Wedding Forum - Unusual Choice...

Hi guys!!

So I have been looking at centre pieces for the wedding and I have my heart set on a fishbowl filled with water with red and white pebbles at the bottom, a red rose floating with a goldfish in the bowl :)

Has anybody seen or heard of this being done before? I want this so much but unsure of how I could work it out I have plenty of time to think but wondering if anyone has any suggestions?

I swear I have seen it on a television programme, possibly DTTB or 4 weddings. Not sure they done it with a flower though, if it is something you want, go for it.

does anybody know how i could do it though like can you hire fish? or do you have to buy them I dont want to end up with 8/9 odd fish at the end! haha x

i dont understand why its cruel, i am an animal lover and have animals myself and would not put any animals including fish in any danger, the fish are not being starved or neglected, they are not being harmed or eaten. I am not after the opinion whether you think its cruel am asking for advise on how I would go about it.

Tbh, I hate this idea. I too think it is cruel, the fish need to be in a filtered bowl, which has been established for at least a couple of weeks before being introduced to the environment. the loud music, which will be amplified by the water, all the people milling about,a ll the vibrations to the water said music and people milling about will cause etc. It will be incredibly stressful for the fish. How many fair ground fish, actually survive, it isnt much different when they are being transferred from one environment to another and back again

I keep fish, and even gold fish aren't that easy to keep which people seem to assume they are. barbie is spot on. You can't really claim to love all animals 'even fish' and think this is ok. It just isn't worth it, as they are alive. You can probably find some fake fish to do the job just as well

I will try and find a pic for you x

Try endler fish they are so cheap they can be put straight in to tap water, dont need a filter, temperature wont matter and you can have a few in together to make it more interesting, you wouldnt be able to have the rose in it tho as this can harm the fish they will be fine in your fish bowls for the wedding but putting them then into a different enviroment can be upsetting for them. i love the look but went against it as i cant guarentee my guests espcially the kids not puting their hands in and upsetting the fish.

The wedding planner at my venue told me about a couple who had had goldfish in bowls as their centre pieces and after the wedding they gave them to the venue who have put them in the pond in the grounds, and apparently they are flouishing! I'm not sure I personally agree, as it seems a bit cruel to me with all the moving around and loud noises (plus you don't know what someone might put into the bowls if they drink a bit too much) but these particular goldfish are living the life of riley now (I saw them in the pond and theyre well fed :))

Pulled from a quick google search all from different pages

''The goldfish is hardy, but give him a simple fish bowl for a habitat and you'll stunt his life span, because the water quality will suffer. A goldfish can stand such an existence for a year or two at best; but to reach his potential, he needs a filtered environment that can process the large amount of waste a goldfish produces.''

''Q. Do goldfish need a filter?
A. Yes! Goldfish definitely need a filter!
You should always include a filter when keeping goldfish. Goldfish need a filter because they are very messy animals that eat a lot and produce a lot of waste (did you know that goldfish don’t have stomachs?). Unless you have a filter and do regular water changes, your aquarium water will very quickly become polluted and poisonous to your fish!''

''Common myths about goldfish

Myth 1. Goldfish will thrive in a goldfish bowl.

One of the most common myths is that goldfish can thrive in goldfish bowls. The reason people think goldfish can live well in bowls goes back to the very earliest days of fish keeping. Goldfish were originally domesticated in China. These fish were kept by nobility in ponds and viewed from the top much as their relatives the koi are today. Over time, people began to move these fish indoors to be viewed in glass containers. The bowl-shaped container with two flat sides was one of the best containers for viewing fish. While the bowl provided great viewing, it was never designed with the health or welfare of the fish in mind, and is actually one of the worst possible designs in which to house fish. Because of the round, tapered sides, there is very little surface area for oxygen exchange. In addition, the bowls are much too small, difficult to clean, and provide no place for needed equipment, such as a filter.

