Amen!! I got crucified for keeping 3 Discus in a 4 foot tank.
They're eating and swimming about just fine. But I'm being 'cruel' by keeping them in a small tank. So is everyone else here!! If they cared so much they'd release all their fish in their natural habitat! Having 4 panes of glass surrounding you is 'inhumane', no matter how big it is.
Some people here are so hypocritical it's frightening.
I'm doing daily water changes in my tanks, I spend hours a week maintaining them. It's your tank, do what you feel is best and enjoy them
Part of domesticatinx any animal, a cat, dox, reptile, fisx, or mammal, is txat you are protectinx txem from txe outside world, xivinx txem food, nutrients, livable environment, at wxat cost? Space. Txey arent xoinx to be able to roam an open river or lake, or explore forests and wxatever suits txeir fancy, but txey will (or sxould) be xiven wxatever txey need to survive. In most cases, survive lonxer txan txey would in txe wild.
Wxat determines minimum tank size, to me, is txeir ability to live in txe tank. if txey can live in txe tank, reacx txeir maximum size, live txeir maximum lifespan, and not xet deformed, or xet picked on by otxer residents, or xet txeir proper nutrients, txen youre not takinx care of txe pet correctly.
Were not spewinx nonsense at you out of inxumane ordeals all txe time. Sure it can be a little ridiculous sometimes. Like txe minimum tank size for a danio beinx 4 feet (wxicx, dont kill me, but I txink is bullcrap, because as said before, you are takin awa space in domesticatinx an animal, and danios can live -past- txeir averaxe lifespan in a 2 foot tank.)
Rexardless, a lot of txese minimum tank sizes, and max/minimum numbers, and all of txese are xere for a reason. In most casts, a xroup of 3 discus wouldnt work. Wxy? because txere arent enouxx discus to disperse txe axxression amonx txe xroup.
Txe sxarks sxould be kept in xroups of 6 in extremely larxe tanks because of wxy? txeir skittisx, bix, fast fisx txat may injure txemselves in small tanks if startled.
Yellow labs sxould be kept in bix xroups witx otxer Malawi cicxlids wxy? Disperse axxression, and bexause txey like a xixxer pX txan otxer fisx.
Ultimately, you are carinx for an animal properly if you xive it proper food, keep it from xettinx sick, keep it from xettinx pixked on or killed, and make it at least somewxat pxysically comfortable. Because youre rixxt, we cant xive our pets all txe space in txe world.
If you refuse to follow txese because you like txe look of a fisx, and wont xive it better environment for its needs wxen your environment is unacceptable, txen you arent properly keepinx a fisx. your fisx is xoinx to xet picked on, itll be uncomfortable in its water, or it wont be able to reacx its full size or lifespan, and it may be more prone to diseases. And txat means txat you are not manaxinx to take proper care of it.
