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Over and over I find myself reading threads that explain how a fish is a "rescue". Sometimes it is mentioned merely in passing, other times (rarely) a rescued fish is doing well and there is cause for celebration, but most of the time we read a tale of woe in which a fish is on death's door...and is then "rescued" by an aquarist with a big heart, but little or no idea of what they are actually supposed to do. Many of these threads could easily be titled "I found a fish that was dying, so I took it home to watch that happen".
If you are a beginner or near-beginner, you really should be concentrating on obtaining healthy specimens of fish species that are hardy and easily kept in normal conditions. There are plenty of mistakes that can be made in aquaristics, many of which can endanger the life of fish. Beginners can expect to make some of these errors; it's an unfortunate part of the learning process. Until you have a reasonable degree of experience and expertise in keeping aquariums, keeping fish healthy should start with fish that are healthy to begin with. Throughout most of my time in fishkeeping, most people took pains to carefully inspect the fish they were about to purchase. How did they look? Were they active and behaving normally? Were there other fish in the tank that looked suspect? Were there dead fish in the tank? How did the store look in general terms of upkeep and sanitation? These are all factors that took and still should take a major part in the decision-making process.
In this sensitive new age, we find instead that every diseased and dying unfortunate creature must be brought home and rescued. I've done it myself, with fish, reptiles and especially dogs...but you must pick your battles. If you must rescue, then do exactly that: rescue. Concentrate your efforts on fish that look like they have a chance to survive, and to have some quality of life if they do. If you come across some unfortunate specimen that is on death's door, consider carefully whether the best thing to do is simply let it pass on, rather than prolonging its agony for additional hours or days with no hope of recovery. Similarly, if you own an animal...any animal...that is clearly suffering and has no visible hope of improvement, have the decency to quickly and humanely end its life rather than simply waiting for it to die, wringing your hands and posting on Fishlore as the creature continues to suffer.
I feel very strongly that this is a moral obligation we need to accept if we are to consider ourselves ethical people. I just spent a fair bit of time cruising through Fishlore, and it really hit home how few of the "rescue" threads bear any resemblance to anything I could call a rescue. If you can't stomach all aspects of responsible fish-keeping, including some of the unpleasant ones, then perhaps gardening would be a better pasttime.
If you are a beginner or near-beginner, you really should be concentrating on obtaining healthy specimens of fish species that are hardy and easily kept in normal conditions. There are plenty of mistakes that can be made in aquaristics, many of which can endanger the life of fish. Beginners can expect to make some of these errors; it's an unfortunate part of the learning process. Until you have a reasonable degree of experience and expertise in keeping aquariums, keeping fish healthy should start with fish that are healthy to begin with. Throughout most of my time in fishkeeping, most people took pains to carefully inspect the fish they were about to purchase. How did they look? Were they active and behaving normally? Were there other fish in the tank that looked suspect? Were there dead fish in the tank? How did the store look in general terms of upkeep and sanitation? These are all factors that took and still should take a major part in the decision-making process.
In this sensitive new age, we find instead that every diseased and dying unfortunate creature must be brought home and rescued. I've done it myself, with fish, reptiles and especially dogs...but you must pick your battles. If you must rescue, then do exactly that: rescue. Concentrate your efforts on fish that look like they have a chance to survive, and to have some quality of life if they do. If you come across some unfortunate specimen that is on death's door, consider carefully whether the best thing to do is simply let it pass on, rather than prolonging its agony for additional hours or days with no hope of recovery. Similarly, if you own an animal...any animal...that is clearly suffering and has no visible hope of improvement, have the decency to quickly and humanely end its life rather than simply waiting for it to die, wringing your hands and posting on Fishlore as the creature continues to suffer.
I feel very strongly that this is a moral obligation we need to accept if we are to consider ourselves ethical people. I just spent a fair bit of time cruising through Fishlore, and it really hit home how few of the "rescue" threads bear any resemblance to anything I could call a rescue. If you can't stomach all aspects of responsible fish-keeping, including some of the unpleasant ones, then perhaps gardening would be a better pasttime.