Myth 2. Goldfish are short-lived.

In one sense, this statement is partially true: if goldfish are improperly housed and cared for, they will be short-lived. However, if goldfish are cared for properly, they will often live twenty years or longer. The oldest known goldfish lived 43 years.

Myth 3. Goldfish are small and do not require much space.

Goldfish grow fast and become large, and they grow in relation to their environment. As healthy adults, goldfish are not small fish, and in fact, many can grow to be a foot or longer when fully mature. Even the smallest of species reach a size of six inches at maturity. Juvenile goldfish are 1-2 inches in length; if they remain that size as adults, they have not had proper housing or nutrition.

Myth 4. Goldfish are inexpensive and replaceable.

Goldfish are one of the most common aquarium fish, and the common types are relatively inexpensive and readily available. Some owners may have the attitude that 'if it dies just get another one.' However, if provided the proper environment and care, goldfish can be magnificent aquarium fish of which the owner can be proud. Fancy goldfish can actually be more expensive than many tropical fish.''

Just because they sell bowls without filters, doesn't mean that they should. It just means that it isn't regulated.

Do you know you can buy pronged collars that dog into your dogs neck to stop him pulling? Just because that isn't illegal here, does that make it any less cruel?



You may not have asked for an opinion but you will get them whether you like it or not when the welfare of anything comes up

A couple of weeks ago me and h2b took my parents to see our wedding venue and in the marquee there were still a few remnants of the wedding which had take place the day before. Amongst the remnants there were round fish bowls which were filled with water and had a few fake flowers floating in. It is unusual but I think mixed with your other decorations and in the full swing of the party it would look lovely. Especially with a live goldfish in, it would look gorgeous I think. You would need to think about what you were going to do with the goldfish after the wedding though, would you give them as wedding favours to the children or would you keep them? x

You could use fish bowls just with floacting flowers maybe? That would look pretty.

What equipment do I need?


One thing is for certain here - bowls are a no no! The age of keeping a goldfish in a large glass bowl is well a truly over. They do not allow adequate oxygenation, they are not large enough to enable a fish to swim naturally and they don't hold enough water to compensate for a goldfishes ammonia output. In fact, in some countries the keeping on goldfish in bowls is illegal.

A good quality tank that holds at least 25 - 30 litres of water is recommended for one goldfish. This will be large enough to allow swimming and will cope with the mess created by your scaly critter. The tank should be fitted with a filter in order to keep the water clean and the fish in rude health.

Another consideration is water quality. Water straight from the tap is full of chemicals to make it safe for humans to drink. If you are filling a tank with tap water it should be left to stand for several hours before you introduce your fish, to let the chemicals dissipate. Commercial neutralisers can also be purchased which can be added to tap water to make it immediately safe for your fish.

Water temperature should also be carefully monitored as a goldfish can be easily shocked by water that is too cold or too warm. Your fish will probably be brought home in a bag so it's worth placing the bag in the tank water so the temperature can gradually equalise. Gradually add more and more tank water to the bag until it contains more tank water than bag water, then introduce your fish to his new home.

Fish love to root for food in substrate so make sure you choose a gravel that is large enough not to be swallowed, but not too large that it can't be moved by the fish while he's hunting for food. Live plants add interest and can help oxygenate the water, while plastic plants can attract algae which oxygenates and provides an additional food source. Animated objects such as opening trunks, can also help oxygenate the water.

If a fish is kept in the right conditions it could reach up to 60cm in length and live 20 years!

I'm also against this, I got given gold fish for my birthday not that long ago, 3 of them with a 9 litre fish bowl with no filter etc, the first thug I did was a giggle search and came up with the same onto kel ( Velcro) had posed so writhing a hour I had got a oxegen stone thing and writhing 2 days bought a full size tank , filter & oxegen pump, so that although I was not my choice to buy them , I will give them the best and longest life possible.
And loud music etc will very negatively effect the fish.