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NFC: fish size
There has been a couple of posts about the moral issue of keeping a fish that
will grow to a large adult size without allowing for that when the purchase is
made. I cannot argue with the need for that. I don't take issue with the
problem of stunted fish languishing in tanks far too small. But before we step
up to the podium I think we should give some real thought to How big the
majority of aquarium fish get with adulthood. First we have to decide how big
an aquarium can hold how many of any given fish. Most people, I think it is
safe to say, have 10 gal or so aquariums. How big of a fish would be
comfortable in a ten gallon aquarium. Probably fewer than 10% of fish sold in
the trade and most 10 gal aquariums contain several fish to say the least.
Even among fish considered to be small aquarium fish there are fish that if
given space will grow huge, gorami's come to mind. Catfish, cichlids, and even
some tetras grow far too large for all but the largest aquariums. Lets not
point fingers until we understand where the problem is coming from. I am well
aware of how big most fish will get as adults, many times I have seen people
with 6 Oscars in a 55 gal tank and be so proud that they don't believe in
overcrowding their fish. Probably 90% of all aquarium fish have no business
being in anything less than 100 gal tank. I keep big fish, in warm water ponds
in my greenhouse. In my 125 gal tank I keep tetras like cardinals, catfish
like glasscats. crowding 25 or 30 of these small fish in a 10 gal aquarium is
cruel. So Big fish are just the tip of the problem, most fish shops depend on
over crowded fish tanks to make money. I'm sorry for my misspellings, I didn't
have time to look up some of the names but I think we can figure them out.
Michael