Is keeping fish in aquarium cruel?

As animal lovers, we like to see animals happy and healthy. But we also like to keep some of them close to us. Spending time with our favourite pets makes us happy, be it dogs, cats or fishes.

However, it also raises an ethical question – Are these animals happy too? Or are we confining them to small spaces just for our pleasure? Wouldn’t that place us in the category of sadists, engaging in an act of animal cruelty, even though unknowingly or unconsciously?

These ethical questions are more pertinent in case of fishes than most other pets. Yes, we do confine dogs, cats, parrots to limited spaces too. But many of them have been domesticated over centuries. So much so, that some of them cannot even survive efficiently on their own in the wild. Moreover, we do take them out, and give them huge spaces to play around. Both of these points are not applicable in case of fishes in general.

Most of the fishes that we keep in aquariums are caught from the wild. They can very well survive in the wild too. And the size of our aquariums (even ponds), however large they may be, cannot match the infinite space that these fishes enjoy in the wild.

These are some very critical questions that bother many animal lovers. In this article, we will try to find answers to these from philosophical, ethical, and practical point of views. Read on!

Table of Contents

• Is it ethical to keep fishes in fish tanks?
• Is keeping fish in bowls cruel?

Is it ethical to keep fishes in fish tanks?

Well, there’s no straight-forward yes or no answer to this. It depends on the kind of aquarist you are, and the kind of fishes you are keeping.

What Fish Breed do you have?

There are some fishes that are man-made, and born in fish tanks. For example, Goldfishes are man-made fishes. They will not be very good in surviving in the wild; they will probably get hurt or get eaten up by some predator. So, keeping them in aquariums will be much better for them.

We can find many such examples in case of other pet animals too. For example, domestic white rabbits cannot survive well in the wild. Similarly, some dog breeds such as Pomeranians, Indian Spitz, Shih Tzu, etc. and some parrot breeds cannot survive well in the wild. These have been born and breed as domestic animals for generations. So, they have all but lost their survival skills.

So, keeping some fishes in aquariums is rather an act of empathy, rather that of cruelty. They would probably not even be able to survive in the wild for a few days.

What kind of an Aquarist you are?

Apart from the fish breed, you also need to know what kind of an aquarist you are.

• Do you keep fishes because you love them as pets, or just for decoration purposes?

• Do you take proper care of the fishes? – Change their water on a regular basis, provide them proper food, maintain their filter, heater, etc.

• Do you make sure that someone takes care of them if you are on a vacation?

• Do you take them to the vet for regular check-ups?

If you are a good and responsible aquarist, then your fishes will probably be better off living with you than in the wild. After all, fishes are much safe in the fish tanks than they are in the wild. In the wild, fishes are attacked by various predators, they have to struggle for food, etc.

Make sure you only keep compatible fishes together. If you do not know which fishes are compatible with each other, you may read this article of ours.

And if you have a decent size aquarium (atleast 3 feet or above), which has about the same conditions that fishes get in the rivers/ponds (pH lever, temperature, plants, lighting, etc.), then they will be much more comfortable living in an aquarium. The length of an aquarium must be at least 6 to 8 times the size of the fish that you are keeping in it.

And remember that fishes grow. So, with time you may have to shift your fishes to a bigger size aquarium. Some people panic if their fishes get very big and then leave them in local ponds, and rivers. A fish that was born in a fish tank and spent all its life there, may not be able to adjust to wild life, and will get killed. This definitely is an act of cruelty. We should NEVER abandon our pets!

So, make sure that you do a lot of research before you start keeping fishes, and also a lot of introspection to ensure that you are ready to take on this long-term responsibility. Read about fishes, breed-specific details (what that fish eats, its expected life-span, etc.), how to take care of them, explore the various kinds of aquariums, etc. Read various articles online, watch YouTube videos, talk to people in the local pet shop, etc. Do all this for at least 4-5 months, before you get the fish-breed of your choice.

And remember, half knowledge can be dangerous!

Age of the fish

Always get young fishes for your aquarium. Kids are always more adaptable to their environment. A fish that was born in a fish tank will be much more comfortable living in it, as compared to a grown-up fish that was caught from the wild and then placed in an aquarium.

Catching a grown-up wild fish and forcing it to live in a small confined space of an aquarium may be considered an act of cruelty. A fish that is used to travelling for kilometers may feel suffocated in a 2-3 feet aquarium. Such fishes may get sick and die soon.

Are you keeping fishes in pairs or not?

If you are keeping a pet, then provide it the chance to reproduce too. Not keeping fishes in pairs is an act of cruelty. In fact, keeping any pet animal alone, without friends or mate, is an intense act of cruelty, although a passive once. They will get bored and remain unhappy.

Most of the fishes are community animals, and so they hate living alone. But this characteristic may vary a bit from one fish to another. So, do your research.

Also, make sure that you do not over-crowd the aquarium. Too much of anything may prove to be bad.

Hopefully, we have answered most of the ethical or practical aspects of our question. So, now you can answer the following related questions too, such as:

• Are fish happy in tanks?, or
• Do fish get bored in tanks?

But one question still remains.

Is keeping fish in bowls cruel?

Well, while we were ambiguous while answering the question – “Whether we should keep fishes in aquariums?“, here you will get a clear cut answer.

Yes, Definitely!

Many fish owners, especially kids who are first-time fish owners, get a cheap fish bowl from the market and start their hobby. Generally, it’s Goldfish that is at the receiving end of this cruel act. It is absolutely unethical to confine any fish to such a restricted space. It’s not just like jailing that fish, but putting it in a small cell in solitary confinement. Absolutely inhumane and unethical!

So, if you are a kid who has a fish in a bowl, or you are a parent of such a kid, do rectify the situation. Get a decent size aquarium, and transfer that fish there. Let it have some space, let it be happy. Don’t we all want our pets to be happy?