The Goldfish Sanctuary

Another possibility is to place your fish into some other container which has a larger surface area than the present home. The bigger the container, the better, and this is a good choice if you can't afford a tank (although tanks are not expensive). There are several things to remember if you choose to do this. First, the container should be clean. Second, it should be absolutely free of soap (don't use soap of any kind to wash it, and rinse it obsessively if it does have any soap residue on it). Next, the container should be made of glass or plastic. Third, the container should be strong... strong enough to withstand the amount of water you are going to put in it. A container need not be tall, but it must have a large surface area. Rubbermaid makes some very suitable containers which are also very large. A (very) clean bucket might make a good home if it is big enough. Make sure the container you choose is watertight. Finally, put some kind of cover over it to prevent your fish from jumping out. Even a strong piece of cardboard will do temporarilly as long as there is no chance of it falling into the tank. Also make sure that the top you choose lets air in.

If worst comes to worst and you can't find any way to give your fish more space, ask your local Goldfish Sanctuary (or petstore, or friend) if they will take your fish and give it a good home. Just remember - petstores may decide to sell your fish as a feeder fish (to be fed to other larger fish) so do everything you can to find the safest alternative.