I Know Its Not Suitable But Would It Prevent

[markandhisfish]

matt , youre intentions are applaudable but the reality of it is , that as others have said you will be stuck with a tank buster that you will find dam near impossible to re-home later on. and then youre going to be left looking at it knowing its unhappy for years to come .. realisticly the only place suited to taking it off you would be a public aquarium or zoo and nearly all of these are extremely reluctant at best to take fish from joe public.

plus as shroob said it will only encourage the shop to get another , then another and so on. sometimes the best thing to do is what you see as the worst thing to do .

 

[Wills]

To be brutally honest with monster fish no matter what set up I had (unless it was specifically for monsters) I would leave them at the shop - at the end of the day its an endless issue that is not going to go away for a long time. And at some point you would have to move them again and what then when no where will take them because they are 3 foot long?

Know what Im saying? I mean its a great idea of putting the animal first but its not going to end and with that size tank you should stock it how you want and how you will get the most out of it - though equally if that means getting this fish then go for it but if you realistically I dont think it is the dream inhabitant for you.

However though one option you could consider if you like this kind of thing - why not do a fish rescue for fish that are feasible occupants for this size tank?

Wills

 

[mattlee]

matt , youre intentions are applaudable but the reality of it is , that as others have said you will be stuck with a tank buster that you will find dam near impossible to re-home later on. and then youre going to be left looking at it knowing its unhappy for years to come .. realisticly the only place suited to taking it off you would be a public aquarium or zoo and nearly all of these are extremely reluctant at best to take fish from joe public.

plus as shroob said it will only encourage the shop to get another , then another and so on. sometimes the best thing to do is what you see as the worst thing to do .

yeah i hear what people are saying about buying means more demand but when it got too big it could go to someone like this
http/www.aquarist-classifieds.co.uk/php/detail51_174339.php
lets say then i dont buy from lfs and get a small one privately this way i am kind of rescueing one and not adding to the lfs trade therefor not adding to the demand

 

[kizno1]

matt , youre intentions are applaudable but the reality of it is , that as others have said you will be stuck with a tank buster that you will find dam near impossible to re-home later on. and then youre going to be left looking at it knowing its unhappy for years to come .. realisticly the only place suited to taking it off you would be a public aquarium or zoo and nearly all of these are extremely reluctant at best to take fish from joe public.

plus as shroob said it will only encourage the shop to get another , then another and so on. sometimes the best thing to do is what you see as the worst thing to do .

yeah i hear what people are saying about buying means more demand but when it got too big it could go to someone like this
http/www.aquarist-classifieds.co.uk/php/detail51_174339.php
lets say then i dont buy from lfs and get a small one privately this way i am kind of rescueing one and not adding to the lfs trade therefor not adding to the demand

But if its from i private breeder i think they would care more about it going into a big tank not just selling it to someone with a 30G so for all that you are trying to help you might be stopping it from going into a bigger tank to start with.

 

[mattlee]

matt , youre intentions are applaudable but the reality of it is , that as others have said you will be stuck with a tank buster that you will find dam near impossible to re-home later on. and then youre going to be left looking at it knowing its unhappy for years to come .. realisticly the only place suited to taking it off you would be a public aquarium or zoo and nearly all of these are extremely reluctant at best to take fish from joe public.

plus as shroob said it will only encourage the shop to get another , then another and so on. sometimes the best thing to do is what you see as the worst thing to do .

yeah i hear what people are saying about buying means more demand but when it got too big it could go to someone like this
http/www.aquarist-classifieds.co.uk/php/detail51_174339.php
lets say then i dont buy from lfs and get a small one privately this way i am kind of rescueing one and not adding to the lfs trade therefor not adding to the demand

But if its from i private breeder i think they would care more about it going into a big tank not just selling it to someone with a 30G so for all that you are trying to help you might be stopping it from going into a bigger tank to start with.

not from a breeder from the classifieds off someone that doesnt want it anymore.... i dont think there would be many breeders of these fish to be honest!

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

This thread has reminded me about the Pangasius pangasius babies that have been in the LFS on my postal round for at least three months. They have grown to ~8cm SL, just another ~90cm to go!

Very tough call, you do nothing and fish either stays in small LFS tank or gets bought to be homed in a tank that will not last a few months, you buy it and give that fish a chance of some sort of "happy life" but then encourage the LFS to buy more as it sees local fish keepers buying their stock...

 

[fluffycabbage]

A really tough decision This is where your heart rules your head - but what instinct are you going to follow?
If i was in your shoes (and im not suggesting you do the same, its just what i'd do), i'd speak to the manager of the lfs and ask why the fish is there in the first place, secondly why there is no notice about its potential size on the tank (yes we all know why), and thirdly if he'll ever prioritise fish welfare over financial profit.
I'd also ask around on places like aquarist classifieds, and see what demand there is for them. Or even if you know of someone who has a pond who could take it in. I'd certainly research it a bit first, before bringing home a fish which you could get really attached to, yet not be able to rehome What would you do then? Thats what you have to think about.

 

[shroob]

I would still leave it in the shop if I were you. I know it may seem odd, but in the long run I feel that it is best for the 'extreme tankbusters' to be left for zoo's or people with massive ponds, who if they can finance these have the ability to source these fish from other outlets than the LFS. Hopefully then we will see an end to the cute 6" red line snakehead or the RTC next to the tank of guppies.

I'm probably being too optamistic but until we have to start somewhere. Even if you had a home lined up for it, I would leave it where it is and offer the spot to a catfish that is already cramped and needs a larger home. So like I said before, you would just be contributing to the cycle, even if your intentions are admirable.

 

[mattlee]

there are a few for sale on AQ and a few that have sold but how do you know its not going to go to a similar or smaller tank....? there is someone in norwich with a tropical pond that are asking for rtc's that have outgrown tanks (link in previous reply), i would deliver the fish to them to ensure it was going into a pond and not a tank.... yes i think it would be a fish you would get attached to but also knowing whats best for it would overule any thought of keeping it any longer than i could. im sure the lfs has got max sizes on the tanks but people will just buy what they want anyway without thinking about the fishes health, the staff ask if they have a big enough tank and they say yes and the fish is bought! the same lfs also sells pangasius cats too

so peoples thoughts on this are mainly to let someone else buy the cat and stick it in a small tank to suffer..... then the lfs will get another in and so on and so on.
i kind of find this interesting as surely most people on here would put the fishes health first instead of letting it suffer

 

[fluffycabbage]

if i had a home suitable for it now, and in a years time knew it could be rehomed, i would take it. but thats just me. i have recently left bettas in the shop before thhough that have looked ill,just because u want to give them a better life. but i know that 1. the lfs will get more in, and prob not care about their health again, and 2.i didnt have an extra tank at the time.
If i had extra tanks i think the few ive seen may well have had a new home

 

[Bignose]

By buying the fish you are encouring the retailer to stock more, so are unforuntately perpetuating the cycle.

+ infinity billion.

This is spot on -- by buying it, you tell the retailer that there IS a market for that fish. Just like if you buy a puppy from a puppy mill, you tell the seller that there IS a market for treating dogs like that. Or any other abused animal.

Don't tell these people that there is a market for treating these animals incorrectly. Do your part to ensure that the market says that they will pay a fair price ONLY for an animal that is treated well.

You cannot save them all. You may be able to "save" the one today, but it will simply be replaced with another one tomorrow. Net result, zero. I'm not saying that this is easy to accept, but this is how it is.

 

[mattlee]

ok we got off the buying from lfs idea and went to buying a red tail from someone who already has one and no longer wants it.