<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9801405#post9801405 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Rosseau
It's a tough debate to get into. Rarely does anybody come out a winner. No matter how you slice it, our reef tanks can't even come close to the size of a natural reef in the ocean.
There are minimum sizes needed to sustain life. You could spend your entire life in a 3' x 3' cell and would be perfectly healthy, we all know that. But how do you measure your quality of life? Even harder, how do you measure the fish's quality of life?
Who knows. It's a tough one. Ultimately it's up to the individual to decide what they think is acceptable - if you feel good about it, then go ahead. (that wasn't directed at you Jadams)
I agree with this post. It is impossible to measure the quality of life of a fish based solely on the size of the tank it lives in. If the water quality is bad, that's one thing, however if its living conditions are optimal, and then only "concern" is the size of the tank, then it is impossible to judge short of asking the fish.
Technically, no fish should be kept in a tank. All fish should live in the ocean and have unlimited room to move about. Unfortunately this is not the case, and many people decide to put a minimum on tank size.
Some humans are locked up in prison and confined to a life of living in a 10' x 10' x 10' (1000 cubic ft.) cell, usually with another person as well. If we were to relate that idea to fishkeeping, taking into consideration that the average male is, let's say 5'10" tall, that's 11'8" of human per prison cell. That means that you need at least 84 cubic feet per 1 foot of human (aka 1" of fish per gallon). Does that make sense? Of course not. People live where they feel comfortable, and last I checked, prisoners don't die off left and right because they're cell is too small.
Further, contrary to the belief of some, fish are not as intelligent as humans. According to Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" in which a baby human is chained at each arm inside a cave with no light, the baby would grow up and no nothing other than what he can see from where he is. He would not even be aware that his arms were chained. This, relating to fishkeeping, would purport that a fish being kept in a small tank and knowing nothing other than living in a small tank would not cause it stress due to wishing or desiring a larger tank.
Anyway, this was a long rant not meant to go on for so long. Do what you want and what you think is right. My neighbor keeps a 14" arrowana in a 20 gallon tank, and some of the local chinese food places also have 3 LARGE oscars in a 20 gallon as well. The fish have been living there for at least the last 5 years and they're fine.
