Goldfish make the water really dirty really quickly.

I had goldfish in a bowl of tap water as a kid and they lived for many years.

We have a betta in a small (5 gallon I think) aquarium. Just have to top up the water every few weeks (and feed him of course). You just put the water in a pitcher with a few drops of some solution, let it sit an hour, then pour it in. The aquarium has a thing on top that circulates the water, and cost us about $100 as I recall. Really low maintenance fish and the kids love to watch it.

We have a mosquito fish that my kid brought home from school. It's been two years, and she seems fine in the bowl.

We do have snails in the water to help filter it. There's also a plant (elodium?) that you can get that helps filter the water and feed the fish.

We use the filtered water from the refrigerator but let it come to room temp before putting it in her bowl.

We also had a tiny little frog that was in there for about 6 months, but then it disappeared. I don't know if she ate it, or if it just reached its natural life span and disintegrated quickly because it was so tiny. We thought it was hiding in the coral structure (which it sometimes did)....

We also have a whole tank with the filter, water heater, etc., but I don't think the mosquito fish would like it in there. For that one, we use tap water with the dechlorination drops and also something called discus buffer.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All you have to do to have proper water is either buy the tap water conditioning drops at the pet store or use bottled SPRING water for a betta.

OP here, Thanks for this. Happy to buy bottled water.

This is bad advice, at least if you are unwilling to call the company and find out what is in the water. Bottled water is much less regulated than tap water and can contain a lot of crap including chlorine/choloramine -- it's just not required to be on the label.

I've kept a lot of fish and honestly, the easiest way to do this is to have two small-ish bowls for 1 betta. Betta lives in bowl A. About once a month, clean the bowl as follows: fill bowl B 2/3 full with tap water and add a couple drops of water conditioner to remove the chloramine. Then add about 1/3 of the water from bowl A, to bowl B. Let the whole thing stand for 24 hours, to come up to temperature and settle well. Transfer betta to bowl B, and clean bowl A. Next month, betta moves from bowl B to bowl A using the same process. You could do this with just one bowl by putting the fish in a cup or something while you clean the tank, but that's harder on the fish (more transfers) and you're less likely to actually do the cleaning if there's not a system.

If you can, consider springing for a small heater: bettas can live at room temperature but they are tropical fish and they like it warmer than you probably keep the house. Here's one: https://www.amazon.com/Hydor-7-5w-Heater-Bettas-Bowls/dp/B006JVQ67K

Good luck!

Ah, the good old days in Great Britain, OP.
Very different here and now!

Anonymous wrote:OP here, When I was a kid ( in England if that makes a difference) we had a goldfish in a large fishbowl, When we cleaned the water we would let the new water sit for several hours before putting the fish in, I thought this made the water suitable for them?
I also had a Beta in a large bowl about 15 years ago and it lived a really long time in tap water.

The US has chlorine in the tap water which would kill your pet. You need to let it set so temps equalize.

Anonymous wrote:All you have to do to have proper water is either buy the tap water conditioning drops at the pet store or use bottled SPRING water for a betta.

OP here, Thanks for this. Happy to buy bottled water.

All you have to do to have proper water is either buy the tap water conditioning drops at the pet store or use bottled SPRING water for a betta.

I know everyone hates the poster I'm about to be, but if you just want to add tap water and be done with it, no fish or a plastic fish is really your best option.

A betta really is the next best option, as their physiology lends itself well to low maintenance. They have adaptations that allow them low oxygen / low current/ etc.

Goldfish are actually a bad option. Did you know they can live up to 15 years or more? Most people don't know that because they've never seen a cared for goldfish. They're carp, and they can and will grow huge. They also soil a lot due to the fact that they have no stomach, so they require a lot of water changes. Also, small bowls stunt them.

Even with a betta, you need to condition the water, make sure it's the right temperature, and ensure that they are medicated if sick. If you're not prepared to do easy care, then don't get a fish.

We had good luck with a beta fish

Beta is your best bet for a long-lived lower maintenance fish bowl pet.

OP here, When I was a kid ( in England if that makes a difference) we had a goldfish in a large fishbowl, When we cleaned the water we would let the new water sit for several hours before putting the fish in, I thought this made the water suitable for them?
I also had a Beta in a large bowl about 15 years ago and it lived a really long time in tap water.

You can keep a fish in a bowl, but that doesn't mean you should.

No fish should have straight tap water. It needs to be dechlorinated. And you need to make sure your tank is cycled- that's when you have grown healthy bacteria to process the ammonia produced as waste. Ammonia spikes cause painful death.

A filter can help keep your tank clean, and a tank slightly larger than a bowl is easier to maintain water quality. The set up is different but it's not really more work once set up, and far less likely to kill your fish. Despite the pet store's examples, betas should have more space.

Is my only option a Beta fish?

DD wants a fish and I am not into dealing with an aquarium, heat pumps, etc etc. I just want a basic fish bowl that I can put tap water in and be done.