Is it bad to...

[vanwassup]

buy a fish that you know is going to outgrow your tank if the petstore says they will take it back in a few years when it is bigger? I am expecting my RedSea Max in a few days and I found a cool aquarium/reef store. They had lots of hippo tangs that were quite tiny. My daughter is four years old and she really wants one in the tank. I'd like to humor her, but I know hippo tangs get very large... so I guess my question has two parts

1. Is it unethical to knowingly get a fish that will outgrow your tank - with the intentions of returning it to the store (they'd give me a credit towards another small one when the baby grew up a little bit)?

2. How long would it take a one inch hippo to outgrow a 37 gallon tank?

Thanks,
Vanessa

 

[Neptune420]

I don't think there is anything wrong with that if they are going to take it back. I would be more worried about becoming attatched to the fish. You could keep a tiny hippo tank in a 37 for maybe a couple of years tops. Thats my guesstimation.

 

[chrissreef]

" I would be more worried about becoming attatched to the fish"

agreed

1. honestly, it's probably unethical to keep any animal caged or confined. the fish is small now so I don't see an issue IF you really intend and DO bring her/him back when they get larger.

2. probably 18 months

 

[Kemo484]

I agree with both posts above. Anyhow come a year or two I bet you'll probably be looking at a bigger tank, haha, this hoby is addicting. Also just as an advisory, the Red Sea Max is only 34 gallons and about 5 gallons are in the back filter area so your looking at around 29 gallons of open tank area.

 

[vanwassup]

I wondered about that....so if I remember the calcs on fish length per gallon in the tank, I can only have seven inches of fish in the tank, correct?

BTW: I won't be getting a bigger tank. I had a 150 gallon years ago and I didn't want the hassle of dealing with the RO water - lugging bucket after bucket around town. Water changes were awful with that tank and expensive. There was a tank failure (major leak) while I was away on business and I lost the whole tank. I vowed never to do that again. I miss the tank/fish though. I just got back from Hawaii - going there always inspires me to pick the hobby back up again.

Thanks,
Vanessa

 

[Wolverine]

I've seen a lot of people get burned doing this. Sure, the store is willing to say now that they'll take it back. However, two years down the line (or however long it ends up being), it's very easy for them to say, "no thanks, our tanks are full." Or, "Joe used to let people do that, but we don't anymore". Or something else along those lines. Then you're stuck with a fish that's too big for your tank.

And yes, I've seen this happen even with small LFS where people feel they have a good relation with the people working there.

Dave

 

[RumLad]

provided that the fish actually lives to get that big, I would think you could find a suitable home for it.
Try to get the LFS to put it in writing and start looking for your local reef club in case you need another source.

 

[rwbogard]

Has anyone ever heard of a local public aquarium taking marine livestock that has outgrown its tank? I doubt they would pay for it, but at least it would be a good home. I have been pondering this for a while as I have a gigas clam which will definitely outgrow my tank in a few years.

 

[Wolverine]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11575846#post11575846 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rwbogard
Has anyone ever heard of a local public aquarium taking marine livestock that has outgrown its tank? I doubt they would pay for it, but at least it would be a good home. I have been pondering this for a while as I have a gigas clam which will definitely outgrow my tank in a few years.

It depends on a lot of things, such as what they already have, and what they need. I'd be shocked if they'd pay for it, but sometimes they will take a donation. It helps if you're already on good terms with the curator. When we broke down one of our tanks in Omaha we donated a few animals to the aquarium at the Omaha Zoo. They didn't need everything we had, but luckily the Children's Museum did need some of it for their reef tank (and the store I worked at did maintenance on their tanks, so that was easy to set up).
While they might take it, it's a bad idea to count on them taking something when you buy an animal that you know will outgrow your tank.

Dave

 

[Sk8r]

And the inches per gallon rule doesn't work at all for marine fish; plus their growth can be very rapid...if you can't say no now to your daughter's desire for a theoretical "Dory," what are you going to say to your vocal five-year-old next year when "Dory" has to go bye-bye? I fear you're doomed to a larger tank, one way or the other.

