Playing God

[Angry_Platy]

I have been having these thoughts lately about my fish and tanks that we as fishkeepers are playing god with their lives. Like yesterday, I trimmed my plants and moved some stuff around. So there the fish are, darting around my hands, stressing out. Then hiding behind things when I had finished (they are fine now). Imagine some big creature reaching into your house through the windows and moving around the furniture....we'd be like WTF?

Then when I buy new fish....I put platies in with swordies etc.....what if they don't like each other? Imagine being put in an enclosed room, with the door locked, to live with people we don't like and not being able to escape.

And food....what if we were fed day-after-day food we didn't like yet had no choice about it...."oh geez, carrots again for dinner....we had carrots last night, and the night before, and will have them tomorrow...I FEEL LIKE STEAK"....

And we wonder why our fish die.....

The we do water changes....reduce their space, add chemicals to the water, stare at them with our big googly eyes....and wonder why they get stressed.....

HMMM....I know this may seem weird but its just some thoughts I have been having lately. Perhaps I need sleep

 

[Raechal]

I always try to move some of the stuff around in the tank so my fish don't get "bored" with the tank looking the same everyday. I also give them a few different fish foods everyday. This includes fish flakes, bloodworms, brine shrimp, cichlid pellets and sun dried shrimp, along with some veggies.

 

[LoachLover]

I think you are over reacting a little bit. Just move things carefully and you won't freak them out, it's simple.

 

[dolly_daydream]

weird ive been having the exact same thoughts!!

 

[LoachLover]

Strange people

 

[WILDER]

I feel guilty sometimes am I keeping fish for my own pleasure, I don't agree with it really keeping fish in tanks, but they will still do it anyway and at least I try very hard to look after them, keep them in good health, and feed them a good diet more than some can offer them.

 

[specks]

The fish in my sons tank dont seem to mind when we peer in at them, usually they all queue up swimming into the flow of water waiting for food (even if they were fed only a short time earlier). The mollies especially always come to the front to say hello. We always feed a varied diet.

 

[Raechal]

In a way, I think we are doing our fish a favor if we have them in a fairly large tank and good environment because we are eliminating natural predators. They won't even be attacked or eaten by another fish. Their food source is always plentiful. They always have a good temperature and clean water for the most part.

 

[Squirrelbuddies]

Well, tank life is not that bad! Benefits of being in an aquarium:

No pollution (ie Exxon oil spills)
Guaranteed food source
No chance of being hooked, netted or runover by a boat propeller
No chance of being consumed by a bird or animal
Chance to meet fish from other parts of the world

--Squirrel

 

[WILDER]

Well, tank life is not that bad! Benefits of being in an aquarium:

No pollution (ie Exxon oil spills)
Guaranteed food source
No chance of being hooked, netted or runover by a boat propeller
No chance of being consumed by a bird or animal
Chance to meet fish from other parts of the world

--Squirrel

Have you asked the fish.

 

[phishluvr]

Chance to meet fish from other parts of the world

good one!

i'd say some are having a pretty jolly time given the fry.

I suppose it's as any other pet we may have. Our cat stay indoors, in relatively small environment, and is pretty happy. We have a mutual relationship with our pets and there'd be stress in any environment really.

Besides, do they know any different?

 

[Dorkhedeos]

well, if they are already on the top of the food chain, i guess they putting them in a tank will make them unhappy. if you were put in sealed house, with clean air and food, would you be happy?

 

[phishluvr]

what if a sealed house is all they've known? a bigger, nicer sealed house with fun caves, live plants, great food...would be paradise!

 

[ThinIce]

Its almost 1.00 in the morning here. But shouldn't someone say something about projecting human values and concerns onto animals?

Something along the lines of knowlege that you're going to die, awareness of self, yada yada ....

Someone else explain it for me?

Anthromapologising or something... I think its a complex philosophical and scientific problem over how much certain animals (and it varies widely) are self aware.

I personally think that your average wild fish life would include plenty of 'stress'. If you're concerned about allowing an animal to carry out its natural imperitive (ie survive long enough to breed) then you've also got the difficult argument of whether that animal would have survived to breed in the wild.

I think theres also another rather nasty issue in that we in developed countries spend billions on frivolities and hobbies such as fishkeeping (which unless its to preserve an endangered species or to learn more about etc it most definately is) whilst 100s of 1000s of people have probably died for want of what we could have provided to them (or helped themselve raise themselves out of their particular ####ty situation)

We're weird really ...

Gah - thats really depressed me now - ought to go to bed

 

[littlefishie]

Anthropomorphism.

We did that in Greek Mythology..