Is Fish Keeping Cruel? Anything We Could Do While Keeping Fish?

One of the heated debates on the internet over fishkeeping is whether should we keep fish in a fish tank.

A lot of people think that keeping fish in a fish tank is cruel because fish are constrained in a limited space. Others might believe that keeping fish, mainly tropical fish is energy-consuming since the fish hobbyists will have to leave some equipment, like lights on 24 / 7.  Yes, heaters and filters are just like your refrigerator which shall be on all day long in some fish tanks.

Is fishkeeping cruel?

First of all, we must admit unlike before, the majority of fish are captive-bred – they are not the ones that are pulled from the vast sea. In other words, they are products just like some other animals that are bred similarly.

Second, fish can be starving in the wild and they are going to face the danger of being eaten by bigger fish or terrible weather conditions.

So, if you know your fish and perform responsible fishkeeping using environment-friendly products, fishkeeping is not cruel at all.

How can we be nicer to our fish and the environment?

• Use efficient filtration

One of the reasons why fishkeeping is deemed cruel is because, unlike wild fish, fish that are kept in a fish tank lack proper filtration.

Lacking filtration will sooner or later get the fish killed, especially for fish like golden fish that produce more waste than the average fish.

Hygger Aquarium Internal Filter provides nice water flow and sufficient filtration.

• Use more energy-saving products

Almost all of Hygger’s products are designed to save more energy. Let’s take a look at the Hygger Titanium heater. This is one underrated heater. When it reaches the set temperature, it will automatically turn off to save more energy and when it is 1° lower than the set temperature, it will start working again. Since it is made of titanium, it is also very durable compared to other heaters made from different materials.

Hygger Titanium Heater 802 is shatterproof and anti-corrosion.

If you have a smaller fish tank, you could choose the Hygger Mini Aquarium Heater. This heater will save you some bucks if you forget to turn the heater off during the water change. This is one of the most common mistakes that we make as fish keepers. Some of the heaters in the market would just burn themselves if they were exposed to the air, but this heater will report an error signal and stop heating itself in no time.

Hygger Mini Aquarium Heater –  a perfectly safe heater for smaller fish tanks.

• Keep fish in bigger fish tanks or do not overcrowd your fish tank

The trend for fish tank size is slowly growing. I know it is going to take some space in your place for a larger fish tank, but you can provide a bigger home for your loved fish and your fish will thank you for that.

Also, it’s important not to overcrowd your fish tank. We’ve discussed how many fish you could keep in a 5-gallon fish tank, please find the link here if you are interested: How Many Fish in A 5 Gallon Tank – Hygger (hygger-online.com)

One of the downsides of keeping too many fish in a fish tank is that even the most outgoing fish will need a little bit of privacy from time to time. You must provide some caves for the fish to hide.

Hygger Aquarium Ornament Tree Trunk is safe and provides 5 smooth holes for your fish.

Fishkeeping is not cruel for the fish if you do it right. In return, fish keeping is rewarding to us health-wise, like reducing stress, reducing blood pressure and heart rate, and improving the behavior and eating habits of those who suffer from Alzheimer’s.

Fishkeeping is beneficial to fish hobbyists and let’s all be responsible fishkeepers!