 

[LisaD]

if it does well for you, survives and thrives, it will outgrow your tank pretty quickly (less than a year, IMO). while you may or may not get attached to it, your daughter certainly will. my 5 and 10 year olds are pushing me to set up more tanks for them because they can't bear to get rid of their multiplying guppies. my suggestion that I feed them to my leaf fish and seahorses were met with total rejection. I don't have much of a leg to stand on against tank expansion, since they see me doing it (look at my sig). we set up more/bigger tanks for guppies this weekend... sigh...

I agree with the previous posts that it is not unethical to buy a fish you know will outgrow its tank IF you have a plan to get it to a suitable home (via petstore or direct to a hobbyist). but since you are not planning to upgrade to a much larger tank, be aware your parental ethics may be questioned by your child. kids are not understanding if for any reason they have to give up a pet.

I'd find a few engaging, colorful, small and hardy fish that she could enjoy for many years. you didn't ask for a list, but I'll give you a few that IME are hardy and the right size for the tank. these are not all necessarily compatible, just suggestions for your consideration. also, I'm not telling you not to get the tang, just warning you of the potential consequences at home. if you do get one, don't get the teeniest ones. they can be really delicate and often don't survive. sometimes even the difference between a one inch tang and a 1.5 or 2 inch can mean survival in your tank or not. go for one really filled out, active, brilliantly colored, with no transparent or faded areas and no white spots anywhere.

some suggestions for small, colorful, hardy fish I have kept for at least three years:

-six line wrasse
-royal gramma - I had one of these for over seven years
-pair tank raised ocellaris clownfish - you will end up with a bigger and smaller one - Nemo and Marlin to your daughter
-orchid dottyback
-bicolor blenny
-coral beauty dwarf angelfish

a great reference for you and your daughter, even though you have hobby experience, would be New Marine Aquarium by Mike Paletta. great illustrations, a nice way to discuss fish selection with your little aquarium hobbyist. I have shared my hobby with my daughters since they were very young. it is really nice to have this with them. I taught my older daughter how to acclimate fish this morning. I lent out my copy of the book, never got it back. I'm going to buy another one, even though I've kept marine aquariums 30 years.

to help with nano tank and beginner fish selections, liveaquaria has some nice suggestions:

nano
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?pCatId=2124

beginner fish (some will be too big for your tank, many are suitable)
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?pCatId=1926

Good luck!

 

[camlov2]

I guess when it comes to that point and your child is upset about sending the fish to another home you could do the following:

put up some plywood in the kids room so that they only have a 4ft by 4ft by 4ft area to play and sleep. After a few hours I think the kid would start crying, they wouldn't want to live in an area that small. Then explain that this is how the fish has to live.

What? CPS? Ok, don't do that, but maybe you could find a more responsible way to show them what a small living space is like.

Brian

 

[bored4long]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11606214#post11606214 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by camlov2
I guess when it comes to that point and your child is upset about sending the fish to another home you could do the following:

put up some plywood in the kids room so that they only have a 4ft by 4ft by 4ft area to play and sleep. After a few hours I think the kid would start crying, they wouldn't want to live in an area that small. Then explain that this is how the fish has to live.

What? CPS? Ok, don't do that, but maybe you could find a more responsible way to show them what a small living space is like.

Brian

I just used the crate we use for the dog. It only took 20 minutes to get the point across! OK, I'm kidding. :rollface:

 

[vanwassup]

Ok, ok

Ok, ok

I just got the max....it is way too small for a hippo. I knew that by the gallons but woah, after seeing the tank...no way. I think a couple of clowns and a damsel is about all that tank is going to hold.

Oh, and no, I wouldn't put my four year old in a crate. :eek1:

I know most kids have parents who spoil them and you guys get all sorts of questions like this, but my daughter was born with a birth defect which puts her through major (brain) surgery every few months and I really like to do things that improve her mood so she has little pick-me-ups when things are bad for her pain-wise. Anyway, we're gonna have to make due with the clowns because that tank is mighty small (but pretty).

Thanks all,
Vanessa

 

[Kemo484]

http://rsmreefers.com/index.html Heres a link to a Red Sea Max owners club site. if you click on inhabitants inforcenter, it lists other things that are good for the max. There are also some easy and cheap mods that make it run a little better and quiter. Enjoy your max.

 

[REEFY1]

OR get a bigger tank !!!!! Thats what we all want anyway!!!!