So I bought my goldfish about 4 months ago and had no idea what I was doing, the guy at the pet store apparently didn't either and told me that it would be fine to keep my goldfish in a tiny unfiltered bowl. I'm going away for 3 days for Thanksgiving break and I looked up fish feeders, but now I know in an unfiltered bowl it would be worse. It's too late to get a tank and filter before I leave, and I think it already has some ammonia poisoning (sometimes gasping at the surface). I feel awful, he's probably so unhealthy and now won't be fed for three days, I'm going to be worried the whole time. Will he make it that long without food? Will he start to grow and heal if I switch him over to a filtered tank as soon as I get back? What kind of tank/filter and what's the best way to take care of him? Whats the best way to transfer him to the tank? I feel aweful, I'm scared he'll be dead when I come back.
First, it is a good thing that you realized your fish need a bigger tank with a filter. You should get to that part as soon as possible. Before you get started, you need to know for sure if your goldfish is a common goldfish or a fancy goldfish. Common goldfish can be huge, and they require 40 gallon minimal tank for just a single one. Fancy goldfish are still big enough to require 20 gallon minimal tank for just a single fish. These requirements are meant for full sized, and when we measure the requirement of tank size we must use the full size.
Second, fish can go without food for 3 weeks no problem at all. They are cold blood animals. They do not require a lot of energy to keep up body heat like we do. Your goldfish will be totally fine without any food for the 3 days you are not around.
