Is Fish Keeping Cruel?

[jackson 10]

tbh yes it is but i love aquariums !!

 

[MarineMoney]

I think everyone has had their say on this subject and I probably will not say anything that hasn't been said before, but yes, fish keeping on a certain scale is cruel...I do not agree with wild caught fish to any extent, not in this day and age anyway, now that there are so many opportunities to tank breed. However, if the wild fish are being caught by EXPERTS in conservation projects to increase population numbers for endagered species then that is a different avenue to go down. The fish aren't just there for human gratification they are serving a higher purpose and will probably be treated with the utmost care and respect.

But I also agree that how you treat your fish is one of the most important factors. The amount of time and effort one puts in to learning about natural habitats, the maintenance of the hobby, the love for the hobby, what you desire to keep and how to keep them according to their requirements is what I think lacks among the fish keeping population. There are many many fantastic fish keepers who give their fish brilliant homes, however I think there are many more idiots in this hobby than we care to realise. That may sound harsh but with information, libraries, forums, and the endless sources of information available there is not much reason why people can blame ignorance. We've all made our mistakes, losing fish etc but as a general rule i've learnt that humans are impatient beings and want everything now without the realisation that this type of hobby takes time, patience, endless effort and knowledge.

Also, there are LFS's out there that should be closed down forever, unfortunately this hobby to some store owners is a way to make money through giving bad advice and selling fish to people who havent got a clue. It breaks my heart to think that sooo many fish are being sold to their death. If we decided to keep them in an alternative home other than the wild the least we can do is give them the best 'artificial home' possible. It sometimes frustrates me to read posts on forums from people who should not be keeping a tank but coming from the point of an animal lover whose done lots of research in to animal rights etc there are always going to be low lives out there who get a kick out of abusing animals or those who just dont care for looking after their pets appropriately.

As for giving them a safer environment well I dont think that is on the whole a very convincing argument, no one can deny nature, survival of the fittest, death, birth, disease etc even though through careful consideration of stocking options fish may have a hassle free life in the aquarium, I dont think the fact that its safer can be used a valid argument, but then again thats just my opinion.

I do keep a tank, I used to keep marine but I readily come away from that due to the amount of guilt I felt for the fish, coral reefs and the state that currently stands on the worlds marine habitats. even though they had a good home I could not do it. So now I keep a 4ft community tank to the utmost of my ability and to the utter devastation to my bank balance, lol.

 

[raptorrex]

I think everyone has had their say on this subject and I probably will not say anything that hasn't been said before, but yes, fish keeping on a certain scale is cruel...I do not agree with wild caught fish to any extent, not in this day and age anyway, now that there are so many opportunities to tank breed. However, if the wild fish are being caught by EXPERTS in conservation projects to increase population numbers for endagered species then that is a different avenue to go down. The fish aren't just there for human gratification they are serving a higher purpose and will probably be treated with the utmost care and respect.

But I also agree that how you treat your fish is one of the most important factors. The amount of time and effort one puts in to learning about natural habitats, the maintenance of the hobby, the love for the hobby, what you desire to keep and how to keep them according to their requirements is what I think lacks among the fish keeping population. There are many many fantastic fish keepers who give their fish brilliant homes, however I think there are many more idiots in this hobby than we care to realise. That may sound harsh but with information, libraries, forums, and the endless sources of information available there is not much reason why people can blame ignorance. We've all made our mistakes, losing fish etc but as a general rule i've learnt that humans are impatient beings and want everything now without the realisation that this type of hobby takes time, patience, endless effort and knowledge.

Also, there are LFS's out there that should be closed down forever, unfortunately this hobby to some store owners is a way to make money through giving bad advice and selling fish to people who havent got a clue. It breaks my heart to think that sooo many fish are being sold to their death. If we decided to keep them in an alternative home other than the wild the least we can do is give them the best 'artificial home' possible. It sometimes frustrates me to read posts on forums from people who should not be keeping a tank but coming from the point of an animal lover whose done lots of research in to animal rights etc there are always going to be low lives out there who get a kick out of abusing animals or those who just dont care for looking after their pets appropriately.

As for giving them a safer environment well I dont think that is on the whole a very convincing argument, no one can deny nature, survival of the fittest, death, birth, disease etc even though through careful consideration of stocking options fish may have a hassle free life in the aquarium, I dont think the fact that its safer can be used a valid argument, but then again thats just my opinion.

I do keep a tank, I used to keep marine but I readily come away from that due to the amount of guilt I felt for the fish, coral reefs and the state that currently stands on the worlds marine habitats. even though they had a good home I could not do it. So now I keep a 4ft community tank to the utmost of my ability and to the utter devastation to my bank balance, lol.

Here, Here

 

[Silverbinder]

Wow! What an excellent cross section of our vast community! Excellent discussions pro and con for wild fish in the hobby!

I have wild fish for a reason! Species betta and species livebearers, rainbows and killies are facing extinction due to loss of habitat and pollution of their natural habitats. One new road or a drought or clear cut a forest can eliminated a species of killie in a single year. If stocks are not maintained in aquariums around the world another species will be lost for good! In recent years, I have added a few tanks of native killies and livebearers to my collection. They are not the most attractive, colorful species but they often present a challenge to me to keep and breed and maintain.

I do not approve of raping wildlife resources. There should be an effort to encourage the people, in their own countries, to raise and breed these fish for sale, like the programs in Brazil and Thailand.

 

[bettaluv]

I don't think that the question "Is keeping fish cruel" will ever rest; because there are so many people in this world who have different opinions.

I look at my opinions usually depending on the situation. I've started off with three platys and before they were crammed into a small, dirty 10 gallon tank with about 15 other platys and some other type of fish. That to me is cruel.

Have you ever seen the living environments of betta in petsmart? They are crammed in plastic containers inside a metal shelf.

To me, that's cruel.

Most LPS and pet stores in general look like they do it for the profit; but I'm not saying that the entire 'pet industry' is cruel like that. When I walked into Petland they had about five puppies in a glass window. To me, that's cruelty. Actually, the Petland closest to me got sued I think because two dogs died there. Again, cruel.

But what MarineMoney said is very true: "However, if the wild fish are being caught by EXPERTS in conservation projects to increase population numbers for endangered species then that is a different avenue to go down. The fish aren't just there for human gratification they are serving a higher purpose and will probably be treated with the utmost care and respect."

I own four betta, who I bought from the LPS. My crown was half-dead in a 5 inch plastic bowl, same with my three veils.
I take my betta home because they are mistreated and sold for profit. Living in a two gallon tank all by yourself is way better then living in a plastic dish on a shelf, rotting yourself in three month old water which has so much scum you can't even see.

So to me it all depends what the situation is, but right now the balancing board is always changing what side it's leaning on.

 

[Mikaila31]

There is a good point here. Wild caught fish being over harvest to where they can face extinction. If I recall wasn't there some concern over the habitat of the celestial pearl danio, wasn't it badly damaged from over collecting?

Now we have to ask ourselves is this the fault of the hobbiest, or the fault of a country's lack of environmental protection?