How do you feel about rehoming fish?

My wife and I have been fish-keeping for just over 6 months now, and I've noticed that there are two types of people when it comes to re-homing fish.

There are those who see their fish as pets, and re-homing doesn't really affect them. This is where I sit; I have re-homed a number of fish when they don't fit in with my tank, I want to try something new etc. I enjoy watching them, but they aren't on the same level as, for example, my dog who is a part of the family. I want to do the best I can for my fish but, when it comes down to it, they are only fish.

Then there are those that find the whole re-homing aspect difficult. This is where my wife sits. We recently re-homed her male Betta because, after months of trying, he still had fin-rot and I convinced her the best thing was to admit defeat and let him go somewhere he'll have a better chance of happiness. She genuinely found it difficult to let him go.

I'm not the most compassionate person, and I certainly don't understand a lot of emotions people feel (I guess that's why I work with computers), so now I'm intrigued what stance people take on this

 

To be honest I don't get when people rehome fish just cause they like something new (btw some people do that with cats and dogs as well).
Maybe it has to do with expectations of a keeper that don't appear to be right ?

If I buy fish I buy them to stay the rest of their lives.

I only rehome fish if they're better of elsewhere. A shoalingfish that is alone or something.

Rehoming sick fish is another thing as well I'd say.

 

I guess I see it as mostly unnecessary. Even though I've been keeping fish for around 45 years I've only re-homed one... and that was back in my first year when I only had one tank.

 

To be honest I don't get when people rehome fish just cause they like something new (btw some people do that with cats and dogs as well).
Maybe it has to do with expectations of a keeper that don't appear to be right ?

If I buy fish I buy them to stay the rest of their lives.

I only rehome fish if they're better of elsewhere. A shoalingfish that is alone or something.

Rehoming sick fish is another thing as well I'd say.

I totally get that thinking, as I'd never re-home our dog - no matter what. When she was adopted, she was going to be with us for life.

That's not to say I don't care for the fish, because I do otherwise I wouldn't spend so much time maintaining the tank(s).

 

I totally get that thinking, as I'd never re-home our dog - no matter what. When she was adopted, she was going to be with us for life.

That's not to say I don't care for the fish, because I do otherwise I wouldn't spend so much time maintaining the tank(s).

Not judging. But you did ask hahaha

 

Not judging. But you did ask hahaha

I definitely did and I was hoping for honest answers

I was genuinely curious!

 

I don’t think I’ve ever rehome a fish. I’ve moved them around or even put them in there own tank. Fry when old enough to give away yes but grown fish is tough. Where I am nobody want use fish . So rehoming isn’t an option. Giving back to a pet store is all you can do. And again nobody wants used fish so it’s like a death sentence. So I find a place for them . I don’t name my fish I’m not upset when they die it’s just the cycle and I do think yes there only fish but I do take care of them. The hobby for me is how long can I keep them alive .

 

Mine are here to stay! Even the ones I have bred with intentions of taking in for store credit seem to be here to stay in their “temporary tanks” as my husband keeps calling them. Haha poor guy. I personally can’t stand the thought of taking them in and dropping them off at the LFS now that I have raised them haha. Crazy fish lady here. If they aren’t being treated well or are otherwise unhappy, then I’d rather see someone rehome them though.

 

I think rehoming should be about providing a fish better life. If you accidentally bought an unsuitable fish, or find yourself unmotivated to take care of it anymore, or the fish bred and now are overstocked - you MUST rehome, and all excuses like "but I'm attached to it, I love it" etc. are simply selfish and inconsiderate. Currently I'm planning to rehome 1 rosy barb male once he fully matures, because they have bred for me and I just have too much males now.

But if a person rehomes a fish that are thriving, provided of good conditions and are no bother to anyone, but they just want something new, I don't know... I'd take it not so much as bad pet care (as long as they make sure the person they're giving them to know basic fish care, it's not that bad), but as a red flag that this person cannot focus/ is bad at commitment/ doesn't know what they want. Not a big no-no or something I'd be judgemental about, just something to consider if I ever need to be doing something long-term with that person . The same goes for people who keep restarting their tanks every half a year or so .

