Goldfish Centerpieces?

first of all its cruelty to animals.
I dont know why people keep these poor bettas inside little goldfish bowls I blame chain aquariums for this. bettas need filtration, heating and plenty of space to swim. goldfish on the other hand would be horrible, they 'WILL' die.
and it will be something groos for your guests to look at while they eat.

I have a betta his name is Millhouse. I have him in a 20 gallon tank with other fish. he is by far the most active fish in my tank.

if you must do this and you think its a good idea (im not condoning this I think its a bad idea) go to your LOCAL FISH STORE, NOT A CHAIN, go to a mom and pop store. they depend on their livestock being healthy. for goldfish , buy 50 feeder goldfish
it will cost about 5 bucks. put them in a 10 gallon tank for a day or two (do this a day or two before the wedding) pick out the healthest ones. about 20% will die from the 50 you get, thats why you get 50 and watch them for a day or two.
make sure the florist doesnt put any chemicals in the water for the flowers and have a nice day.

for bettas they cost about 3-4 dollars EACH.
they are pretty and they are hardier than the goldfish. DONT put them in the same tank together a day or two before the wedding. they will kill eachother. rather have the all individually wraped and keep them in their respective bags untill your ready to put them in the bowls at the wedding.
before you just decide to go to your LFS two days before the wedding make sure they have as many as you need in stock, chances are they may have to order some special. Id over buy say for every 10 bettas id get 2 more than I need, just incase they die.

not to return the fish after, most LFS will take back the fish for a credit (only for the bettas), the LFS wont give you a credit for the feeder golds, youll just have to eat 5 bucks. BUT RETURN THEM if you dont have a suitable home. feeder golds do great in outdoor ponds. and bettas do well in community aquariums HEATED 10 gallons and above.

dont mean to rain on your parrade, but I like to tell it how it is

Im a guy

oh also make sure all the water in the bowls is dechlorinated, its 2 buck at the LFS for a bottle of dechlorinator, enough for all the bowls

TommyBride I couldnt agree with you more, it's cruel!

I have 7 goldfish in a 30 gallon tank & i love them! They are full of personality!

I swear to you, when my DH comes home from work & they see him, they go crazy in the tank!
Same when I ask them if they want food (I talk to them)

They are pets that people seem to abuse by placing them in tiny bowls, it's sad!

***ROLLS EYES***

It is not cruel to use feeder goldfish, they would have been eaten anyway, you are saving them from a much harsher fate.

Feeder goldfish are the heartiest - it takes a LOT to kill them. Just make sure you feed them in the days before, don't let them starve to death, and make sure the flowers you use aren't toxic. There is no reason why they should just 'happen' to die the same day of the wedding. Make sure you keep them in the same water from the time you bring them home until the wedding - changing the water suddenly that day may be what kills them off for so many people. I had a feeder goldfish that I won at a carnival, and it lived for 3 1/2 years

not you, jenn I meant tommybride

But of all things, 'goldfish cruelty' is pushing it a bit... what about the 1000's of goldfish that boil in the hot sun at carnivals, get fed to turtles, or whose owner forgets to feed them. I'm not saying it's ok to keep them in one of those little tiny tupperware size bowls, but they do fine in a big glass bowl. The leading cause of death in wedding-day fish is either the water is suddenly changed or the florist puts flower chemicals in their bowls. The little fishies should be fine.

Oh I'm sorry

Sent you FM

And I found this little story online if you still want to do this, it is a cute idea:

Fish Food
When I started planning my wedding for this June, I said I wanted to do some things differently. Every wedding I have ever been to always had flower centerpieces on the table. I decided to have little glass bowls with two goldfish on every table. I found the rocks in my wedding colors, and I am going to stick a little plastic bride and groom in there. I also came up with this cute idea: I plan to tape a bag of fish food under one chair at each table and give the fish to whoever has the food.

I must admit that is a cute idea though. As long as people take care of the little guys

I would assume the comment was for me.
it just goes to show you dont know what your talking about.

the whole reason why I suggested feeder golds is because they were sold to die anyway.

and have you ever worked in a pet store?
next time you go to one I recommend yo take a look at the feeder tank and count how many dead goldfish you see.

feeder golds are NOt ever healthy. in time if the survive with love and care will they become healthy.
besided feeder golds in general live for 50+ years in the right conditions, what happened to yours that he only recived one fifth of his life

heh of course this is all purley in jest and nothing I say should be taken seriously.

so DONT ROOLLLLL YO EYES AT ME OR YOULL AVE TO TALK TO THE HAND

the KING

hmmmm..... maybe you should be the board kind because you are going to be a royal pain in the ***

I'm just kidding. I mean that in the nicest way possible

You guys are funny. But i appreciate the 'animal friendly' remarks. will pass on to FH. Maybe I should get him in on this site too, NOT! I think he would become friends with tommy a little too quickly.. and start demanding a playstation...



interesting comment on the feeder golds, and how they are sold, etc.. I now feel bad for any fish we had as a kid. musta been torture. hee hee.

keep any other info comin. didn't realize there was so much into this!!

Thanks!

I was also thinking of doing this as a centerpiece also. When I mentioned it to a friend she told me to 'take a large goldfish bowl with a large opening up top and then put a smaller stemmed vase inside the opening' This way the fish wouldn't have any contact with the flowers and you wouldn't have to worry about poisoning the fish. And you can have a nice arrangement coming out of the top of the bowl. Let me know if you understand what I'm trying to explain. I decided not to do this but good luck if you do.

pickle - i think your FH SHOULD come on this site....to keep my tommyboy occupied so he can keep his mind off of getting that playstation2!!!

and i'm not touching the whole fish issue....just to let you guys know though - tommybride really does know what he's talking about when it comes to fish....he's completely obsessed with them and knows more about them than anyone I've ever met in my life.

i like the idea of a separate vase!

Any pics you have 6/21 would be helpful, but i think i get a general idea. That could turn out pretty neat, actually. Although the little guy (fish) loses some of his 'territory', it may not be as bad as those carnival bags.

I can tell tommy knows what he's saying, i'll take it seriously. It was good to hear that side of things..

FH calls this site 'bridal crack', its so addictive. i don't know if i can get him to join the 'dark side'.. lol!!

lol...bridal crack! that's great!!!

you know what
I DONT WANT A PS2 ANYMORE!!

pickle , you know I dont recommend the fish
but the betta idea is the best one
but not the cheapest

remember you get what you payfor
and 5 bucks = death

Mr.Popo loves to eat fish

I've seen this done at Bar mitzpahs when I worked in a catering hall. The vases are very long and filled sometimes with one of those fighting fish. It actaully looks amazing esp. with a tropical theme..or beach.
It's a gold fish ladies and gentlemen not an endangered species!!!