killing a fish on purpose

[packer43064]

^^^
Angler
Sorry, even though I like my fish alot.....their fish. They can't walk up to me and sit on my lap/purr, they can't bark/meow, lay on my bed near my feet when I go to sleep. They just swim in their tanks and eat, that's it. It sucks when a fish dies or etc. but it's a fish. Just my opinion on it.

 

[cichlaguapote]

Not a very good example but......if I had taken in as an adult a super common breed of dog that no one wanted because it got like 300 lbs and 4' tall (dog vs fish comparison) and it was killing my other dogs and would kill any other dog it was with-no, I wouldn't 'shoot it'.
I'd take it to the vet and have it put down painlessly. It's a whole different ballgame anyway, because a dog can be trained.

I agree. Do it painlessly. But until I can go to McDonalds, Burger King, any major resteraunt large and small and get a dog sandwich.. Or until I see people with fishing rods with a milk bone attached trying to catch that lab for dinner.. A dog and and a fish aren't the same in western society.

 

[packer43064]

Edit: Not a very good example but......if I had taken in as an adult a super common breed of dog that no one wanted because it got like 300 lbs and 4' tall (dog vs fish comparison) and it was killing my other dogs and would kill any other dog it was with-no, I wouldn't 'shoot it'.
I'd take it to the vet and have it put down painlessly. It's a whole different ballgame anyway, because a dog can be trained.
Edit:

This coming from the guy who tried to save a baby mouse he found in the garage? lol

Hey.....shhhhh.

I felt sorry for it, it was defenseless, lol. I've also done the same for fish. I kept a Blue Acara for 2 years in a 10 gallon with no heater, no other fish liked it. I personally hated it, but I didn't want to do it in and kept it in a 10. There comes a point though, if I had a fish that was killing others(fish I liked alot) then forget it. I'm sorry fish but were on top of the food chain, your not.

 

[greenterra]

So many "fishkeepers" see fish as objects instead of pets.

The truth is that they are objects. Whether one wants to believe it or not, they are objects for our enjoyment. If we as fish keepers cared for whats truly best for all fish in general, we would not keep them in aquariums and would leave all species in their natural water bodies striving for natural conservation only. We don't because we enjoy watching these things of beauty swimming in our homes. We like the feeling of knowing we can care for another species successfully etc,etc. Anyway we look at it, they are in our homes as an object for our enjoyment.

As for the OPs question. I personally wish more people would euthanize their unwanted fish sometimes. It would be a far better option then it being released into natural water ways. By all means try too offload it first but if you can't and it means saving other fish? Well, I don't see how you have a choice.

 

[justonemoretank]

I agree that no captive fish should be introduced into the wild. So, then we have a problem. Because Pacus are being sold by the hundreds in every state, and only 5% of the people who buy them will properly care for them. That's a lot of giant fish. So, I guess it's better to euthanize (painlessly, humanely) than to let them go. One day, when I win the lottery, I will be a fish rescue. I will have my education paid for, and loans paid off, and mortgage and everything else, and I'll be a fish rescue. I feel so bad for the big fish. It wasn't their choice -- any of it. But that's why I have a lot of the fish I have, plus the dog, plus the rabbit, plus the three cats. I would never put a fish down. But, on the other hand, I believe in a woman's right to choose. Wow that makes no sense. Anyway, do what is right for the fish, always.

 

[Angler]

^^^
Angler
Sorry, even though I like my fish alot.....their fish. They can't walk up to me and sit on my lap/purr, they can't bark/meow, lay on my bed near my feet when I go to sleep. They just swim in their tanks and eat, that's it. It sucks when a fish dies or etc. but it's a fish. Just my opinion on it.

So cats and dogs are more important than fish because they can get close to you and make noises? I'm not really getting your point.

I agree. Do it painlessly. But until I can go to McDonalds, Burger King, any major resteraunt large and small and get a dog sandwich.. Or until I see people with fishing rods with a milk bone attached trying to catch that lab for dinner.. A dog and and a fish aren't the same in western society.

