Imagine being trapped in a small room where you can barely breathe, and the air gradually becomes more and more poisonous over time. How would you feel? You wouldn't enjoy that in the slightest, would you? This is the reality of fish that live in fish bowls.

Fish bowls may look nice, but they are very harmful and inhumane to the fish that live in them. Like all animals, fish need proper conditions to thrive and be healthy, and fish bowls don't give them that. In fact, fish bowls don't just make the fish uncomfortable, they out right kill them!

'What is wrong with a fish bowl?' you may ask. There are several things wrong with them, but to start off, the opening of fish bowls are too small. Fish may be aquatic, but like all animals, they need oxygen to survive. Fish rely on oxygen disolved into the water to breathe. The small opening limits the amount of oxygen that gets disolved into the water essentially suffocating the fish. If you have ever been in a situation where you can hardly breathe, you would know the pain the small opening of fish bowls cause the fish.

Another issue about fish bowls is the overall shape of them. The circular design of fish bowls, while pleasing to the eyes, doesn't allow for filtration devices. This is very harmful as fish produce ammonia which is highly toxic to them. Fish release ammonia as a waste product, so fish tanks need to have a proper filter and be cycled before fish could live in it. You need a filter and beneficial bacteria to combat ammonia poisoning. In fact, clean water without any of the beneficial bacteria will kill the fish.

The third major issue about fish bowls is their size, or lack thereof. Even small fish like guppies need plenty of space to thrive, and fish bowls don't give them that. The amount of space a fish needs varies based on what type of fish they are. Betta fish, one of the common types of fish kept in fish bowls, need at least 5 gallons at the bare minimum with 10 gallons being optimal. A small fish bowl doesn't give them near enough space which will increase their stress levels which can be fatal.

Fish bowls also lack a place for the fish to hide, and if you give them a hiding place, it will just reduce the amount of space even more. Fish need somewhere to hide for them to be comfortable. As much as you want to be able to see your fish at all times, if they can't hide, they will be very stressed shortening their life span.

Fish bowls are visually appealing to us, but at the expense of the fish that live in them. Fish bowls suffocate, poison, and stress out fish living in them resulting in a shorter life span and poor quality of life. Fish aren't just decoration. They're animals like us. Keeping fish in fish bowls is animal cruelty, and I hope you will support the ban of fish bowls.

I can't do it alone. I need your help to end the cruel practice of keeping fish in fish bowls. Share this petition with everyone you know and have them do the same. Together, we can end this cruel practice. Visual appeal should not come at the expense of anyone, even fish. If you want a fish, you need to give it a proper home, not a fish bowl.

Please sign and share this petition and help in any way you can. Thank you for your time and consideration.