Is there anything wrong with this mentality?

[hkarmy25]

My friend has a 125g with a panther grouper, cortez ray, and black volitan. I asked him what he was going to do when the fish outgrew the tank, and he simply stated he was "going to get rid of them". I know its possible, seeing as we go to the same LFS and the owner has no problem moving adult fish. He had a 2' panther grouper last week that was gone within two days. I guess my question is, whats wrong with this mentality? I've been rolling it over in my head, and the two biggest arguments are that "they will let it go in the ocean" or " they wont have a new home for it". Being that we live in northern Indiana, The ocean argument is trumped as well. I suppose I have done the same thing as him before without even meaning to. I had a red volitan in my 120g when I first switched to SW. When it got to big, I simply traded it back to the LFS for a juv. and started the process over again. It now resides in a 1000g in-wall build. But ANYWAYS, I was trying to think of an argument back, and I cant. On top of that, IMO, the most enjoyable part of keeping fish is their juv.- sub-adult/adult phase.......stumped. Anyone wanna chime in?

[mikem101]

IMHO I think that it is wrong to keep a fish in a tank clearly too small and, give it away when it "outgrows" the tank. These Reasons being,1. A juv tang, grouper, or any big fish needs tons of room even as a baby. A juv tang can pace a 125 at lighting speed, and from I’ve read on groupers smaller tanks cause extreme aggression and stress. 2. Also just what I’ve read but it can stunt a fish’s growth keeping them in a tank to small for the fish. Again this is just my opinion not saying its an end all be all but, just what I think.

[Ambition]

IMO, it is more interesting to raise the fish from being a juvie until it dies of old age, not until it is too big for the tank. I feel a responsibility when I purchase a fish to keep it until it dies of natural causes. While I'm sure there are others out there that could take care of it after the fish needed a new home, I can't trust them that it will get the same amount of care or that they'll even keep it. For me, I'm the only one who can ensure its life in captivity, and that I'd do everything possible to keep it thriving, not someone else (there tank is out of my control). Also, don't you "connect" with the fish as it grows? Learning its personality, or just love watching it? It would make selling/rehoming difficult.

[DragKnee]

I can't explain how limited I feel having only a 16 gallon. lol I think my largest tank some day may be a 120, and before getting into this hobby, I thought that was considered huge.

Sadly this concept is going to end up happening with my cichlids. I have 4 currently in a 29g setup and had plans on upgrading to a 75g till I got thrown into the love of saltwater. Now, I have no plans on upgrading any of my FW tanks which means in about a year, my cichlids will need to find a new home. Thankfully, my local LFS is very big on cichlids so I think they'll find a good home, but it still saddens me to an extent because they are awesome fish and very responsive to me when I come up to the tank.

I tend to find caring for fish to be more challenging then your normal household pet, so I think it's probably actually very common for people to get rid of fish after they outgrow the tank, or they get rid of the tank.

[aquaman67]

What's the LFS's role in selling fish that get huge?

[SushiGirl]

You could compare it to people who buy puppies or kittens, then get rid of them when they become dogs & cats only to get another puppy or kitten.