Is it really that bad to keep fish in a small tank?
ByI was at a tattoo shop earlier here in hk and I noticed in the corner that there was a tank, probably less than 50 gallons. It was about 2.5-3 feet in lenght. It contained two fish. The smaller of the two appeard to be a really large goldfish or a carp but it was probably a goldfish because it had a bright red streak on top of it like those little ones do. This fish was about a foot and 4 inches long. The other fish, the larger of the two was totally white, it looked to me like a carp because of it’s scales. This fish was no less than 2 feet long, probably 2.3 or 2.5 feet total.
I have been to this shop many times over the years and the fish have always been there. My question is, if these guys were able to keep fish this large in a tank so small for many years, then it can’t be that bad, can it? The water seems quite murky, you can barely see through to the other side of the tank. The fish just float, trying not to bump into each other. They seemed fine to me…
i have seen many establishments like this around hk with the same setup. All fish don’t seem to mind..
I was just looking at tanks on the internet to check sizes and the tank I actually saw at the shop was not 50g’s it was more like a 30 gallon one!
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10 Comments
February 13th, 2011 at 9:43 pm
it’s not horrible..
i just–wouldn’t ever recommend it
February 13th, 2011 at 10:22 pm
Since these fish are known for living in lakes, ponds, etc. its fine for the water to be dirty!
I do however recommend that they get a bigger tank, they can only live for so long crowded.
February 13th, 2011 at 10:34 pm
who are they going to tell if they do.if they are like most living thing they’ll just adapt no matter how miserable they might be
February 13th, 2011 at 10:57 pm
Well fish tend to grow to the size that the enviroment will elt them, so it should be ok. If the fish hav eno room to swim freely, then i would advise a nwe tank or they will die off.
February 13th, 2011 at 11:15 pm
probably they have something that keeps the fish alive… hm…
but anyway, it’s not us we’re talking here, its the fish!
so they may be okay in a tank that small, but they’re not happy!!!!
their tank has murky water? oh, that’s horrible…. in the wild carps are living at murky green water, but its better to keep the water clear…
February 14th, 2011 at 12:11 am
These fish sound like koi carp. They can grow up to four feet long, and do best in ponds. Tanks for these fish, obviously, have to be VERY large. Thirty gallons, even fifty, will NOT cut it for them.
Goldfish, on the other hand…
A general rule of thumb is 10 gallons/fish. 20 if they’re comets, or long-tailed shubunkins.
Fish don not, I repeat DO NOT grow to fit their environment. Their environment, if too small, inhibits their growth, which can cause many internal problems for the fish.
In any case, these fish need a bigger tank. They may not show it, on the outside, but it honestly is causing them problems.
February 14th, 2011 at 12:48 am
that depends on how big the fish are. you woudnt squish a footlong fish into a 6-inch tank, would you?
February 14th, 2011 at 12:59 am
Hi Gatorade, I know it looks ok & as they have been there ages it seems fine & they seem happy but like someone else said-they don’t have any option really do they? They can’t complain to anyone or move to more spacious surroundings-they are trapped so just accept their lot in life. I would think those poor fish are very unhappy, Carp type fish (Goldfish, Koi, Orfe etc) are very intelligent & energetic animals & need lots of space & interest in their lives to be happy & thrive plus a good filtration system as they kick out a lot of waste & those you see in the tattoo shop definitely don’t have any of that & sound like they are living an a cess pit.
Properly housed these fish can grow to enormous sizes (as you have seen!) & live very long lives so I believe we have a moral responsibility to animals we choose to keep to provide for them as best we can. Those fish need to be in a huge 100 gallon tank (at least) or a pond. By the way-it’s a myth about fish growing to the size of their tanks, what does happen when you keep a fish in an inappropriate space is they get stunted by reaching the limits of their environment & their lives are shortened in consequence.
February 14th, 2011 at 1:15 am
this sounds like one low quality fish shop, bt that probably makes the fish(the live ones) more adaptable. The fish shops do this and transfer the adult fish to bigger tanks when they grow up-at least the ones i know do-but don’t ever do it unless the fish are small and can fit in.
February 14th, 2011 at 1:58 am
as long as you don’t overcrowd then go crazy… I have a 10 gallon tank with three fish, each about 1 to 2 inches long. they seem to be having fun. but usually in a tank 10 g you could have no more then six fish like normal goldfish size.