Ever felt upset/unethical for downsizing tank and rehoming fish?

[ShrimpDemolisher]

I'm thinking about downsizing my tank from 75 to 29 gallon. I'm not sure if I'll do it, but I feel uneasy. I love all my fish and I'm bonded with them. Downsizing tank meaning I have to rehome some of them. It also means the remaining fish will have to live in a smaller environment. Have you ever felt this way? Or you just gave away your fish and never missed them again? Am I being over-emotional?

 

[AJsReef]

As long as you find someone well equipped to care for them I don't think you have much to feel bad about

 

[MaxTremors]

I get it, around two years ago I had to get rid of three aquariums (which amount to around 20 fish, probably 120 corals, tons of inverts, and hundreds of pounds of live rock) due to health issues. I then went tankless for around a year and a half, and just a few months ago set up a new 28 gallon (health is doing better, and I hate not having a tank). It’s tough, when you have a fish or a coral that you’ve grown for years, it’s hard to get rid of them. When you’re getting rid of that much livestock, you almost inevitably give some it to people you’re not confident will take as good of care of them as you did. A lot of people get into this hobby and are super into it for 6 months to two years and then sort of lose steam (pro tip: if you’re looking for good used equipment, wait for summertime, a lot of the people who got into the hobby over the winter will have burnt out and will be selling/breaking down their tanks), so it can be hard to weed those people out when giving away/selling your livestock.

 

[KrisReef]

What kinds of fish do you have?
I have two kids living at home, a hamster and a chinchilla. Maybe we can work a trade?

 

[davidcalgary29]

You are making the ethical choice by realizing that you can't give your creatures the care that they need, and by trying to find a good home for them. It's a far better choice than neglecting them. Or releasing them into the sea. Or flushing them down the toilet, which I've known some people to do.

 

[snorklr]

i really cant imagine a situation other than moving where you would downsize something you already have to start over with something smaller

 

[Billldg]

Agreed with above, as long the fish go to a bigger/better home, I have no issue rehoming fish. I look at the health of the fish, and if a bigger tank is what they need, then so be it.

 

[Chefwheredyougo]

i really cant imagine a situation other than moving where you would downsize something you already have to start over with something smaller

Nothing wrong with downsizing at all. I sold my 120g system in December because I didn't have time to care for it the way it needed to be, (due to an extremely busy season at work). Knew I was getting back into a tank, albeit a smaller one in the future. Everything went with the tank, and I saved the money for my next one. As of yesterday my jbj RL-20 aio is wet, with live gulf rock coming in this week.

As to the OP, there's no problem with downsizing or selling it to responsible people, when you know you are no longer capable of giving the animals the care they deserve.

 

[ZoWhat]

This guy downsized and still misses
Mr. Bubbles to this day....



.

 

[davidcalgary29]

Nothing wrong with downsizing at all. I sold my 120g system in December because I didn't have time to care for it the way it needed to be, (due to an extremely busy season at work). Knew I was getting back into a tank, albeit a smaller one in the future. Everything went with the tank, and I saved the money for my next one. As of yesterday my jbj RL-20 aio is wet, with live gulf rock coming in this week.

As to the OP, there's no problem with downsizing or selling it to responsible people, when you know you are no longer capable of giving the animals the care they deserve.

I completely agree! Bigger isn't always better, especially when you can't wrap your head around spatial dynamics. My best build by far this year is my Evo, where I've established a pretty good aquascape and a good balance of livestock. My RSM 250 (started at the same time), on the other hand, is a mess because I haven't figured out the aquascape and need to replan. My personal sweet spot seems to be in the nano range.