 

Mine are here to stay! Even the ones I have bred with intentions of taking in for store credit seem to be here to stay in their “temporary tanks” as my husband keeps calling them. Haha poor guy. I personally can’t stand the thought of taking them in and dropping them off at the LFS now that I have raised them haha. Crazy fish lady here. If they aren’t being treated well or are otherwise unhappy, then I’d rather see someone rehome them though.

I feel you. Even those temporary tanks have a soul, so you simply can't rehome them either. No one wants his tank to have somekind of trauma cause it is rehomed or even worse : sold.

 

I don't have a problem with rehoming fish, and have done so several times. My daughter-in-law and I frequently trade fish back and forth, and I've given some to one or two of her friends.

To be honest, I don't even get that attached to dogs, much less fish. I try to take good care of animals that I'm responsible for, but I rarely form an emotional attachment to them. I save that for humans (and not a lot of them, now that I think about it; mostly family).

Edit: What V1K said above about not knowing what you want accounts for most of the rehoming I've done. When I first started keeping fish my stocking plan was to go to the fish store and say "Those look cool. I'll take 3."

 

No one wants his tank to have somekind of trauma cause it is rehomed or even worse : sold.

I have a small school of extra tanks in my basement. They seem happy down there for now, will have to make room for them when they get bigger.

 

I’ve noticed that rehoming seems to be quite an easy to access, viable option for a lot of people on here. I don’t know about anyone else, but like 86 ssinit there isn’t much demand round me for secondhand, unwanted or unloved tropical fish so I’ve never even considered it.

If I’m bored with a fish (which doesn’t tend to happen) then tough - it’s on me to care for it. They aren’t toys that you can dispose of when something new comes along. Different of course if you can’t offer the fish the care it needs in the first place. In which case rehoming to someone who can is the best outcome for all involved.

 

To be honest, I don't even get that attached to dogs, much less fish. I try to take good care of animals that I'm responsible for, but I rarely form an emotional attachment to them. I save that for humans (and not a lot of them, now that I think about it; mostly family).

Eww humans. I just want to stay home with my pets all day.

 

I see my fish as part of the family. They all deserve happiness and love, and the best life I can provide for them. I cry every time there's a death, and I've been doing this for almost 10 years.

I would only re-home if I found it necessary for the health of the fish or community. Of course I would like to not have to do so, but if it's the ethical thing I would do it.

 

If necessary to rehome then it's got to be done. I was really sad to see my angel fish go for example but a pair of demons harassing anything in the tank including my hands was not what I wanted.

 

Lots of interesting answers here!

I might get hate mail for this but I am definitely in the camp of taking fish back to LFS/re-homing and not necessarily because they are sick.

I don't form an emotional attachment to the fish; they are fun to watch and I enjoy making their tanks a nice place to be, but I have no issues returning/re-homing if I want something else.

Why force myself to keep something for the next N years, knowing that I won't enjoy them as much - that's a recipe for complacency which doesn't help anyone/anything.

Just my opinion, of course.

 

If necessary to rehome then it's got to be done. I was really sad to see my angel fish go for example but a pair of demons harassing anything in the tank including my hands was not what I wanted.

How big was the tank in this case ?

 

200l tall, juwel lido. Yeah in hindsight I shouldnt have stocked 4 angels from the start. I was a bit more nieve a few years ago. Went smoothly for a long time but even with rehoming 2 and just the spawning pair and 7 corys/1BN it wasn't relaxing to watch or maintain.

 

In my opinion, if I get an animal that animal is going to be under the absolute best care I can provide for the rest of its life, unless I can’t care for it in a way I see fit. I’d hate to see any of my animals go, but I feel like if you truly love something you’ll make sure it’s cared for properly.

 

I don't get attached to my fish. I only name the special ones such as Elbert that handsome fellow over there in my avatar and Sam, the siamese algae eater. I named my first mystery snail. None of her babies have names. I was sad when Miss Sneller died but got over it quickly. I knew I would miss her antics.

