Releasing a fish to where it's from?

[HAAAAAAAA]

Incase anyone comes and blasts me with examples of how releasing a fish back to a different part of a sea could cause alot of damage like the lionfish

This particular fish which I am talking about is from this exact part of the sea where it's usually commonly found and is indeed native

I have a greasy grouper which is about 5 months and he's a monster, before I bought him I knew that he would grow to be 30 inches but most likely 24 inches in the home aquarium, but before I bought him i read that he grows really slow and before 5 months he was only about 6 to 7 inches, now he has literally doubled in girth and in length (close to 12 inches) if that's considered slow growth then that scares me

If he does reach big enough I would indeed like to keep him in a 210 with my tessalata but incase my eel likes the taste of groupers i have no choice but to rehome him and hence there's no one near me (unless I want to drive 9 hours but still doubt if they have a big enough aquarium)


So in short is it alright to release a native fish back to where it's from? (My mom also considers him to be delicious so that's that too Lol)

 

[sfin52]

Incase anyone comes and blasts me with examples of how releasing a fish back to a different part of a sea could cause alot of damage like the lionfish

This particular fish which I am talking about is from this exact part of the sea where it's usually commonly found and is indeed native

I have a greasy grouper which is about 5 months and he's a monster, before I bought him I knew that he would grow to be 30 inches but most likely 24 inches in the home aquarium, but before I bought him i read that he grows really slow and before 5 months he was only about 6 to 7 inches, now he has literally doubled in girth and in length (close to 12 inches) if that's considered slow growth then that scares me

If he does reach big enough I would indeed like to keep him in a 210 with my tessalata but incase my eel likes the taste of groupers i have no choice but to rehome him and hence there's no one near me (unless I want to drive 9 hours but still doubt if they have a big enough aquarium)


So in short is it alright to release a native fish back to where it's from? (My mom also considers him to be delicious so that's that too Lol)

No. You could release a deises that's not native to the area. A captive pet should never be released to the wild.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Incase anyone comes and blasts me with examples of how releasing a fish back to a different part of a sea could cause alot of damage like the lionfish

This particular fish which I am talking about is from this exact part of the sea where it's usually commonly found and is indeed native

I have a greasy grouper which is about 5 months and he's a monster, before I bought him I knew that he would grow to be 30 inches but most likely 24 inches in the home aquarium, but before I bought him i read that he grows really slow and before 5 months he was only about 6 to 7 inches, now he has literally doubled in girth and in length (close to 12 inches) if that's considered slow growth then that scares me

If he does reach big enough I would indeed like to keep him in a 210 with my tessalata but incase my eel likes the taste of groupers i have no choice but to rehome him and hence there's no one near me (unless I want to drive 9 hours but still doubt if they have a big enough aquarium)


So in short is it alright to release a native fish back to where it's from? (My mom also considers him to be delicious so that's that too Lol)

So much to unpack here...

The first issue is your mindset, sorry to be so blunt. Buying large species fish for a home aquarium with the intent to "do something else with them" when they get too big is irresponsible to begin with. Every local zoo and refuge in the country is overflowing with fish and animals because of this mindset.


Secondly, You can't keep a 24" fish or a 30" fish in a 210, especially with other fish. A 500 is barely big enough and fish that get that big really should be in monster tanks.

Lastly, no it is not alright to release. What happens if somehow your fish has some disease that wipes out the local population of native fish?

Sorry, but you need to be "blasted". Maybe it will prevent other people from making the same mistakes.

You need to be calling zoos and contacting monster tank owners.

 

[College_Reefer]

No, it isn't. You could potentially be introducing foreign diseases to an ecosystem doing that. For example, I could have a Royal Gramma I got from Roatan that I want to release back there but I also have many fish in the tank from the Indo-Pacific. If one of those Indo fish has a parasite, disease, etc that the Gramma is harboring and I released it, there's a real possibility that I could kill many fish or worse. I'm sure no one thought releasing a lionfish would turn into what it is but here we are. Absolutely do not do this.

 

[HAAAAAAAA]

So much to unpack here...

The first issue is your mindset, sorry to be so blunt. Buying large species fish for a home aquarium with the intent to "do something else with them" when they get too big is irresponsible to begin with. Every local zoo and refuge in the country is overflowing with fish and animals because of this mindset.


Secondly, You can't keep a 24" fish or a 30" fish in a 210, especially with other fish. A 500 isn't even big enough.

Lastly, no it is not alright to release. What happens if somehow your fish has some disease that wipes out the local population of native fish?

Absolutely, understandable.

 

[HAAAAAAAA]

When I first read that it grew slow I expected a gap of atleast 2 or 3 years till it reaches it main size in which I was saving up for atleast a 1000 gallon plywood but I guess I'll have to accelerate that

 

[VintageReefer]

Wild fish adapt to home aquaria and get lazy. They lose their instincts of being skittish, and learn they don’t have predators, they get used to being fed daily and having the food come to them.

IMO they would not adapt well going back into the wild

Edit: I agree with everything prior - just wanted to throw some extra things out to consider.

 

[BeanAnimal]

When I first read that it grew slow I expected a gap of atleast 2 or 3 years till it reaches it main size in which I was saving up for atleast a 1000 gallon plywood but I guess I'll have to accelerate that

It depends on the system, but large species groupers grow quickly. The other question becomes how to keep it fed and keep the waste removed.

If you are serious about a 1000 gallon system on an accelerated pace, that makes a lot more sense. There are plenty of large tank owners here. Also resources like monsterfishkeepers.

Your attitude with respect to a bit of brow beating is a positive development and it sounds like you are open to actually listening and figuring out a solution.

 

[exnisstech]

Safest option is to let your mom eat it.

 

[HAAAAAAAA]

Safest option is to let your mom eat it.

Or spend my life savings on a bigger tank but I'd rather choose my live savings than to let my mom eat it lol

 

[VintageReefer]

Safest option is to let your mom eat it.

OP mom looks at the tank and sees —>

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

Yeah, no. Not only can it destroy the local ecosystem, it is also a guaranteed death of that animal. They've forgotten how to live in the wild. You'd be better off euthanizing it.

 

[HAAAAAAAA]

It depends on the system, but large species groupers grow quickly. The other question becomes how to keep it fed and keep the waste removed.

If you are serious about a 1000 gallon system on an accelerated pace, that makes a lot more sense. There are plenty of large tank owners here. Also resources like monsterfishkeepers.

Your attitude with respect to a bit of brow beating is a positive development and it sounds like you are open to actually listening and figuring out a solution.

My freezers been filled with all types of fishes, and since my market gets them in wholesale they aren't that expensive and can get cheaper if I get them in bulk so I have no issues regarding food.



As for filtration, I intend to keep atleast a 150 gallon planted macroalgae connected to the 1000gallon which I am sure will take care of the nitrates, the detritus and wastes will first pass through many sponges and socks before reaching the macroalgae tank.

I appreciate your kind input and i am indeed serious of a big tank, since i indeed can't keep a Tess in a 210 for long.

 

[Dread Pirate Dave]

j/k

 

[HAAAAAAAA]

j/k

It doesnt look as appetizing but I am sure it will be better fried Lol

 

[HAAAAAAAA]

Here are some pictures of its massive growth

Now my eel no longer messes with him Lol

The smaller version of him was in a 5 gallon quarantine

The bigger version in a 150