Seen a "tiny fishtank" in a shopping centre?

[YeW]

Hi All -

I have removed the long "minature tank thread" as it is a serious O/T my apologies for bringing it up again (just get soooo mad when I see those little plastic jars!).

I've reposted the template here in this closed thread. If you want to send a letter to your local shopping centre here's how to start:

I wrote the original, however, many, many thanks to Willy Wombat for calming it (and me) down and editing it so it reads much more profeskionel. It certainly is much better after his attention!!).

To The Management of _______________ Shopping Centre:

I am writing to express my concerns about ornamental fish being sold in very small aquariums by vendors operating out of stalls within your company’s shopping centre. I represent a group of experienced aquarium hobbyists that hold grave concern for the welfare of the animals being sold by these vendors. I wish to outline the problems associated with such a small sized "aquariums" for ornamental fish and hope that in doing so you will take action to prevent this potential abuse of animal rights within your company’s facility.

Firstly I would like to address a number of fallacies and falsehoods being promoted by the sellers of these products.

1. Fish are safe to live in small tanks.

This idea is inherently false! Fish need a reasonable sized living space that these small tanks do not provide. The volume and absence of water movement within these tanks is insufficient to maintain the health and wellbeing of the fish over a prolonged period of time. It is our contention that the sellers of these products are offering a product that will only support the animal for a small period of time and not allow it to achieve a reasonable period of life expectancy.

2. Tropical fish are safe to live in these small aquariums despite their need for constantly warm water.

This is also false! The small volume of these aquariums mean they are extremely prone to fluctuations in temperature. All tropical fish require a heater in temperate regions of Australia to maintain the temperature at a reasonable level. Tropical fish are, as their name suggests, tropical. Keeping your fish in a warm spot in the house may delay the death of the fish during the warmer months, but will lead to death during cool periods.

3. One fish, one plant (sometimes a snail) and some "special" gravel represent a balanced ecosystem.

There is insufficient water movement and surface area in the small containers offered by these vendors to allow for sufficient colonies of micro organisms (bacteria) to break down fish waste over long periods. This leads to the accumulation of ammonia and nitrite - two toxic chemicals produced by the metabolism of fish eating food. In aquaria maintained by responsible aquarists, adequate filtration is provided to deal with the accumulation of these toxic chemicals.

In addition to the toxic effects of the build up of these chemicals, the sellers of these small aquariums claim that the plant produces oxygen that oxygenates the water. This claim is certainly true in the daytime while light is present for the plant to undergo photosynthesis. Unfortunately, the theory falls down at night, when plants consume oxygen through respiration. During periods of darkness the amount of oxygen in these small tanks can fall to levels that cause undue stress to the fish.

It might also be of interest to you that these aquariums would be illegal to sell in other countries such as Germany and Britain, both of which have laws/regulations to prevent the sale of these tiny aquariums. The RSPCA in the UK recommends that no fish be kept tanks under 5 litres in size.

I have been a fish hobbyist for the last 10 years and have a doctorate in biology so I fully understand the matters about which I am writing. To draw an analogy, keeping a fish in a very small aquarium is the equivalent of raising a cat or puppy in a milk crate, an idea which I am sure you find abhorrent. I would ask that at the very least, your company investigate the animal welfare issues and claims that I have raised in this letter, and that in the interim you stop the sale of these products in your centre, it would be tragedy to allow this cruelty to continue.

I am also participating in a campaign to rid stores across Australia of these products. I would appreciate your reply to this matter so I can inform the campaign coordinator as to where your company stands on this matter.

Kind Regards -

Dr. David Midgley.

Just edit the content to suit yourself - change the biographical information so it applies to you! and send! I'm thinking the SCP needs a crusade page for this topic. I'll keep you posted as to when it happens!

Cheers -