When a fish dies I net it out and flush it down the toilet. For those that will say, no, no, no don't do that. We have our own septic system so no fear of anything getting into local waterways. We don't have any of those anywhere near us. I accepted a long time ago that fish live short lives. I was sad when my 5 year old black skirts started dying but knew they had lived a long life for a fish.

The only fish I have ever actually rehomed was a small shoal of tiger barbs. I don't allow any of my fish to bully their tank mates. The tiger barbs were bullies. I have traded some fish and sold some that I had bred. I've had to stop breeding any since I always want to keep some of them and I just don't have room for more. I kept 3 males and 3 females from my last spawn of super red plecos. Thankfully the males still get along with each other. Should that change I will have to consider rehoming.

I enjoy my fish but don't get attached to them like I do furry or feathery pets. They don't get buried in our pet cemetery or in plant pots. Raccoons would just dig them up so why bother.

To be honest, I don't even get that attached to dogs

This may change if one day that special one comes along. My sister, a friend our age and my BIL on my husbands side saw dogs as just something you fed and may have petted from time to time. Never got attached to any of them and then one day one came along for each of them that stole their heart. When that happened there wasn't anything they wouldn't do for them. For now though I know your grand children have filled your heart with all it needs.

 

The only fish I have ever actually rehomed was a small shoal of tiger barbs. I don't allow any of my fish to bully their tank mates. The tiger barbs were bullies.

Haha, you reminded me of one. A long time ago I bought one black molly. Upon entering my tank it started to relentlessly attack all my fish. I called the shop and asked if I could bring it back and was told no. The next day I showed up to look at more fish. When no one was looking I pulled the lid off my insulated coffee mug and dunked him back in!

 

Haha, you reminded me of one. A long time ago I bought one black molly. Upon entering my tank it started to relentlessly attack all my fish. I called the shop and asked if I could bring it back and was told no. The next day I showed up to look at more fish. When no one was looking I pulled the lid off my insulated coffee mug and dunked him back in!

Wow, that's both hilarious and concerning.... And I don't know exactly why I feel that way

 

Never had to rehome a fish so it's hard to say, if one got a fish that got to big for the tank or was too aggressive with other fish etc and had to rehome then it's understandable because you're trying to give it a better life. But if one was to just give some fish away because they didn't like how the colors are or they didn't think it was interesting enough etc ,Then they never should have got it to begin with, I would say I get pretty attached to my fish and feel sad when they pass, especially when you have them a long time and have routines with them. I try to give them the best life they could have, after all there our pets and they give us a unique kind of happiness.

 

I rehome fish all the time. For the first 25 years of my fish keeping experience, I never lived in a home longer than 2 years. So, rehoming fish was a constant necessity. Perhaps because of this, I typically set up a tank for 1-2 years, then re-scape it. I do this with all my tanks. And, I often rehome most (if not all my fish) each time. This can mean my fish get transferred from one tank to another, are given to the local fish store, or are given to people I know. For me, it's part of the creative process.

 

There are some fish I’ll keep forever, but most I will not. I’d love to be rid of all my African cichlids but for one they are very hard to rehome and for two there’s one fish in there who was my very first batch of Africans I raised. He’s a complete piece of poo and has a big internal growth. Waiting for him to pass and then I can finally trade in all the others.

Then there’s the plethora of fish I raise. I have fish who’s grandparents I also bred myself. I have no problems selling fish I’ve raised. As a hobby breeder sending fish to their new homes is a happy occasion (more $ and more room to start new projects!)

 

But if one was to just give some fish away because they didn't like how the colors are or they didn't think it was interesting enough etc ,Then they never should have got it to begin with

I have re-homed for a variety of reasons, a few times specifically because I wanted a different kind of tank and what I had was getting in the way of that.

There are A LOT of fish in this hobby, and yes I've bought some that I've regretted and have taken them back to try a different type of tank.

In fact, two days ago I took back 10 Tiger Barbs and 7 Mollies because I decided I wanted to get some EBA and I couldn't unless I re-homed them.

