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Think of being trapped inside your home for your entire life. There is no option to explore destinations unknown, no visiting new or interesting locations, and no challenge to life. You simply wait for your food to be dropped every day or so and that is what life is. Can you survive this environment? Yes, of course. What type of life would this be though?

1.) Nature. It is in a fish's best interest to be able to use the instincts and skills that nature gave them. Think of any other animal that is forced to be caged or held away from the world. Think of dogs that are chained and never allowed to explore anything other than small little patch of land. Think of how unsociable and violent these animals become. Why is it that we can see how distressing this is for dogs and yet not be able to apply it to fish? Sequestering any living thing away from it's natural habit has crippling results.

2.)Reasoning. Many people say that the fish are happier in aquariums than they would be in the wild. These fish have their food provided for them, water monitored, and have no threat from predators and who wouldn't love that. The same thing can be said for people who are in prison. Are they happy? Another problem with this argument is we can not measure a fish's happiness. Unlike other animals they are not really able to give an indication of how they feel. The only real choice they have for voicing their opinions is in the amount that they eat and because they have a relatively short life span anyways these deaths are easily written off.

3.) Investment. There are ways that owners can invest in quality of life for pets such as a dog or a cat which are relatively inexpensive. These include exercising with them, taking them to the vet, and socializing them. The same can not be said about fish. In order to recreate or at least simulate their environment you need one of the large wall size tanks, you need to invest in the coral and food that is high quality. Even with all this money your investment could prove worthless because fish have a relatively short life span, especially the more unique varieties. These are just a few of the reasons why keeping fish in captivity doesn't make a lot of sense.

Learn more about this author, Heather Bernard.
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