treesprite
Member
I'm questioning the practice of getting fish that as adults need a bigger tank than what the person has, with the plan to move the fish when the fish gets bigger. I have done it before, and was planning to do it again.
I am having some doubts about it now, so I'm wondering what other people think, and also would like to know what research there is to validate any opinion about keeping juvenile fish in smaller tanks (I am not talking about tank sizes for fully mature fish).
I would like to know where the line is that tells us when a fish has grown past the point of being in a grow-out sized tank. For example: how long in its life is a fish that needs a 5ft long tank when mature, able to live in a 2 ft tank, a 3ft tank, a 4ft tank before stress due to the tank size begins to affect it? Is the fish really going to go without suffering from "small tank syndrome" if it lives in a 4ft tank for the first few years of its life?
I'm probably going to decide against continuing that grow-out practice if there isn't enough evidence to sway me back to it. It will affect my intention to focus on captive bred fish. Is one person supporting captive breeding more important than the well being of a single specimen? Would the growing out practice that might cause suffering to the fish, negate the value of trying to ensure animal well-being by not taking the specimen from the ocean (meaning it will do better in captivity than an ocean fish)?
I am having some doubts about it now, so I'm wondering what other people think, and also would like to know what research there is to validate any opinion about keeping juvenile fish in smaller tanks (I am not talking about tank sizes for fully mature fish).
I would like to know where the line is that tells us when a fish has grown past the point of being in a grow-out sized tank. For example: how long in its life is a fish that needs a 5ft long tank when mature, able to live in a 2 ft tank, a 3ft tank, a 4ft tank before stress due to the tank size begins to affect it? Is the fish really going to go without suffering from "small tank syndrome" if it lives in a 4ft tank for the first few years of its life?
I'm probably going to decide against continuing that grow-out practice if there isn't enough evidence to sway me back to it. It will affect my intention to focus on captive bred fish. Is one person supporting captive breeding more important than the well being of a single specimen? Would the growing out practice that might cause suffering to the fish, negate the value of trying to ensure animal well-being by not taking the specimen from the ocean (meaning it will do better in captivity than an ocean fish)?
