flushing fish???

[ctenophors rule]

in marine science today we (by we i mean the class vs. me) got into a very heated debate about the ethical issues about flushing fish (especialy sick ones)

dont realy know why, most high school kids cant formulate good arguments in florida, just get angry when you address their point and start cussing you out.

so i was wondering if anyone could throw me a CIVIL reason or argument as to why fish should be flushed.

thanks, tommy

 

[JHemdal]

Tommy,

By "flushed" do you mean euthanasia in general, or specifically euthanizing a fish by flushing it down the toliet? There is absolutely no excuse for flushing a fish down the toliet to euthanize it, not when you can put it in some water, in a sealed container, and freeze it.

When I was 14, I had a big heniochus get bitten by a toadfish (I know, bad combination). I reached into the tank to try to force the toadfish to release the heni (taking care to avoid the toadfish's venomous dorsal spines) - nobody told me that toadfish also have venom in their cheek spines. I got stung, and by the time I had flushed the wound out with hot water, the heni was dead, and the toadfish had released it. Disgusted, late at night, I decided to just flush it. Bad idea, the heni lodged itself in the pipes and my parents had to call a plumber in. So - don't flush fish!

Jay

 

[therealfatman]

No flushing of live or diseased fish. Period. I went through a divorce where my wife held our home with the fih tanks hostage. This was in the early seventies during the days of just undergran vel filers with crushed coral and bleached coral. When I finally got back into the house a 12" Volitans lionfish was still alive in a 55 gallon tank with three inches of water in it. It had dug down into the gravel to the filter plate but was still live. I had him for 8 years after that until the tank was knocked over by two large dogs. Now speculate whether some fish can live when flushed.

 

[vickiNaz]

I once flushed an 8" plecostamas down the toilet in my 1 bed 1 bath apartment. It clogged the toilet. Trust me, the Roto Rooter guy was not happy 2 days later when he came to get it out.

 

[ctenophors rule]

no i mean flushing dead fish.

completely dead

 

[ctenophors rule]

the problem is i was considering pathogens, but they were arguing that to not flush the fish was "disrespectful" and that pathogens certaintly couldn't last in tap water, which i know to be untrue.

i was just wondering with the risk of pathogens why some people still flush fish, i am looking for a reason for it that i haven't been able to think of yet.

 

[billsreef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15034595#post15034595 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ctenophors rule
i was just wondering with the risk of pathogens why some people still flush fish, i am looking for a reason for it that i haven't been able to think of yet.

From that perspective a lot depends on if one has a cesspool or is on a sewer system. There are no pathogen worries if you have cesspool, though there are still clogged plumbing problems if the fish has any size. With a sewer system, there are certainly pathogen concerns, though most people don't think of that...they typically don't think past flush and forget. That sort of attitude causes many more problems than just flushed fish.

 

[ctenophors rule]

so, i wont be upsetting anymore religious groups by not wanting to flush fish?

is it realy aggainst god/gods for a "fish to die out of its element"?

(teenagers as a whole are horrible communicators) just my observation.

 

[ChuckLawson]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15035772#post15035772 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ctenophors rule
is it realy aggainst god/gods for a "fish to die out of its element"?
[/B]

You mean like in an aquarium instead of an ocean?

 

[billsreef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15035772#post15035772 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ctenophors rule
so, i wont be upsetting anymore religious groups by not wanting to flush fish?

It's too easy to find some religious group that will be easily upset over something...that's one of the reasons we don't allow religious discussion

 

[ctenophors rule]

gotcha bill 8)

never mnind my question, i will inquire elsewere.

thank you, though, i think that if their was any other reason noit too, it would have come up by now.

 

[greenbean36191]

Whether there's any ecological risk from flushing fish really depends where you are. In some parts of FL for example it poses a real risk because of how we dispose of sewage. A lot of it goes to leaky or overflowing septic tanks and cesspools or gets injected into sewage wells. Both of which are known sources of bacteria and nutrients to the reefs, and are suspected sources of the bacteria associated with White Pox and Black Band diseases in corals. In theory at least, any pathogens from your dead fish could make it to the ocean fairly easily.

If you're in an area served by an actual sewer then there's usually little risk since the water will be disinfected before it makes it back out to the environment. However, during heavy rains, lots of sewer systems allow discharge of untreated sewage into the environment so even a sewer isn't perfectly safe. If for example, you lost a bunch of fish during a hurricane, it might not be a good time to flush them.

 

[ctenophors rule]

ah, good info green bean.

exactly what i suspected.............wouldn't be the case.