What's the future of fishkeeping?

[VioletThePurple]

Due to how severely inbred many popular fish species are, it has me worried for the future of fishkeeping. I hate to be contributing to this by buying fish, but I haven't really found an ethical workaround. Local fish stores tend to get their fish from the same places as corporate. Sites that sell fish online don't seem to have any shame in stating that they are fish farms. I'm not really a fan of getting wild caught pets, as I feel like it could disrupt the ecosystem. I have platies, and every so often I'll add a different platy variant to the mix to hopefully counter the inbreeding. I've heard that even bettas have started to develop health issues as young as a year old. But my first instance of having this concern was hearing about dwarf gourami disease. A deadly condition that is highly contagious to other dwarf gouramis. If this condition develops in other fish, the fishkeeping hobby could be done for. Am I just too deep in existentialism, or this a serious problem?

 

[Magnum Man]

man made fish, in every color of the rainbow, will probably be available as long as we are around...

but really... AI fish... a tank with infinitely changeable fish, on a big screen, and no water to change, or dead fish o scoop out...

 

[emeraldking]

What's the future of fishkeeping?​

Well, I do have to say that the regulations on aquarium fish in Europe have become stricter. This may cause a problem in the near future.

 

[Fishkeeper123]

What's the future of fishkeeping?​

Well, I do have to say that the regulations on aquarium fish in Europe have become stricter. This may cause a problem in the near future.

What regulations? Do you think that you might be able to keep fish in the future?

 

[emeraldking]

What regulations? Do you think that you might be able to keep fish in the future?

Well, we've got the red list that's going on. And it changes every time. Even the guppy was on there once. For they thought if they would be released, they could become invasive.
Last year I had to get a certificate regarding the commercial keeping of fish. Something similar is going on in Germany. And during this course, the review of the red list of animals (in our case fish) that are banned within Europe was also reviewed. This red list is updated every year.
There are plans within the EU to link the commercial keeping of fish to a certificate. Whether they will actually implement it within the EU remains a question for the time being. But you're in the Uk. With the Brexit, you don't have to worry about it.

 

[Rusty_Shackleford]

Really if it's this concerning, you should probably be more worried about native populations overfishing or introducing non native predators to an ecosystem ie Nile Perch rather than the rather small number of fish caught for the aquarium hobby.

 

[Back in the fold]

For me the future of fish keeping is to keep my personal aquarium strain of Aplocheilus lineatus Golden Wonder Killifish going . Keep my Endlers going and try to keep up with it until I take my dirt nap . I raise my own fish so if the powers that be regulate the hobby out of existence or bad genes kill it I will still have fish unless I goof . If I do goof then I hope there will be an underground of dedicated fish keepers keeping the hobby alive somehow .

 

[gwand]

I’m optimistic about the future of our hobby. I think there are enough dedicated, ethical hobbyists breeders that will keep strong blood lines going.

 

[fishorama]

In some ways I wonder if we should have a test to see if you are "worthy" of keeping rarer species...But I kind of think that for people parents too, LOL. Are you able to provide a stable, healthy home? What are your breeding intentions? Can you give them a "proper" home? Food, tank size, tankmates & all those other considerations? By whose standards?

Fish keeping in a learning experience over years! I've made many mistakes over time, but had some small successes too. I don't want to be limited to manmade strains of guppies, etc, I prefer more wild type fish without damaging their natural habitats too much...I'm old (ish) & probably have 10 years or so of tank keeping left to me. There are many species I'd like to try (again?) but time is running out...I'm always hopeful for the future; mine & our hobby's.

 

[Back in the fold]

I’m optimistic about the future of our hobby. I think there are enough dedicated, ethical hobbyists breeders that will keep strong blood lines going.

I want to think that too . All hobbies have times where there is a golden age and times when it looks as if they’re fizzling out . There’s still guys building ships in bottles but not as many as two hundred years ago . The guys that keep hobbies alive are usually the real hardcore purists at whatever it is . Sooner or later there’s always a rebirth of interest .

 

[Colin_T]

Gouramis get the Iridovirus and gouramis and all other fishes can get Mycobacteria (Fish TB), neither of which can be treated. Since most of the fish coming out of Asian fish farms have these diseases, and most pet shops and importing facilities have these diseases in their tanks, fish keeping is somewhat doomed. Fish won't live as long and if you get wild caught fishes, they usually go through the same holding facilities at importers and pet shops so they can pick up the diseases there.

 

[seangee]

In some ways I wonder if we should have a test to see if you are "worthy" of keeping rarer species...But I kind of think that for people parents too

an awful lot of people parents would fail such a test

 

[gwand]

Gouramis get the Iridovirus and gouramis and all other fishes can get Mycobacteria (Fish TB), neither of which can be treated. Since most of the fish coming out of Asian fish farms have these diseases, and most pet shops and importing facilities have these diseases in their tanks, fish keeping is somewhat doomed. Fish won't live as long and if you get wild caught fishes, they usually go through the same holding facilities at importers and pet shops so they can pick up the diseases there.

There are fish out there that are naturally resistant to TB just like there are a subset of humans resistant to Covid and in the past resistant to the plague. It’s a fact of nature. No disease ever wipes out an entire species. There should be a concerted effort to find these resistant fish, and use them as breeders. The only thing in nature that can wipe out an entire species are humans.

 

[Rusty_Shackleford]

There are fish out there that are naturally resistant to TB just like there are a subset of humans resistant to Covid and in the past resistant to the plague. It’s a fact of nature. No disease ever wipes out an entire species. There should be a concerted effort to find these resistant fish, and use them as breeders. The only thing in nature that can wipe out an entire species are humans.

A disease may not wipe out an entire species but it can wipe out an entire locale.

 

[gwand]

A disease may not wipe out an entire species but it can wipe out an entire locale.

The point I was trying to make is that there will always be healthy breeding stock to ensure our hobby continues in the future if we use a little science. What it takes for this to happen is a practical test to screen fish for TB. Such a test can identifies fish that are genetically resistant to TB. These resistant fish become the breeding stock.