I’ve been gainfully employed in the aquarium industry since 1995. There have been so many fish, freshwater and saltwater, that have come and gone under my care. I’ve tried my best to treat them all with as much care as possible. Many times, I came up short. I’ve made mistakes that cost the lives of gorgeous fish, and I regret each and every one. Even when they aren’t gorgeous, I still regret it. I’m obviously obsessed with keeping fish and probably, you are too.
I hope this post doesn’t come off as preachy but I have to state my case. If you love fish enough to spend your hard earned dollars to care for them, please put forth the effort to learn about their requirements before buying them. If at any point you can’t properly care for them or they have gotten too big for your aquarium, please give them to someone who can handle them or take them to a store. Never, ever, ever, release animals that are not originally from your area into the wild. It’s not cool and terribly irresponsible. The fish will die a terrible, slow death when the weather changes and possibly disrupt the surrounding ecosystem in the process. In a worst case scenario, I’d rather hear that someone euthanized a fish rather than let it go in a local pond or lake.
Please learn as much about an animal before subjecting it to captivity. You see a fish or coral in the local fish store that you just have to have. After getting home, you throw it in your aquarium…only to find out it is incompatible with corals or your other fish. Or you impulse buy a small fish only to find out it gets huge and your aquarium isn’t nearly big enough to handle it. Why buy an animal that you know nothing about and have no clue how to care for? The time to educate yourself about an animal you want to keep is before you get it, not after. Heck, you probably even have a smart phone in your hand at the time of purchase. Google it before you buy it. Also, I hate to say this but don’t take a random salesperson’s word for it’s care and requirements before buying it. At least double check with your smart phone.
Captive animals should never be treated like cut flowers. There for your enjoyment but neglected until they die. Mistakes are one thing but willful ignorance is unacceptable.I am not the least bit shy to say, if you don’t agree with me, please find another hobby.
As someone who has devoted their life to caring for animals in captivity, please, I ask you to approach it with the greatest respect for the animal you want to bring home. If you find yourself saying, “Meh, it’s just a fish.”, then allow me to Google the nearest hobby store for you so you can pick a new one.
OK…I’m stepping down from my soapbox. Carry on.
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