kind of just do their thing. Here are my pros and cons as to having a goldfish as a pet for a child.

Pros:

Goldfish are quiet, they don't bark like a dog would or screech like a parakeet would.

Goldfish don't make messes, one just has to enjoy the trials of puppyhood to understand some pets make messes and lots of them.

Goldfish won't rack up a bill for immunization costs or vet bills

Goldfish are fun to watch

Goldfish won't give you salmonella like reptiles and other small pets

Cons:

You need to work with a lot of electric/water set ups and will have to teach your child how to do this safely. There must always be a drip loop in your cording and you need to follow the instructions on all electrical items to the T when it comes to water. 

You will need to do water changes (sometimes weekly) and scrub ornaments or tank walls from algae. This can be a time consuming task. And it can be a difficult task for a small child if they have to haul heavy water buckets around during water changes.

Goldfish are not bowl fish. They take up space and as they grow may require a bigger tank even. Tanks can be expensive.

You can't pet a goldfish. Yes, you are able to handle them or feed them out of your hand, but they are not "lap pets". This may bore some children as they are not very interactive compared to a hamster or cat. 

On your first attempt with figuring out how to cycle water or if there is an ich infestation because you bought your fish from a pet store or other over crowded low quality source, you may lose your initial fish to disease or improperly cycled water. This can be very sad for a child to experience the death of a pet.

To sum it up...

So, parents, keeping goldfish, like with any pet, will require your supervision and help. If you feel like you can handle helping your child keep up with water changes, supervising the set-up of the tank, and the research required to keep a healthy tank and prevent disease or treat disease, goldfish are not a bad choice for a child's first pet.

Forever - Brush and Ink

Serenity - Brush and Ink

What is Art of Goldfish?

For starters, I love goldfish. I appreciate their uniqueness, their beauty, and their character, not to mention they are therapeutic to observe as they bob around their tank. At my own wedding where we had catered authentic Thai food (my husband and I are both crazy about asian cuisine) we also had a lovely Tancho Oranda for our center piece at our table (don't worry those who know a lot about goldfish keeping, the little guy only staid in the bowl as long as the reception.)

My husband and I both have a love for fish keeping (he has plans for a koi pond), and although I'm now a mother of two busy little girls, I still enjoy goldfish keeping. At this point I am the caretaker of two graceful and personable calico fantails, Miku and Halo, but I am looking to expand. I'd love to get started in calico short tail ryukin especially, but am interested in keeping a few ranchu as well.

I feel when many people go to a pet store and see the goldfish they think "cheap fish I can keep in a bowl and who will probably live a week" or they think "kids fish I have to keep replacing". That definitely doesn't let the goldfish (or any fish) live up to their potential! In my blog I'll discuss my own learning process in the beginning of my goldfish keeping and how much I've learned about fish keeping in general since I've started. I truly believe there is an art to keeping goldfish as they've been kept for hundreds of years. 

But this blog, Art of Goldfish, isn't just about fish, it's about my art. Specifically my ink and brush art. I am in love with ink and brush art and my artwork will also be displayed here on my blog along with stories behind my work. 

I hope those of you who visit enjoy my art journey as well as my goldfish stories. <3