You can keep a Silver in a 125 for life!
- Thread starter Angler
- Start date
LFS always gotta make a buck.Ok, I am going to play the Devils advocate, mainly because I have monsters in small tanks. These fish have no idea of freedom and probably don't care how large their tank is as long as they have food and clean water. Most silvers unless bred in ponds came from wild fish as yolk sac larva brooded in the males mouth. These were expelled from their fathers mouth that broods them, likely followed by his untimely death. The exporter probably kept the larva in a small tank and then these were bagged with oxygen and shipped to aquarium or wholesale operations several days away. All this time the fish is in a small container with some of its brothers and sisters dying next to him. Some wholesalers likely put these in tanks and grow them to about 6 inches before sending them to retailers. Most retailers have 20 gallon tanks that they stick these in. We buy the fish and put him in our aquarium and care for it usually better than the exporter, wholesale or retail keeper. They only need to acclimate it and make the sale. Every step of the way the fish is growing and increasing in value with price markups. I put mine in a 125 gallon aquarium and fed it, changed the water, treated it for illness and now it is over 2 feet and appears happy. Happy is a anthropomorphic term because the fish is guided by instinct and may only experience starvation or satiation along with dirty or clean water over its gills and nostrils. The fish has never known freedom and probably would not act any different if transferred to a 280 gallon aquarium. It can turn around, is never fussy and greets me anytime I am near the tank. It is better that I brought it and kept it alive in its small quarters than someone killing it in a larger or smaller container. Tank size is relative to our minds.
in its 125 gallon tank. Prove it!
Looks like its pretty happy. Eventually it might need to have more space but hey....you are the owner and can tell us what is going on with your fish. Truthfully, everyone wants to be the macho fish guy but in the end it cost money....I think realistically, if a person take good care of their fish, diet, water changes, filtration, etc. and the fish seems like its doing fine then its better then what most are doing. I seen large 30 inch aro's in 55 gallon tanks, not saying its a good thing by all means just....its better then most....just wanted to say responsible fish keeping is a must with these fish....hopefully we all do what we can, or what is best for the fish in the long run.
