What’s your opinion on keeping fish in fishtanks?

I agree with you on how it's unnatural to take something from the wild and then force it to live in artificial conditions. Whether something unnatural is good or not is I think a separate discussion to below.

I know a little bit about fish keeping so here are some things to keep in mind. There are two main environments fish are kept in - saltwater tanks and freshwater tanks (just as there are saltwater fish and freshwater fish). Saltwater tanks are harder to maintain and much more expensive from what I've gathered (I haven't ever tried a saltwater setup). Freshwater tanks are easier to setup and are more accessible to the general population. If one is a good fish keeper, the water environment should be designed to mimic the native habitats of the fish species kept. I mention the distinction between saltwater and freshwater tanks because your post seems to focus more on oceanic environments.

You are also right in that the amount of space needed relates to the size of the community of fish being kept. The more organisms kept, the larger the tank should be. (I say organisms because people keep shrimp, frogs, snails, plants; corals, anemones, all sorts of aquatic creatures in tanks, not just fish). In practice, this has more to do with maintaining good water conditions than mimicking the vastness of the native habitats. The more animals in the tank, the more waste is produced. The more it becomes critical to have a large enough volume of water to hold stable parameters (ammonia, pH, salts, temperature, etc).

When it comes to exposure to other fish, it really depends on the fish being kept. There are fish that do feel safer in larger groups (e.g. freshwater Corydoras catfish). There are also fish that are territorial who won't tolerate others of the same species (common example, betta fish) except during mating. Fish species vary on their displays of aggression towards other creatures. Maintaining a peaceful community tank takes careful consideration.

I think if aquatic creatures could talk, they would prefer an environment that's familiar, habitable, and relatively safe. I'm thinking of corals and sea anemones that pretty much live a sedentary life and have no need for the freedom to move/explore. For actual fish, I think their health depends on whether they've been bred in captivity or captured from the wild. I think those bred in captivity would be happy enough to live the rest of their lives in an appropriate tank. Those taken from the wild, however, for me is a different matter. There are situations when it may not be fair for the wild animal to be kept in captivity; in other situations, it may be the only chance of long term survival for the animal. Anyway, the animal kingdom is vast and our human longing for freedom doesn't always neatly apply to other creatures🙂

I agree with your sentiment here and I’ve often wondered along the same lines of thought.
For these reasons I also have never been a big fan of keeping fish in a small tank.
It always seemed cruel and confining..

I will refrain from launching into a long commentary since you’ve covered the issue pretty thoroughly and as I mentioned your thinking aligns with mine so I’d just be repeating your point

Now this...**this** (rather fishy 😛) post, in only few paragraphs offers a nice summation of why you are missed so tremendously in our community during those extended absences. 'tis goode to see you back where you belong. Your home-away-from-home. Bienvenido de nuevo. 👏

As for the content itself, I'm in 100% agreement, and it also relates to the ages-old quandary of keeping animals of all sizes/species in captivity.

Now...

Shall we discuss on a side note, one of the most intelligent yet most mysterious creatures in the universe? Hint: 8.

I feel this way about any creature we pen in either in a tank, cage,, paddock, field, vivarium etc. I like to see animals in good zoos ones focused on preserving species, reintroduction etc but still it is to me wrong they aren't free.

I have a fish tank. I use a Fluval filter. To me its the best filter. I love watching them swim around. Havent had a fish die in over a year.

Although the ocean is vast, most fish don't do much exploring of it. You have to consider the amount of whats called head pressure that they live under. That's the amount of pressure created by the depth of the water. For every vertical foot of water, 0.454 PSI of head pressure is created. This is the same amount no matter how big the vertical column of water is. In other words, if you had a 10 foot length of ½ inch ø pipe, full of water, and stood it in the vertical position, and a 10 foot length of 8 inch ø full of water in the vertical position, (bare with me. I read your whole post😉), and measured the pressure in PSI at the bottom of each pipe, and took a pressure reading at a depth of 10 feet in any fresh water lake (salt water might behave slightly , very slightly differently), the pressure will be the same on all three measurements. 4.54 PSI.

This is important because that pressure will be what determines the depth at which a species of fish will be found. Some types of fish have adapted to live deeper in the ocean. They live so deep that when caught and reeled to the surface, their eyes will bulge out because they no longer have so much pressure all around them, keeping their eyes from buldging out. There are only so many species of fish that are suited for living in fish tanks

Side note: we all live under a constant pressure of 14.7 PSI at sea level and it decreases the farther we elevate from there. Its our atmospheric pressure (the weight of all the gases that make up our atmosphere, mostly nitrogen). There are different classifications needed, the deeper you want to scuba dive. The most basic scuba cert is good to a depth of around 32 feet deep. Thats because atmospheric pressure (14.7 PSI) divided by head pressure (0.454 PSI) equals 32 feet deep. Going deeper causes the nitrogen to bubble out of your blood like the bubbles in a carbonated soft drink when its opened, if you dont return from deeper depths slowly and gradually. ..side side note: still with me? Since siphonic action works from Atmospheric pressure pushing down on the liquid being siphoned, a siphon can't siphon liquid higher than 32 vertical feet.

Ok, where was i about the fish?..

The large schools of fish have adapted or evolved to exist in those large groups so that they are seen as something bigger than the fish that like to otherwise eat them.

Do you ever wonder if there would ever be any fish astronauts? What would their spaceships look like? It must be a strange concept to live in such a vast yet extermely finite environment. Eventhough their habitat is a much larger portion of the planet than ours, we still have the rest of the universe to ponder and study

What about what's one of the most important inventions and most important discovery and the wisdom to be able to create it for ourselves, the wheel, and fire, neither of them would ever be recognized by fish.

I think you are confusing fish with animated fish...and not all fish are seawater fish.

HOWEVER, your fundamental argument about habitat recreation applies even more to birds and many land-based creatures, and is a fine indictment of zoos, aviaries, and aquaria.

i see the validity and viewpoints.

generally you end up buying them from shops so those in shops are either living in a shop tank or a home tank. so there's little difference there.

but as far as what fish would choose, id guess they'd desire to stay in the ocean/their native habitat.

though im sure there'd be plenty of fish who would trade their freedom for the security of a tank. and the mirror would be true of the tank fish.

You have some very valid points that I agree with.

Though I think my more simple answer is that I've never really found a reason to do so. It's always felt weird to me to have pets that you don't actually socialize with.

The ocean is a world of constant fear...searching for food but don't get eaten. in a well maintained aquarium, its like paradse to fish...there is food, peace, contentment...yes...paradise

I tend to think it's possible to keep them perfectly happy in a tank, but it should be big enough for their size with enough friends and sort of natural environment. A tank where they can get a maximum of 2 seconds of swimming in the same direction won't do it.

Hmm.
Well I guess it depends on the relative size of the fish and the tank?
I mean, I'd love unlimited free roam irl as a human, but that often leads to arrest citing "privacy laws".

You have me thinking of “Finding Nemo” and his gimpy fin. The movie had it looking pretty active and it was much safer than in the stork’s beak!

I grew up with them and admit I never gave much thought to it. Some types of fish I ate, others I kept as pets. The pets I took very good care of. My father had both a large aquarium and a koi pond.

It was hard to read all of this while walking

About the same as birds in cages

What else might you keep in a fishtank?