[Howie]

Originally Posted by IanWR

I get what you are saying. There are people who seem to suggest that keeping pets saves them from a miserable life in the wild. That is clearly silly. And yet I think there is a middle ground between "pets are fully sentient" and "pets are objects". I have similar feelings about cattle. Yes, we keep them to kill and eat them. Yet I don't think that means we can treat them any way we feel like. I feel like we owe them proper nutrition, a modicum of space so they don't go crazy, and as quick a death as we can manage. So in an aquarium context, it means (for me) not being cavalier about the critters I keep. I don't lose sleep if I buy a coral and it dies, but I do attempt to create conditions that it could thrive. And that means researching, asking for advice from those with more experience, and making reasonable choices with what I buy. I don't feel foggy, but maybe I'm out to lunch? Maybe with a few more years under my belt I'll feel differently.

Definitely agree!