Do I wish I had got the EBA instead of the tigers/mollies? Yes. But, unless we try different fish we're never going to learn what we like and dislike.

Will I re-home the EBA? Who knows. I hope not, because I've spent a not-small amount of money buying, returning for less £, and then buying again.

 

In my very early years of fishkeeping I had to rehome the following list of fish due to youthful naivety: Pacu, Red Tail Catfish, Shovel nose catfish & Clown Knife fish. As most of you know those fish eventually need a swimming pool sized aquarium.
In later years impulse purchases necessitated rehoming a Dovii & Red Texas Cichlid. The Red Texas had a good set of teeth & regularly bit my hands during weekly maintenance. Not keeping a fish that can cause bleeding. Lol.
Almost forgot! I donated numerous marine fish to my local zoo, after a few aggravating & agonizing years of dealing with a SW tank.
IMO, no problem rehoming fish if ones individual situation requires it.

 

Posting on the topic again because I want to.

Fish keeping to me is similar to gardening. You do the research (hopefully) and see what plants do well where and in what soil types, you plant the garden will all sorts or species and you care for it and admire it. Flowers bloom and then you get seeds which you may end up sowing and growing or simply let them be. Weeds and pests become a problem, you take them out. But then you have something that just isn’t turning out the way you hoped so you dig it up and put it elsewhere (musical tanks anyone?) or you pass it on to someone else. Sometimes there’s just no saving a certain plant (fish) so you toss it.

Then there’s that certain plant (fish) you simply adore and will never give it away. When it becomes sickly you try to nurse it and and when it dies you feel bad but probably buy the same kind later down the road.

Pretty similar right? To me they are not at the same level as dogs and cats, a child may get attached more easily but I’ve had my fair share of fish deaths and mass rehoming events so it doesn’t bother me anymore. Sometimes it’s refreshing to uproot the whole garden and start from scratch. Better to enjoy it than let it become a burden.

 

Posting on the topic again because I want to.

Fish keeping to me is similar to gardening. You do the research (hopefully) and see what plants do well where and in what soil types, you plant the garden will all sorts or species and you care for it and admire it. Flowers bloom and then you get seeds which you may end up sowing and growing or simply let them be. Weeds and pests become a problem, you take them out. But then you have something that just isn’t turning out the way you hoped so you dig it up and put it elsewhere (musical tanks anyone?) or you pass it on to someone else. Sometimes there’s just no saving a certain plant (fish) so you toss it.

Then there’s that certain plant (fish) you simply adore and will never give it away. When it becomes sickly you try to nurse it and and when it dies you feel bad but probably buy the same kind later down the road.

Pretty similar right? To me they are not at the same level as dogs and cats, a child may get attached more easily but I’ve had my fair share of fish deaths and mass rehoming events so it doesn’t bother me anymore. Sometimes it’s refreshing to uproot the whole garden and start from scratch. Better to enjoy it than let it become a burden.

Couldn't agree more.

 

I don't see rehoming fish as necessarily bad, like how I was trying (And failing) to rehome my assassin snail because I didn't have anything for it to do.
There is one fish I'd want to rehome right now, my dwarf gourami, because I didn't know that he was a dwarf gourami, and I was looking for a different sort of gourami, and now I'm stuck with him.

 

I don't see rehoming fish as necessarily bad, like how I was trying (And failing) to rehome my assassin snail because I didn't have anything for it to do.

If you have no snails for it to eat it will eat shrimp pellets

 

But, I don't have any shrimp, hence, no shrimp pellets... But I will probably be getting shrimp in the near future, so it will hopefully work out.

 

But, I don't have any shrimp, hence, no shrimp pellets... But I will probably be getting shrimp in the near future, so it will hopefully work out.

Shrimp pellets aren't actually shrimp food. They are pellet shaped food made with shrimp Both my plecos and corys love 'em.

 

Oh, well, I don't have any of that either...

 

I am so sick of my mean tiger barbs - but I signed on for their lifetime so I give them excellent care. They are the only fish I don't really have an attachment to since they are so **** mean. I'd never drop my problem on someone else or diminish their quality of life in spite of their meanness.