Are Fish Disposable?

[MegaBetta]

One time at church, I asked my mom if my betta, Bubbles got sick, if we could take him to the vet. My mom said no, and she said if Bubbles got sick, we would FLUSH him. I asked my mom and dad if they thought fish were disposable, and they both said yes. Do you think fish are disposable?

 

[Jeff75]

No, please do not flush bubbles. If bubbles does get sick, identify the problem and get some medicine from your LFS. If you are not sure what illness bubbles has, post a picture on here and people should be able to help you.

 

[Platylover]

Not at all, to me they are just as important as a dog or cat. Just becaouse some people don't care for them as they should and their lifespan is dramatically shortened, doesn't mean they are disposable. Yes their life-span is shorter than most other animals, but under proper care they can live for 4-5 years. It seems some people view them the same has barely better/the same as insects(which I don't really agree with, I understand having to get rid of some insects that can do harm to you, but not unreasonable killing). If your fish does get sick, please try to treat him if he passes don't flush him, bury him. Flushing can cause problems with the waterways around you. Hopefully it'll not come to that for you for a long time. So, no, in my opinion they are not disposable.

 

[ChrisX]

Taking good care of an animal is an act of humanity whether it is a dog, a cat, or a fish.

 

[011]

I see them similarly to other small animals-perhaps not as tragic when they die, and perhaps not something to spend thousands on if they got sick, but still a life that deserves respect and decency.

 

[AWheeler]

Fish vets are something that we do not have a lot of. Most times you can go to a vet and ask a question about fish and they will not have an answer. If you are lucky you might be able to find one who will give you a prescription for medication if you can not get it over the counter. We have to, often times, be vets, to our own fish because of this. Sometimes people do not want to take the time to learn about different diseases and how to treat them because they think that way. Sadly, it's not limited to fish. Some people just don't view animals as "important" enough to properly take care of.

 

[clk89]

Fish vets are pretty hard to find as far as I can tell. I personally see fish as pets and I do everything I can keep them healthy. I have had many different pets from cats, to rats and I grew up in a house where pets were treated just as well as us humans. My parents even had to find a vet who would do surgery on my pet rat, that was in a place that didn't have exotic vets. In my eyes pets depend on us humans to take care of them and I do my best to do that no matter what size or species they are.

That being said many of the more common fish diseases such as ICH are pretty easy to spot and to treat. Ich can even be treated without meds. Many parasites can be treated easily too with meds. such as prazipro. Also quite a few can be prevented through doing the water changes at least once a week, having proper tank mates, proper temps., proper tank size, and parameters are good. Basically keeping the water healthy that the fish live in. Putting new fish in quarantine as well as having a hospital tank can help disease from spreading to others. Of course not everything can be prevented, but these things can prevent some diseases brought on by stress.