Why the Monsters? Is It Ethical?

[dogofwar]

Buying "monster fish" is often much cheaper / easier than buying the "monster" tank(s) that they need...

But acquisition seems like the proverbial ticket to the party.

It's just amazing how people justify their desire to keep whatever they want with no concern for their animals.

"Most people would love to have a bigger tank, but just can't afford one." THEN DON'T GET A MONSTER FISH!

What are you going to do with your Aro when it outgrows it's tank (and 20" in an 18" wide tank is inarguably, for reasonable people, not a good fit)?

 

[cchhcc]

Buying "monster fish" is often much cheaper / easier than buying the "monster" tank(s) that they need...

But acquisition seems like the proverbial ticket to the party.

Good point!

 

[dogofwar]

I know you're joking, but it's usually only a matter of time until someone plays the PETA card...whenever any aspect of animal welfare / care comes up.

I think it already occurred about 8 pages ago in this thread

do you work for PETA?

 

[Bderick67]

BUT, wouldn't we all agree that it would be a much better situation if all Aro keepers had at least the 300 stock tank at their disposal rather than the "I plan on getting a bigger tank" excuse? Even then, the 20" Aro wouldn't be 20" for long, so your suggestion is much more in line with keeping an Aro for life.

I guess that would depend on how many of these excuses become actuality. Many people with big tanks and small fish end up with too many fish, so this could lead to even more of a problem.

Basically we keep fish for our enjoyment not theirs. We all have differing opinions of what is or is not acceptable, so this will be just an endless debate

 

[dogofwar]

What if we substituted "dog" for "fish" in your statement. Would it make a difference?

"Basically we keep <dogs> for our enjoyment not theirs. We all have differing opinions of what is or is not acceptable..."

 

[Bderick67]

What if we substituted "dog" for "fish" in your statement. Would it make a difference?

"Basically we keep <dogs> for our enjoyment not theirs. We all have differing opinions of what is or is not acceptable..."

Not sure how a dog and a fish are even comparable. Not to mention there are other reasons for keeping dogs then just for our enjoyment/companionship.

 

[badisbadis101]

I only keep fish that i can house in my current tanks for life. My largest indoor fish is an 11" pleco, who spends the summer in my pond. He spent the past winter in a 20 gallon long tank. Honestly, i feel the tank was too small, but it was the only tank available. The water was kept clean, and he was fed. The tank is 30"x12"x12". So, about 1 body length by 1 body length by 2.5 body lengths. I considered it small. However, a 3 foot arowana kept in a 9'x3'x3' would be acceptable to nearly anyone on this forum, i would assume.

There are hundreds of factors to consider. There is no clear line between right and wrong. But there are situations where setups just scream unethical. I think we all have come across these. It is up to your discretion.

 

[cichlaguapote]

Basically we keep fish for our enjoyment not theirs. We all have differing opinions of what is or is not acceptable, so this will be just an endless debate

FTW, at least someone gets it

What if we substituted "dog" for "fish" in your statement. Would it make a difference?

"Basically we keep <dogs> for our enjoyment not theirs. We all have differing opinions of what is or is not acceptable..."

Anyone who is a fishkeeper cannot deny they're keeping fish for their own enjoyment. There's simply no other reason to have them unless you're doing genetic testing or are conducting some sort of scientific study. Any pet we keep is for our enjoyment or to serve a purpose to us. And people will have varying opinions of appropriate enviroments for dogs too. Though most if not all will judge a dog by how it looks/acts vs the size house it came out of.

 

[dogofwar]

Other than that they're both animals that people choose to keep as pets, absolutely nothing.

How about birds?

"Basically we keep <parrots> for our enjoyment not theirs. We all have differing opinions of what is or is not acceptable..."

Not sure how a dog and a fish are even comparable. Not to mention there are other reasons for keeping dogs then just for our enjoyment/companionship.

 

[dogofwar]

"Though most if not all will judge a dog by how it looks/acts vs the size house it came out of."

That's the point: what % of posters here can point to pictures of fully mature <pacus, RTCs, pimas, aros, other monster fish> in their care?

What if 90% of the puppies sold ended up dead after the first year after the sale?

I see lot's of "I just bought a pima" threads...but quite a bit fewer "My pima three years later" ones. Must just be that people are too busy doing hourly water changes for the 3' pima in a 125g to post pics.