So fish are disposable because they are commonly eaten? Dogs are not disposable because they are not eaten in the Western world? Dogs are eaten in some parts of the world. And who is "Western society" to decide what is a pet and what isn't a pet but just food. That's pretty ethnocentric. An animal is an animal. I'm not really getting your point either.

 

[dmopar74]

dont ask, dont tell. its your fish, do what you see fit.

there will always be extremists(real word?), but i just dont get the whole dont kill a "pet" but have a double whopper while wearing your air force one's in your leather interior car.

 

[chefjamesscott]

hmmm very interesting discussion going on, I do like the post earlier from the mod about not rehoming other peoples fish because one does not know what behaviours they have learned or bad habits they have picked up.

Why do I like that view on the matter? Well, I have 2 pacu in this tank. rhonda was rehomed when she was at least 10 inches from a 55g with 3 5-9 inch oscars. Whereas Ron was rehomed from a 33g when he was about the size of a quarter.

Rhonda is a real bad ass, whereas Ron is mellow I have watched them to see.

So I would concur that some behaviours are traits that are born of the environment the fish is raised in.

Well as I have been sitting back and watching the discourse go on, I have made a decision. Since I did rehome the fish willingly I am about to do a tank juggle. By this I mean I am going to try to move my fish around without messing up the delicate equilibrium I have established in the various ecosystems I am running of the possible tanks that can home a fish this size.

this 140g could easily hold the 2 pacu but that causes the dilemma of where to put my africans, in my grow tank they will eat the smaller fish, in the 300g and then I am pretty sure the mass of fish would cause bad water.

the 150g would also work to hold the pacu BUT I will definitely take a bat to the pacu before I would ever mess up my front colony (J/K about the bat PUT DOWN THE FLAMETHROWER LOLOLOL)

the 300g they are in at present, there is no way I can successfully move the other fish so the pacu have to go!

my 180g smaller african community as well could hold the pacu but I am not so sure the little guys and gals would take to kindly to them and they prolly would get eaten

which leaves me with only 2 viable options of the tanks I have here

my newly set up 100g with a variety of local fish collected in the fry/minnow stage. managed to get five different types, a long standing desire of mine was to get native fish and grow them from baby stage to see what comes of it. If I have to the pacus can go in here, but, I am wondering if any of the babies would survive since the pacus have developed a taste for meat.

my new set up 180g which has all of my grow out fish, which if need be I can pick and choose the ones I am not willing to put on the chomping block ie) 4 gold severums, african peacocks etc.... and leave the rest to hide under the wood if need be. Though my iri sharks will definitely have to be moved out back to the 300g because Rhonda also has a taste for biting off their fins, which is why they are in this tank in the first place. I had to fast track this tank and used seachem stability and it made the water super cloudy, it was either this or watch my iri sharks get their fins eaten off (the tank also has a treatment to it to keep the fins from getting infected)

Now I also have 2 other big tanks coming but most probably wont have them set up for the next 3 weeks or so, I just don't want to lose my more valuable fish, so I guess the small fry will have to swim for their lives to live.

 

[Angler]

After reading my own statement, and then reading dmopar74s statement, I did sound like an extremest. I am anything but though. I just like to pose questions, and I saw no strong argument posed by those two guys, so I questioned the weak arguments.

Also, I think the longer you own any animal, the more attached you grow to it. I do have fish that I wouldn't miss too much if I didn't have anymore. I have an Argentea who I have had for several years, and I see him as a pet that I would miss. I have a dog that I got from the pound. For a while, I wasn't attached to him, and I wouldn't have minded getting rid of him. Now, after a few years, I would miss him if he left me.

I posted my extreme statement on my last post because I want someone to give me a good argument of why fish are different than cats and dogs.

 

[dmopar74]

my statement wasnt pointed towards you angler. people place values on things they like or care about. im shure lots of us have no problem feeding tilapia fillets to our "oh so prized" fish. whats the difference? do their cold frozen eyes peering through the vacuum wrapped plastic in the market not quietly scream "you did this too me you bastard!" while sounding like the wicked witch of the west?

remember that when you visit the seafood section next time