Carnival goldfish: how long do they live in a bowl ?

[jennfier]

What's the longest you've seen a 'carnival' goldfish live in a little goldfish bowl (1-2g) ? This person trying to get rid of his 2g bowl & goldfish (feeder I think) said it's lived in there for over 3 years. All other goldies that they've added to the bowl for this one's companionship have all died within a short period of time.

The bowl only had some corals, a few stones, a bubble stone and a joke of a ugf. The bowl is circular w/ 2 flat sides (like an upright tire) w/ a small round opening on top. The 3" fish seems to have stunted fins and strange swimming patterns but other than that, seems hale and hearty. I'm amazed that it's lived this long. Is such resilience really rare ?

 

[DaisyTattoo]

I find this to be a terribly sad story. The other fish probably died very quickly bc the nitrates are very high do to small or non existent water changes. Just because a fish is alive, doesn't mean its happy and healthy. Stunting is a horrible situation for a fish as their internal organs grow while their bodies stay small. If fish can feel pain, I would imagine this to be very painful. A healthy goldfish that is 3 years old should be close to a foot long. That would be like trying to grow a kitten in a shoebox. Very sad.