Question
After about 6 hours in a regular fish bowl, one of my calico fintails died and the other looks near death. I was going to transfer them into a bigger tank tomorrow but one did not make it. What went wrong? How is it that some people succeed with fish in fishbowls for months but mine did not even last a day? =(

Answer
Hi Jasmine,
Thanx for your question.  The calico fantails prefer a larger area in which to swim and live.  Bowls are not good containers, an aquarium is best.  Before putting fish in any container, first, the water should sit for at least 24 hours to allow all of the chlorine and other gasses that are harmful to fish to escape.  There are some chemicals you can buy at the fish store that will do this in a few minutes also.  Next, make sure that you do not introduce any fish into a new tank or bowl without allowing them to acclimate first.  That means taking the fish and placing them in a bag of water from the same container from which they came and tie the bag off.  Place the bag on top of the water with the fish in it and allow it to sit there for at least an hour.  Make sure that the new water isn't significantly warmer or colder than from where the fish came.  This is the biggest reason fish die when introduced to a new home.  They get shocked from a difference in the water.  Otherwise, the fish may have already been sick but it sounds to me like they suffered shock.  I hope this helps.
Tom