Responsible Stewards- Don’t Let The Future Fish Size Prevent You From Getting The Fish You Want

[BTimms]

The idea that you would simply keep a pet for short term selfish wants, only to give it away or rehome it is sad.

I like keeping my pets for as long as they live, to the best of my humane abilities. Dogs, cats, fish etc....all the same to me.

 

[Midrats]

I just "bonsai" my fish. Regular pruning and shaping, plus a tight tank keeps them tiny.

 

[James_O]

even goldfish get over a foot long but people happily keep them in little bowls

Depends on what goldfish it is. Comet goldfish CAN grow up to 12 inches long, but it’s extremely unlikely that would ever happen in a typical home aquarium. Most of the time, comets have a lot of genetic issues from being inbred and kept in overstocked/polluted tanks.

Fancy goldfish can only get up to 8 inches, but these usually don’t grow any more than 4-5 inches long, just because they are more susceptible to illness, because of their long fins. Their fins usually get caught on plastic decor, ripping it, and causing a bacteria infection that will later kill it.

Obviously all of this growth is affected by water quality, tank size, healthy food, etc.

Comet goldfish need at least a 30g tank when they are young, and eventually a 75g+ when they are older. Fancy goldfish need a 75g+ (for 1 fish) and even more room if you plan to have multiple.

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As long as the tang is still small in size, it’s perfect acceptable to keep it in a “smaller than recommended” tank size. (The research down on the tangs is with full grown adults, and not juveniles)

 

[PeterC99]

The idea that you would simply keep a pet for short term selfish wants, only to give it away or rehome it is sad.

I like keeping my pets for as long as they live, to the best of my humane abilities. Dogs, cats, fish etc....all the same to me.

Had my sheltie for 14 1/2 years before she died.

I know I'm providing a good home for that fish today and maybe one day will have to rehome. But what's the fate of that fish if I don't put it in my aquarium?

 

[blaxsun]

I know I'm providing a good home for that fish today and maybe one day will have to rehome. But what's the fate of that fish if I don't put it in my aquarium?

In the wild they get eaten and replaced by 2 more fish. The end.

 

[Viking_Reefing]

I think that line of thinking is ok but that it’s not a great idea in all cases.
let’s say you have a 100g tank and you bought a baby achilles that you now needs a new home. Finding someone to take a free achilles won’t be an issue but if it was a panther grouper on the other hand then…yeah.

 

[Soren]

...But what's the fate of that fish if I don't put it in my aquarium?

This is a dangerous aspect of the question. If there is no market for fish, nobody would collect them since there would be no money to be made from them. In this case, buying a fish encourages collection of more fish, and there are still probably far more uneducated and irresponsible stewards buying fish that are easily available than otherwise.
This relates to practices of big chain stores including those with marine fish/invertebrates/corals. Sometimes a responsible steward buys to provide a good home for a failing or poor-health specimen, but this does more harm than good since the store will just get more to replace the specimen and make more money. Boycotting bad practices, whether personal or commercial, is the most responsible stewardship in my opinion.

I partially agree with your original statement and certainly agree with the encouragement for more research before purchasing. If you have a concrete plan in process for a larger tank or local people very interested in providing a new home, maybe it works to buy that fish you want and keep it for a while.

My personal opinion, though, is that the most responsible stewardship is to forego that fish until you actually have a tank large enough or have a specific plan with another reefer for rehoming (and it is done well before visible stress is seen in a fish too large for its current system).

Now, some of the questions come from tanks on the borderline, especially when taking into account the "size the fish will reach when fully grown" which is almost always less for aquarium fish than listed maximums. I have found sources that recommend estimating only 80% or so of maximum listed size as the likely aquarium size. @Jay Hemdal has an article that I find very beneficial when considering appropriate minimum tank size for fish: Estimating the Need for Swimming Space for Aquarium Fishes.

 

[Potatohead]

The problem I have is that selling big fish is a PITA.

Most people with tanks large enough have already been in the hobby a while, and have a stocked tank already. Even if they wanted the take the chance on a new, large, aggressive fish being introduced into their tank (and the disease potential that also comes with that) chances are they probably already have the fish you're trying to sell anyway.

 

[czoolander]

Yeah I have to respectfully disagree as well. Here is my line of thinking and opinion whether it is right or wrong it is what it is haha

Most of these fish were ripped from the ocean have all that stress of transport to the vendor then to fish store and finally to the customer who bought them. That is a lot of moving and stress on them already and if I can do my part with responsible fish keeping to give them that final happy home they can live out their days in a reef environment equipped for everything to keep them as happy and healthy as possible. granted obviously the A ) choice is obviously the ocean.

