This is Abercrombie fish. I saw him in a pet store and immediately thought how cool it would be to have him in a jar in our house because he would MATCH our den. Yes. I really thought that.
I bought a live plant and added some awesome rocks to the bottom. The absolutely coolest thing ever began to happen in the late summer. The sun came in the window at JUST the right angle and caused the plant to … evidently make a lot of food because it began to give off oxygen bubbles…. a steady stream of them. It only happened for a few hours a morning. It only happened for about five or six weeks. But, those were SUCH exciting mornings. The kids and I would all go and watch…. even the big kids thought it was neat! I loved to watch our fish swim around in that healthy, yummy water being oxygenated by a fresh, live plant with real rocks underneath. This fish was a gentle reminder of how I am like that plant. I’m a living being that grows and is healthy when I get into the position that I am right in line with the shining light of the “Son.”
Yep. Abercrombie and his awesome over-sized mason jar styled fish bowl with his healthy, green plant and beautiful, natural rocks really made me happy. What makes YOU happy this marvelous Monday morning?
*Note: This post has been shared on several sites. The fact that this jar is much too small for a fish of this type has been brought to my attention. I had no idea at the time and my fish always seemed very healthy. He was moved to a much larger tank later.
As one of the commenters noted, a beta might be good for this type set up since they are most often placed in small containers, but I would recommend researching that before setting up a tank.
Also, If you just love the jar, I have seen a very similar one recently (April 2015) at a Kirkland’s store.
This link offers a tank cleaning tip that you may find helpful if you are a fish owner.
Thanks for stopping by and reading!
may i ask you a question? 
How did you keep the water clean, and maintain the beautiful setting in the fish bowl? It is gorgeous!i
I am planning to use this idea for gifts. Thanks for sharing,!!!
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Wanda,
I changed the water every week to ten days. I really think the plant helped to keep the fish healthy. This photo was probably taken just a day or two after cleaning the bowl. I looked into getting another fish recently (it’s been a few years since I’ve had one). The girl at PetSmart said that they do not recommend that you have fish without some sort of filter, but it just wouldn’t work with a bowl like this. In reading up on goldfish, it appears that they need a bigger tank with a filter to live a long, healthy life. So, this might be a beautiful starter tank, but they need to be moved to something larger as they mature.
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What kind of plant is that?
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I remember that I had an Anacharis Plant at one point and liked it. Here is a link that might be helpful.
But, this one may have been a Water Sprite. I can’t vouch for the dependability of the advice of this site but it talks about plants and goldfish. At the bottom are links for plants and the Water Sprite is included. Click here to read more at The Goldfish Tank.
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It looks so beautiful!! I have a betta with a similar set up 😀
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Hi Denni.
I have recently set up a large bowl for my betta but the ivy seems to make the water “fuzzy” looking. What type of plant did you plant and how do you keep your container clean? Do you completely change out the water or do you have 2 containers?
Your input is appreciated!
Lyn
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Hey Lyn,
Maybe ivy isn’t the right plant to put in the bowl? Is it fully submerged or is only the roots submerged? I do have ivy growing in water around the house, but not with my Betta! depending on the climate and sunlight the ivy can sometimes grow algae in the water. I had some tapegrass growing in it, but I took it out because it was irritating when I was cleaning the bowl,
As for cleaning, its pretty good to have a bucket or two lying around.
I do a water change every week, 10-50% depending on how active my betta is. If he’s quite passive then I change close to 50%, If he’s pretty active and making bubbles, then 10%. I just take out however much out of the bowl and replace it with tap water i’ve left out for a few days(or just use a water ager to dechlorinate the water)
A full water change is done every 3 weeks. I use another container to take out the betta with some of the water. then I tip out the bowl water into the garden, wash the bowl and, either the gravel or ornaments, that way some bacteria is still left in the bowl. then I fill up the bowl, and put him in. (make sure the temperature is all right too)
Anyway hope that helps a bit 🙂
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Thanks, Denni. I bet a betta would do well in this type set up as they don’t need a lot of swim space.
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Untrue. Bettas need at least a 2.5-gallon tank. 5 or more is best, however. https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/219832025532813077/ Here’s their natural habitat. They usually contain 50+ gallons of water.
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That’s good to know!! Why in the world do people keep them in tiny jars then?
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I love this. I have been looking to put a fish in my kitchen and I couldn’t figure out what kind of bowl to use. Do you know what size the jar is?
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Trish,
It is not a true Mason jar, just a jar shaped similar to one. I think it probably held around 1.5 – 2 gallons, but I never really measured it.
– |<@ren
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Jars are inhumane. bettas need 2.5 gallons. Goldfish need 20 gallons. Koi need 300-gallon pond.
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Where did you get the jar?….I love it!!
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You know, Cheryl, I can’t remember. This was a fish bowl I used several years ago.
Sorry!
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I hope it turns out wonderful, Veronica!
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Just a word of advice to those reading this post. Wanting an animal because it “matches your living room” might be an ok jumping off point, but in order to be a decent pet owner you have to take a step back and do some research before taking responsibility for a living creature. What most people don’t know about “common” household pets (mice, birds, hamsters) could fill volumes, and fish are one of the most challenging animals to keep successfully! If this well-meaning author had done a little homework she would have learned that goldfish require 30 gallons each, that an aquarium needs to be cycled to keep the water from becoming toxic, and that placing such a small tank in direct sunlight is a recipe for temperature fluctuations that harm fish. Please don’t ever buy a new animal, however familiar or “easy” it seems, without investigating what it really needs to live and thrive.
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Wonder why you have trouble keeping it clean? It’s because you’re not supposed to do this…!
That fish needs to be in a WAY bigger tank. like 20 GALLONS. This is NOT a good idea. the fish will not last and this is animal cruelty.
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For all the SJWs getting their panties in a bunch – STFU already. The poster has mentioned at the bottom of his post that he is changing the fish.
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So true @DJR I was just telling all these clueless people how awful it is.
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this is completely unsuitable for ANY fish!!!!!!!! if you get a fish, or any pet, at least have the braincells to do research first!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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