newbie 20g

Is it possible or recommended to get young fish that are quite small, and then trade them in to a fish store for younger/smaller versions when they grow too big for the tank a year or two down the road? I want to get an Angel and 2 Bala Sharks for my 20g tank, but I realize they will outgrow it within that time frame. Is trading them in possible? Would that be considered cruel to the fish?

Mike19

it depends if your LFS will agree to do it, although personally if i had a young fish and it grew up i would get attached to it and wouldn't wants to trade it. a large enough tank for the adult sized fish is always best it will give you more flexibility and options in the future.

as to whether or not its cruel ill leave that for someone else to comment on.

Welcome to Fishlore and Merry Xmas

Mike

Dozey

Fish stores generally house their fish cruelly and inhumanely. When you take a fish home from a fish store you are rescuing him from that brutality. Taking them back to that environment IMHO is cruel.

Also while your fish are with you, you may be stunting their growth and shortening their life.

Mike19

there are some cool 20g options you can set up, search the members tanks photos/videos and see what others have done with similar sized tanks to get some ideas.

GouramiGirl1221

I think Lucy has a really cool 20 gal tetra tank, if I recall correctly. If you look at those photos, they're amazing. It looks soooo much bigger.