Think of it this way if you live in an apartment and purchased a german shepard puppy . yeah its small and can live in that apartment but those dogs need a big yard to run around in . Now would you give away your dog once it outgrows your apartment ? I would hope people are not doing that .


Anyway interesting topic and thought I would put in my opinion

 

[MaxTremors]

The problem I have is that selling big fish is a PITA.

Most people with tanks large enough have already been in the hobby a while, and have a stocked tank already. Even if they wanted the take the chance on a new, large, aggressive fish being introduced into their tank (and the disease potential that also comes with that) chances are they probably already have the fish you're trying to sell anyway.

Fish rescues are overburdened with large fish from people who bought fish that they didn’t have adequate sized tanks for and planned on rehoming or selling them when they got too big and were unable to find anyone to take them. As I stated before, the practice of buying fish that will quickly out grow your tank with the intention of rehoming them shouldn’t be encouraged, is not in line with sustainability, and is not being a ‘responsible steward’.

 

[Cell]

Would I buy a Great Dane puppy because I just want one so bad with the plan of selling it when it gets too big for my house?

Are fish in a different class of pets than dogs and cats?

 

[PeterC99]

Fish rescues are overburdened with large fish from people who bought fish that they didn’t have adequate sized tanks for and planned on rehoming or selling them when they got too big and were unable to find anyone to take them. As I stated before, the practice of buying fish that will quickly out grow your tank with the intention of rehoming them shouldn’t be encouraged, is not in line with sustainability, and is not being a ‘responsible steward’.

I wonder if rehoming is a regional problem? I've had no problem rehoming fish here in the Northeast; selling my fish most times the same day I posted the notice, with multiple offers for each fish. I've even rehomed fish that I wasn't planning on rehoming - they just started eating my corals...

 

[Cell]

Lots of people live in rural areas that don't have a lot of fellow hobbyists.

 

[Doctorgori]

really most wild examples of fish are bigger than tank raised fish,… so you can apply the OPs line of thinking for most species anyway, all depending,…

Heck Clown triggers,panther groupers and Batfish grow too big for most any common commercial sized tanks, but thousands are sold anyway to many a unsuspecting buyer ….

Honestly Ive bought them all with almost NO hope to be re-homed in a proper sized tank later, Where?

So who owns all these large tanks in the land of misfit fish>

 

[PeterC99]

Lots of people live in rural areas that don't have a lot of fellow hobbyists.

Then that’s a different part of the equation and I would advocate as a Responsible Steward, you shouldn’t be buying fish that you are unlikely to re-home

 

[vetteguy53081]

I see Many persons saying dont get it, because it will outgrow your tank and reach a foot.
Many people are reading up on size and getting the size in the wild which we will rarely if ever achieve. An example is Humu Trigger which averages 5-6" in home aquaria and 10-12" in wild.
We have to consider there is a difference. In my 660g, Vlamingi reached 16" and remainded at that well over a year yet text says 24". Never seen more than 18" one and even unicorn in captivity.

 

[ceaver]

I see and agree with the rationality on both sides. This is what makes a debate great and help us all learn more about this hobby. We need to be able to debate such topics and learn from it on both fronts.

Well said and I concur. I'll share that I am an example of someone who recently was successful doing this with a purple tang, and received a king's ransom of SPS for it in a trade with a responsible local reefer.

That said, I'm 20 years in the hobby, was able to catch him with a fish trap which is not necessarily an easy task, and likely the fact that it was a purple tang contributed to the ease of finding an interested party. So I do agree that this strategy is not for everyone based on factors like these and others...

 

[ApoIsland]

Are fish in a different class of pets than dogs and cats?

Ha. For some reason the scene pops into my head of Travolta and Jackson debating whether or not a pig has as much personality as a dog and therefore should or should not be fit for consumption. Can't remember exactly what conclusion they came to on that one...

Obviously quite a few people on a forum like this will disagree with me, but I would imagine for the vast majority of the world the answer is that a pet you can routinely touch and interact with is in a much higher class than those you simply toss food to survive.

 

[Cell]

Level of interaction is definitely a huge factor and makes complete sense given humans are social creatures.

Do fish get attached to their owner? Or do they just recognize the hand that feeds them?

 

[cancun]

Level of interaction is definitely a huge factor and makes complete sense given humans are social creatures.

Do fish get attached to their owner? Or do they just recognize the hand that feeds them?

LOL.....I would love to know the answer to that!