Must read this thread if you care about fish

[salt nate]

I was sitting in front of my tank the other day and thinking...........
Is it right to keep saltwater fish? Is it moral? Is it cruel? Is it selfish?
Some people on this forum rip people apart for putting too large of fish into too small of tanks. But maybe the fact that they even put fish in their tanks at all is wrong. Even a damsel in a 400 gal.

 

[m0nk]

We can only aspire to the as conscientious as possible in this hobby. In fact, the hobby overall has done a great job promoting awareness of the plight of the oceans.

 

[rcreations]

I think about that too sometime. Is it wrong for us to keep these fish in such small boxes? Yeah, a BIG box is better than a small one but it's still a box. Going from the ocean to an aquarium has to suck. If I was a fish, I wouldn't want to be stuck in a glass box, no matter how good an environment is created.

 

[drtito]

I like to buy only tank rasied fish and corals. But there is no way to tell for sure. rock ..................hard place.

 

[wangotango]

Do the fish know the difference really? What about dogs or cats?
There is a difference between keeping and caring for animals. Those who keep them try to see what they can get away with; keeping fish in a wrong environment etc. Those who care for fish will understand that their setup will not support a given fish (like a grouper in a 55gal) and stay away from them. They provide as close to a natural habitat as possible.
Is it morally objectable? I don't think so.
-Justin

 

[deejeff442]

i ask my dogs to pay the electric bill all the time.i just get a stupid look.
free house and food what else could they ask for?
maybe if we didnt take them out of the sea it would be overpopulated
my fish look happy.

 

[mboswell1982]

dude, why u gotta get so philosophical, im just a poor old georgia redneck who's tryin to get some book larnin and has been transplanted to far off washington state LOL
but seriously, that is a really good question man and i think as long as you are honestly caring for the fish, for their well being, and are keeping them in a tank that they are comfortable in, i.e. a 2 in fish full grown in a 40 gallon tank should be comfortable, whereas a 20 inch fish in a 40 gallon probably wants to kill you, it should be ok.

 

[salt nate]

honest, from the heart answers, Im very impressed. really cool peeps on this forum. RCreations...I especially like your reply
I figured everyone would get offended for me asking this and defensively say that aquarium fish dont have to fight and scrap for food and survival like they do in the ocean(which is partially true).
I thought people would call me a tree(or fish) hugging kook. Its good to know that others feel similar questions about our hobby.
I think I will always keep sw fish, and I think that my children will be more respectful of animals and the ocean because of it, but I have to wonder what these fish think/feel.
Maybe I am a tree hugger

 

[mboswell1982]

dude, my gf is about as hippy as they come LOL she's even a partial vegetarian LOL and everything we eat is organic, we both smoke cigs, we only smoke organic cigarettes, the natural american spirit brand, she made me switch over from my winstons LOL. i mean, dude, im a ga redneck, born an bred, and now im living a hippy lifestyle LOL its quite the change for me, most of my old friends dont even know me anymore cause of it LOL but then, most of them think fish tanks are for crazy folks, so maybe thats a good thing LOL

 

[blazehok68]

thats why i only keep 5 small fish in my 120. and its mostly all coral.

 

[sickboy]

I've thought about this many times myself, both now as a reef keeper and for the prior 8 years of keeping freshwater. The freshwater I didn't care about as much as most of my fish would breed in their tank, but the salt has made me wonder sometimes. But I also have other pets, and they seem happy and fat.
And then I stop and think about other things I do, like pheasant hunt, and I think I have no problem shooting a wild animal why would I care if I keep fish from the ocean? I'm not saying that they are maltreated or anything, in fact I'm usually guilty of over feeding, but we are the dominant species on the planet, and while we should care for our animals, I don't think that there is anything inherently wrong with it. Just my 2 cents.....

 

[justinwwwallin]

u know.. i think that alot too.. it could go both ways.. if they are breeding and raising the fish.. ithink its good. and u could be saving them from death on the reef. what if the reefs die off? we would all have the last pieces of reef.. ha. just idk.. i think its fine as long as its not stressful

 

[spinylobster]

I have thought about this as well... I would not want to live in a glass box, however when diving the small tropical fish are almost like they are living in constant fear(maybe cause im there, but i doubt it) They seem to have there spot(even smaller than the space in my tank) and stick to it like glue.

 

[big]

It is a good moral question to ask.........
But I think my few fish and my two dogs too are all happier here than living in the wild......... if they feel happness......

At least I am pretty sure my LMB is happy..... He likes to be hand fed..........

 

[krazykarel]

You are thinking like a human dude, you are not a fish

 

[krazykarel]

Originally Posted by RCreations
http:///forum/post/2838299
I think about that too sometime. Is it wrong for us to keep these fish in such small boxes? Yeah, a BIG box is better than a small one but it's still a box. Going from the ocean to an aquarium has to suck. If I was a fish, I wouldn't want to be stuck in a glass box, no matter how good an environment is created.
Dude you are thinking like a human, you are not a fish

 

[bill109]

well think of it this way,,
some fish may only live/use part of the reef. so having a large enough tank for them would simulate the part of the reef they would use, as they get used to the environment you try to mimic they realized there is no danger and get to explore a little more. although it may seem cruel at times i think that if you were to look from a fished prespective it wouldnt be a good thought but not only is it hopefully giving them safety but it one way or another helps us learn about the fish incase we have something in our tank other dont.

 

[salt nate]

spiny,
yeah, you do look a bit scary in your avatar, I think thats probably it.
The possy you bring(behind you) probably doesnt help either

 

[kjr_trig]

I love my fish, and think of them as pets. I have provided them with what I consider a suitable habitat (240 gallons worth) and appropriate rocks, filtration and lighting and so on. In my previous tank I went 3+ years without a death.
That said, there are a lot of fish that die on the on the way into our tanks. I don't really lose a whole lot of sleep as they are really not much different from the Tuna I ate for dinner last night.

In the words of Kurt Cobain "It's ok to eat fish, cause they don't have any feelings"

 

[rcreations]

Fish are different than dogs and cats. The dogs and cats we have are domestic animals, that's the only kind of living they know. But to take an 8" Crosshatch Trigger out of the vast ocean and stick it in a 6' tank, that morally doesn't sound right to me. But hey, we all do it. I think what gets us pass the moral issue is that in the end, these are just fish. So it's better in my fish tank than in my belly.