I am officially BROKE, and ? about ethics in captive fish.

my2rotties · #1 12-10-2008, 05:38 PM

So hubby comes homes with his iphone pics in hand. He had to go to Wai's and pick up some fittings for the sump room, and saw something to cheer me up.

I look at the pictures and there he is, my puffer fish. Frank said he is really big, and then showed me a Naso Tang he is drooling over as well. I grab my last $160 that I have to my name and drive to Wai's. There he is, all 8" of beautiful happy puffer. I stood there for an hour wondering if I could spend $150 for a fish. I look at the smaller guys thinking they would be a better choice but I kept going back to the big guy. I then think I should shop around, but feel livestock you like that is healthy is priceless. If greenspottedpuffer lived in Alberta I would buy him out. That guy is my idol since I have loved puffers since I was a little girl.

He is home now. His name is Gryphon as in Stewie Gryphon. All my other fish went into hiding for two hours since this guy is huge and I was wondering myself if I should have brought this guy home. At first I was worried since he seemed to be swimming like a hunter, and I worried for my little guys. I fed him a shrimp, and although I read they were messy eaters, I really had no clue.

I have krill for him and gave him some squid last night, and he laid down on the bottom and went to sleep at lights out. I worried about that since most fish at the bottom of a tank like Gryphon are in trouble. He is swimming around today looking out the ront window. He must wonder what snow and trees are, and he is totally fascinated by all of it. He is not afraid of me at all, but it will take some time to get him to him to trust me. I think I might have learned a lesson about buying larger more mature fish since they were in the wild much longer. I will enjoy the challenge of building trust and making him my buddy.

Since he was in a reef for a long time and I wonder if I made a right choice. I feel bad for him, since even a 260g pales in comparision to his real home. He does not look so big in my tank now and is happily spreading his fins and enjoying the space. He has a rock wall to forage in and plenty of room, so he is better off here then a store tank I suppose. I I have no buyers remorse now and love this guy. I am still pretty upset over Ed, and know I will never get another Foxface, unless it is an older "rescue".

Wai's also has a giant Naso tang that my hubby loves, but I think it is mean to keep him in a 260g tank. Right now he can hardly turn around in Wai's display tank so I feel I would be rescuing him in the end. However, I feel fish this big should not be allowed to be caught in the first place. If I ever have a two dimes to rub together again, I would like to buy him for hubby, but wonder if it is the right thing to do. He is $300 as well, and I know if I bought him, he would be replaced by another to repeat the circle of sadness for another big wild fish. Any reading I have done says Tangs need a huge tank and not many other fish to share space. The owner of Wai's told me he sold the other big guy to a fellow with a 180 and that is enough space for him. I look at the fish and feel he should be at a zoo exhibit or in a reef where he grew up.

I also have concerns that since this fish is older, he may eventually pine away and die in a captive tank. I know reef keeping is selfish in many ways, but I look at all creatures as thinking being with thoughts and feelings. I don't want to spend $300 for an animals misery, and also cannot afford to have a fish die both financially or mentally. I get attached to my fish and see their personalities and they all have names.

I got into this hobby bcause I inherited an old marine tank with my old Foxface Ed. Had I have known how the fish were caught and the extent of suffering I would have never done this. I bought the 260 for Ed and he never got a chance to see it. Please don't think I am hacking on this hobby because it is awesome and rewarding, yet heartbreang all the same. When things go wrong I have no one else to blame but myself. ALthough I learn from it all, it costs lives that have no choice but to be where there are.

I don't knoiw why I feel so guilty but I do... But back to my question, is getting a Tang that is probably 16" or more inches long a bad thing to buy? I know there are many captive fish that are very happy, mine are, aside of Gryphon. I know he woul much rather be on a reef where he belongs. I know he has a beautiful tank and an awesome "home".

Any opinions and insights are most appreciated, since I want you to give me the God's honest truth. Perhaps I think too much, but these are living creatures and deserve respect. However, I cannot think of a better gift to give my husband since he has busted his behind to build this beautiful tank. He also deserves respect and to reap the rewards of all the time, money and research he has done.

lastlight · #2 12-10-2008, 05:47 PM

I have a 225 in the works and my showfish was to be a nice naso.

