To Flush Or Not To Flush

[BigC]

there were no test kits 20 years ago when i had my tank as a kid,

Debatable......but in any case there are other methods today which can be adopted other than using a fish whose fate has already been pre-determined by yourself,
Bottom line was always going to be "That fish has to Die" am I not correct.

The point I'm trying to make here is, if this is common practice elsewhere not just on this specific thread then it sure makes for sorry reading about this hobby of ours.

ATB
BigC

 

[LauraFrog]

The fact that something was not always available, and that people had to make do without it in the past, does NOT mean it isn't an essential item. Thirty years ago we didn't have a widescale organ transplantation scheme, effective and safe cancer drugs, kidney dialysis machines or synthetic human insulin - and if you ever need any of these products, I very much doubt that I'll hear you complaining about how everybody was fine without them thirty years ago.

Surely an improvement in technology, that allows people to KNOW that their tank is not going to crash and kill their livestock rather than guessing, is a good thing? Like I said, epitome of penny wise, pound foolish.

 

[Jenste]

The fact that something was not always available, and that people had to make do without it in the past, does NOT mean it isn't an essential item. Thirty years ago we didn't have a widescale organ transplantation scheme, effective and safe cancer drugs, kidney dialysis machines or synthetic human insulin - and if you ever need any of these products, I very much doubt that I'll hear you complaining about how everybody was fine without them thirty years ago.

Surely an improvement in technology, that allows people to KNOW that their tank is not going to crash and kill their livestock rather than guessing, is a good thing? Like I said, epitome of penny wise, pound foolish.

Well Said!!!!

 

[Darkerwhite2]

common now people! i was hopping this wouldn't turn into a PETA rally. 'morality', 'humanity','living creatures'??

i don't intentionally expose my fish to suffering, but at the end of the day they are just a 75 cents a piece living organism just somewhat more evolved than the millions of bacteria i slaughter each i time i wash my hands. i like them, that's why i got them, but really, emotions aside, aren't they really just a little more complex instinct-driven 'ornament' being mentioned above?

regarding the tests: yes you're right, obviously i can't tell if the cycle has been completed. i can only assume it has, going with an average time, fact that the water looks crystal clear, odour-free, and considering the multiple additions of sera nitrivec and JBL's filter starter. (if you think they're placebo prove it).

but all this testing stuff is just so OCD. there were no test kits 20 years ago when i had my tank as a kid, and i don't recall anyone doing any worse than they do today. for 40 euros a piece, being a manufacturer of these things, i would have 100 people 24/7 sitting in fish forums recommending these things. so spare me.

but yes, as I already said, i will not flush the fish, or at least not flush them alive.

maybe i'll just use them to make a fur coat.

First to answer your question about flushing, don't do it dead or alive. It's really just as easy to put some toilet paper around it and into the trash.

Secondly why would you bring up a topic about this is you even had the inclining that we would go 'PETA' on your 'behind'? You already say you know that we would suggest test kits and such. The price of a test kit is minor compared to replacing fish every week for months and months. So I will still suggest one. They are one of the cheaper items to buy, and will help you make your tank more beautiful. ie. better to look at, which is why you bought the tank in the first place. Isn't it?

Lastly i don't give a guppy fart how much the fish freaking cost, its living and it deserves some respect. Yes they may be less intelligent than some animals. but remember you're on a very liberal forum that has hundreds of members that care very much about our fish, and all fish. That's why we are here posting for others who care about fish. From your four posts i can see the intellect of bacteria may be creeping up on your IQ Sir/Miss. If your not going to listen to what posters have to say and aren't going to show some respect, i don't really think you belong on this kind of public forum.

But if you have more questions about fish keeping and how its done I'm sure there will many people me included to answer your questions.

Good luck with your fish having.

What you need to think about is the native fish in your area... I don't know where you live, but I'd like to bet that you don't know what native species are in your local waterway. Most sewerage treatments do a very good job of filtering out the pharmaceuticals and chemicals that end up flushed down toilets and sinks (because they carry out the level of testing you seem so averse to). However they may not be up there on removing obscure fish viruses. No fish remains should ever be flushed down the toilet, because you don't know where the wastewater is going to end up. Wrap them in paper and put them in the TRASH BIN.
Additionally, no fish should EVER be flushed down the toilet alive, because it is a particularly inhumane way to kill a fish (that could be likened to killing a mammal - ie you - by freezing it alive.) Fish can survive for several hours there - in the roaring currents, the dark, the pollution and the cold - before some chemical burns through their slime coating to kill them.

I would also like to point out that you need to be a bit more careful about the comments you make on a public forum - I have a cousin with cerebral palsy whose disability is physical only and she is very upset by the way people constantly assume she is retarded when they see her.

I fail to see how the price of the fish has any bearing whatsoever on how you treat them. They are living animals and are capable of feeling pain.

Thought I'd point out what i think you meant! Good advice! Kudos.

 

[BigC]

.....and on that note
I think this thread has now outlasted its usefulness so we should move on...

Topic Closed

Thanks for all that took part in this eye-opening debate

Regards
BigC