Great Barracuda - Ethical treatment question

[Zoodiver]

If one feels so inclined, buy him and release him. The ocean is where he belongs.

If he keeps for 2 years it will be because he's stunted as those fish need lots of space to swim (they go up to 40 feet a second) and turn around. Making him adjust to living in an 8 x 2 or 8 x 3 tank for 2 years is not doing him any favors.

Release it in the ocean... summer times coming, waters are warming up and he should not have a problem making his way down south

I think you are set on buying it and just want some approval on here to make you feel better

I do agree that releasing him into the ocean when he's a bit bigger is a good idea.

Releasing them is illegal - and a bad idea regardless of the law. Being in a controlled environment has exposed him to pathogens not in the wild. Also, chances are it has seen some type of medication. Usually, that type of thing will inhibit the immune system's ability to fully function if he were put back. There are huge protocols places have to follow prior to introducing a captive animal back to the wild.

Why not just contact an aquarium that can house them and see if they will take him now? We have great barracuda at or aquarium in a 500k tank. They do need a huge chunk of space. While they do hover in one spot here and there they do swim around quite a bit. I would also check the legalities behind this animal in your area before you do anything with it.

This. Prior to taking him home, call your aquarium. Many places won't take donated animals that have outgrown a home tank purely for the idea that it only encourages people to continue to buy them since they have an 'easy out' at the end of their mistake.

That being said, I have raised plenty of 'cuda in grow out situations for large displays. They do get big, but like posted, they hover/hang out. Not big swimmers unless they are chasing prey. With a 600 gallon (assuming you don't build some goofy verticle size), you'll have a year or two with the fish...if not more.

 

[lix.ma14]

pics of the cuda?

 

[Animal1998]

Put the fish on hold and call the aquarium that way if they will take him you can get him and not someone else.

 

[Drstrangelove]

Zoodiver, thanks for the correction. Good points that I hadn't considered since it was "the ocean." It's still releasing and that's still wrong.

 

[Zoodiver]

I hate to say it, but our store carries them on a regular basis. I'd say maybe 1 in 100 will go to a tank big enough to house it for more than a year.
It's sad, but it's also the nature of a 'for profit' business like a fish store.

 

[Anchovie]

Don't buy it. Yea it's messed up, but is it any worse than the stores selling RTC, pacu, Pima, aro, and half the other fish that everyone here has? If you really want to do this fish a favor, give the guy his 10$ and euthanize. My lfs carries dovii for 2.99 and 80% go into 55 gallon tanks. It is what it is brotha.


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[ryeguy28]

Releasing them is illegal - and a bad idea regardless of the law. Being in a controlled environment has exposed him to pathogens not in the wild. Also, chances are it has seen some type of medication. Usually, that type of thing will inhibit the immune system's ability to fully function if he were put back. There are huge protocols places have to follow prior to introducing a captive animal back to the wild.




This. Prior to taking him home, call your aquarium. Many places won't take donated animals that have outgrown a home tank purely for the idea that it only encourages people to continue to buy them since they have an 'easy out' at the end of their mistake.

That being said, I have raised plenty of 'cuda in grow out situations for large displays. They do get big, but like posted, they hover/hang out. Not big swimmers unless they are chasing prey. With a 600 gallon (assuming you don't build some goofy verticle size), you'll have a year or two with the fish...if not more.

i will call all local aquariums in Virginia , North Carolina, Tennessee and south Carolina .. i will make the drive if they can do it
BUT if none of the following can do it i will take him in and i will not release him into the wild ... ill house him in like a 8'x4'x24" and maybe in a year or so after keeping him a large aquarium will have the avalibilty to keep him

ill call every month or some stupid **** like that to see if anyone has room

 

[elisuwe]

How long will your 600 take to build? Imo buy it and euthanize it, kindest thing to do because there's no guarantee that the aquarium will take it.

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[krichardson]

I hate to say it, but our store carries them on a regular basis. I'd say maybe 1 in 100 will go to a tank big enough to house it for more than a year.
It's sad, but it's also the nature of a 'for profit' business like a fish store.

The store I used to work in years ago used to bring them in and I see them now from time to time...OP why go through all of the hassle,and are you going to do this every time you see and feel sorry for a barracuda in the future?

 

[ryeguy28]

How long will your 600 take to build? Imo buy it and euthanize it, kindest thing to do because there's no guarantee that the aquarium will take it.

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not long ... within the next 2 months ... i only need to work out what im useing for sealer and what im going to do about glass/acrylic