Should You Release Your Pet Goldfish Into an Indiana or Kentucky Lake If You Don’t Want It?

I Loved Having Exotic Animals

Growing up, I cared for a variety of animals. For some reason, my parents always indulged my whims to have exotic pets. I had a hamster, a rat, hermit crabs, chameleons, dogs, cats, horses, and even a horny toad. I also had a decent-sized fish tank that I’d fill with the most colorful fish I could find.

These Days, Not So Much

These days, I’d rather not take care of a bunch of little critters, so we are down to a tiny dog, a cat, and a boarded horse. I’m good with low-maintenance animals. I want to feed them a couple of times a day and let them outside to do their business. So when my husband brought home a 50-gallon fish tank from a client, I said, “Absolutely NOT.”

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Fish Can Be GREAT Pets

Fish can be great pets. They don’t destroy your furniture or pee on your floor. But even the simple ones, like goldfish, need care. Unfortunately, most people have no idea how to properly care for a simple little goldfish.

How to Properly Care for a Goldfish

Goldfish are surprisingly smart and super active. Most people toss them in a little glass bowl, sprinkle in some food when they remember, and call it good. But goldfish love to play, and they can even recognize faces and drive fish cars!

Goldfish also keep growing throughout their life if given space. If you acquire a goldfish, it's recommended that you start with a 20-gallon tank and move up as the fish grows. I know, I was surprised about the 20-gallon tank part too but keeping them in a tiny tank causes mental distress.

How Long Do Goldfish Live?

Did you know goldfish can live over 20 years with a proper diet and the correct tank? One goldfish in the UK lived to be 44. YIKES!

What NOT to Do with Your Unwanted Goldfish

That's a HUGE commitment! So, what should you do if you don't want to keep your goldfish? The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommends rehoming goldfish. They also warn that those who think they are doing goldfish a favor by releasing them into the wild are wreaking havoc on aquatic ecosystems.

This goldfish isn’t supposed to be here. But someone released it, thinking they were being kind. Instead, they created an invasive problem that can last decades. Goldfish grow massive in the wild, where they can turn lakes and waterways into murky messes, steal food from native fish, and wreck water quality. If you can’t keep your fish, rehome it. Just don’t let it loose.

Within only two years, the goldfish can grow to the size of a softball and that softball-sized eating machine can become a big problem in local waterways, lakes, and ponds.

What TO Do with Unwanted Goldfish

The best thing you can do is avoid getting a goldfish (or any pet) if you’re not ready for a long-term commitment. But if you do end up with a fish you can’t keep, there are options. You can reach out to your local humane society or check out Fish Swap groups on Facebook. There are local groups that help connect fish rescues with people looking to rehome their fish.