Nobuaki Okamoto, also known as ‘Dr. Goldfish’, has written a book on how to enjoy keeping goldfish in bowls. The book aims to bring goldfish into closer contact with their owners and advocates for the use of fish bowls instead of fish tanks. Okamoto states:“What has distressed me is that goldfish have simply become an object of viewing through glass tanks. That distances fish from humans.” He recommends using bowls which one would typically use for serving Japanese noodles. His aim is to cultivate the same type of relationships which owners have with their cats or dogs. His thinking is that the convenience and portability of a bowl would bring fish owners in closer contact with their fish pets. He recommends changing the water daily. This is certainly an interesting perspective on caring for a Goldfish. What are your thoughts on the bowl method? I can see how this simplified approach would prove an inviting approach for new fish enthusiasts.MORE
Personally I find it a very inappropriate way of keeping a fish. In the country I live in you can’t keep any fish in a tank under 16 gallons by law, and it’s much more stringent with families like tangs or marine angelfish.
A bowl can’t provide the fish with any visual stimuli or a varied environment. I doubt human interaction can substitute for them. Maybe Mr. Okamoto should promote a goldfish tamagotchi in bowl form to spare the poor fish.