Then I saw the giant at Oceans which is bigger than the 'Wais guy' and now I'm struggling with whether or not I should ever buy one. I'm currently leaning towards no. They just get too large in my opinion.

my2rotties · #3 12-10-2008, 05:50 PM

How much are they asking for the guy at Ocean's just out of curiosity? I feel they are too big as well, but what do you do? Someone will buy them and they will be condemned to that life regardless of what we think. I just wonder if you can keep a fish like this healthy and happy. I think it should be illegal to catch fish that size (please no flames), since they are breeding age.

It makes me really sad...

fdiddy · #4 12-10-2008, 05:48 PM

If your hubby has spent a lot of time building the tank and everything, i think, IMO that it is more rewarding to watch your fish grow and develop. It is known that fish do not get as large in captivity and maybe you'd feel better about putting a smaller naso in and watchng him grow rather than buying one that is clearly too large to have grown in a tank. I know that i LOVE watching my fish change colours and grow and i would say that i have more of an attachment to those fish than i do for a few of the fish that i bought full sized already... mind you my tank is not nearly as large as yours and my full sized fish consist of a maroon clown and a blue-sided wrasse..

my2rotties · #5 12-10-2008, 05:53 PM

I have to agree with you whole heartedly. My husband feels the same way, but we really feel sorry for the fish as well. Watching him hardly be able to turn around in a display tank is hard bear. If I was rich I would want to buy them all and let them go back into the wild. I am a bleeding heart, what can I say.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fdiddy

If your hubby has spent a lot of time building the tank and everything, i think, IMO that it is more rewarding to watch your fish grow and develop. It is known that fish do not get as large in captivity and maybe you'd feel better about putting a smaller naso in and watchng him grow rather than buying one that is clearly too large to have grown in a tank. I know that i LOVE watching my fish change colours and grow and i would say that i have more of an attachment to those fish than i do for a few of the fish that i bought full sized already... mind you my tank is not nearly as large as yours and my full sized fish consist of a maroon clown and a blue-sided wrasse..

ShrimSkin · #6 12-10-2008, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by my2rotties

I have to agree with you whole heartedly. My husband feels the same way, but we really feel sorry for the fish as well. Watching him hardly be able to turn around in a display tank is hard bear. If I was rich I would want to buy them all and let them go back into the wild. I am a bleeding heart, what can I say.

Well, I think you have a very good point. But someone will buy that Naso, if not you someone will. At least you know that it will be taken care of correctly and your tank is more suitable for it then probably 90% of the tanks out there.

lastlight · #7 12-10-2008, 06:06 PM

There's no price on that Naso at Oceans and I've never asked. It has however been there for months so sometimes someone else *doesn't* come along and buy it.

my2rotties · #8 12-10-2008, 06:30 PM

I'm going to phone and ask shortly and let you know. I know these people have to pay the bills, but it worries me that they will sell a fish to almost anybody and don;t think of the animal's well being. Then people like me buy them and they die, and we are out the money and have a lot of heart break.

We have many bills to pay and I think VERY hard about things we buy... do we need it and the like. You get what you pay for, but when I bought the skimmer and pump last week, I felt sick to my stomach. However it is needed and it was for the well being of my animals. At this point we are in too deep to walk away.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lastlight

There's no price on that Naso at Oceans and I've never asked. It has however been there for months so sometimes someone else *doesn't* come along and buy it.

superduperwesman · #9 12-10-2008, 06:36 PM

I think you might be in the wrong hobby?? Maybe try something with inanimate objects

phillybean · #10 12-11-2008, 03:04 PM

Here is another way to look at it...

Is life in the Ocean that great? Sure they have the swimming room, but they also deal with bigger fish that want to eat them, they have to hunt (work) for their food. The reef (their homes) are disappearing (even with-out collection). Global warming and pollution are causing poor water conditions.

In a proper tank, the average fish will live longer than they would in the wild. Sadly, too many people have improper tank.

That said, I feel that fish over a certain size should not be collected.