This gets me angry.

[jejton]

If this ad
http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/pet/1067644922.html is for real, I dont get it. First of all, isn't the species a protected species? Second of all, who the heck has the appropriate facility, besides institutions, to house the largest freshwater species? Its places like this that cause so much grief for this hobby.

 

[inkblue]

i heaR ya i get mad at memBers here wHo keep sharkS... but they ALWAYS justiFy it by haVing a "big" taNk...

:tired: giVe me a breaK. STOP F--KNG keeping SHARKS! WTF!

it'S ok, karMa has a nasty waY of cominG baCk to ya

 

[MikeyZO]

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Arapaima_gigas.html

According to this, it isnt protected other than a fishing ban during certain times of the year and a size requirement... pretty much just like fishing every other fish. And apparently it says that it has been introduced into the pet hobby.

But I agree, to keep an animal of this size and nature in a tank is pretty retarded. And the fact that someone has them and wants to sell them is even more retarded. Says they go into shock and die very easily.

 

[jejton]

Ok thanks for the correction Mikey, but like you say its still wrong for someone to be selling or buying them.

 

[DrGonzo]

You've got to figure that if they're selling it, there must be some sort of market for it. That doesn't mean its responsible. There definitely should be law and or regulations around keeping such big fish. This is similar is how everyone now agrees that is a bad idea to keep chimps as pets.

 

[CHEMCHEF]

I yhink country critter has 1 or 2 of these in a pond by the front door.
It was of of the things I didnt like about the store.

 

[D1J8Z]

i heaR ya i get mad at memBers here wHo keep sharkS... but they ALWAYS justiFy it by haVing a "big" taNk...

:tired: giVe me a breaK. STOP F--KNG keeping SHARKS! WTF!

it'S ok, karMa has a nasty waY of cominG baCk to ya

This is ignorance at its best, what fish do you keep? in what size tank? where did they come from the ocean?:scratch: Attacking people who keep sharks? how about all the groupers that get to massive sizes some bigger than sharks. Then you have sting rays, triggers, tangs and many other common aquarium fish that get to massive sizes all in home aquariums being kept in small or even tiny tanks. I dont know many people on this forum with SHARKS but I know many who have fish that get to BIG-HUGE sizes. So how about everyone just admit we all cage creatures for our entertainment and enjoy it.

I'm sure some people will see where I am trying to go, note this is not a personal attack just a general statement that applys to this thread

 

[inkblue]

here we g0... justification.

i aGree you win. go teLL youR frndS !

 

[jejton]

I understand where you're coming from but the way I think about it is this, there are gradations. Most fish that are sold CAN be responsibly kept. Its up to the seller to take some precautions ( everyone has a different opinion on what the seller's responsibilities are but we all agree that they should have SOME ) but the buyer has the ultimate responsibility to do the research before buying and to make sure they properly house the fish ( this is not just about tank size and there are infinite threads about these points ). Then that are species that VERY FEW people can reasonable house, except maybe for public aquaria and the like, and it is THOSE species which I feel should have strict requirements for importation and selling. Some shark species can be properly housed in a home aquaria, maybe not the average home, but definately feasible. Bamboos sharks come to mind. Blacktip sharks, on the other hand, cannot feasibly kept by the vast majority of private individuals and in my opinion, should have some legal requirements - for the animal and public's protection - to be sold and bought. If someone has the proper experience, equipment and room to keep a black tip shark, and they are not a protected species, then you are correct in that there is no logical reason to distinguish between that and someone keeping any other fish.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

I really hate it when people think they can use the guest towels. Everyone should know they are just for show.

Karma

 

[inkblue]

:sigh: gHieFy wanTs u to bRing your own toweL

 

[JLAudio]

If seeing big fish and animals in insane conditions gets you mad and your in Queens go to the Asian food supermarket on Horace harding and Marathon in Little Neck. I know its a different element because its for food and we all eat it but you got to see all these huge fish crammed in these tanks, I was tempted to rescue one. They also having living turtles, frogs, its like a zoo.

No disrespect to any culture or individuals, but I was just caught off guard and get annoyed at seeing a tang in a sub 4 foot tank let alone this atrocity, but I guess this was just the reality...Just a little to real for someone in this hobby

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

I don't eat fish.

 

[inkblue]

In queenS they sell bullFrogs :dead1:

 

[e.muehlbauer]

I could never keep a fish that's big enough to eat.........

 

[jejton]

I really hate it when people think they can use the guest towels. Everyone should know they are just for show.

Karma

So what else are we suppposed to use when the host forgets to put spare rolls of toilet paper out ?

 

[jejton]

JLAudio - I get what you're saying but there its only temporary since the animals are being held for eating, not for long term keeping.

 

[JLAudio]

JLAudio - I get what you're saying but there its only temporary since the animals are being held for eating, not for long term keeping.

Trust me I know there are alot of flaws in the comparison but go to a fishstore or Aquarium than immediately there, and tell me if you dont almost faint. Trust me its even worse than what your imagining

 

[ellebelle]

i heaR ya i get mad at memBers here wHo keep sharkS... but they ALWAYS justiFy it by haVing a "big" taNk...

:tired: giVe me a breaK. STOP F--KNG keeping SHARKS! WTF!

it'S ok, karMa has a nasty waY of cominG baCk to ya

Don, that is extraordinarily unfair for a couple of reasons:

(1) Sharks are an extremely diverse group. When people say "shark", everyone automatically thinks of large, free swimming sharks that have to move in order to breathe. However, as with any diverse group, there are also other families and subfamilies of organisms that are very different from the archetypal "shark" that most people think of.

(2) Keeping a small shark is really no different than keeping any other large fish. They have similar tank and feeding requirements as things like groupers and Sohal tangs. And in fact, in some ways it is better as benthic sharks don't really need swimming room - just a place large enough to hide out while the lights are on.

This is not to say that keeping sharks is for everyone - I certainly wouldn't do so in my 75g tank. But I think it is more likely for someone to be prepared to care for something like a coral cat shark than something like an achilles tang or a red-tailed tamarin wrasse.

 

[inkblue]

liSsa... You win too