How aquariums are a symbol of cruelty!

Whatever looks beautiful doesn't mean it is beautiful. Aquariums might be a beautiful showpiece for someone but there is also a hidden torture and disrespect of many innocent lives. Yes, aquatic creatures captured in aquariums can't be happy and willing to entertain you. It is the same as an innocent being is captured in a cage and you expect some entertainment from him, would he entertain the spectators? Probably not but, spectators might be happy and entertained by seeing him in pain and torture. Isn't it shows the uncompassionate character of spectators? If it is not a compassion in case of the human being then how it could be compassionate nature to see the innocent fishes captured inside a small glass box and called it entertainment?

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What happens in aquariums

• Aquariums are confined spaces.Home and office aquariums are very small in size and even most of the public aquariums are also small in size. Many fishes kept in such small space. Fishes are a very sensitive creature and fish, which would in the wild swim many miles a day, are typically confined and subjected to stress and shock from people tapping on the glass, excess light, encounters with tank-mates etc.
• Due to unbalanced and artificial diet fishes languish in poor health. All fishes have a different need for their food but in fish-tank, they all supplied same food, which deteriorates their health.
• Unbalanced and artificial environments designed entirely for the enjoyment of aquarium owner or visitor rather than the welfare of the fish. The pain of living in an artificial environment could be felt ourselves if we are kept in a confined space without any natural light, air, and food!

From where fishes come in aquariums

• In the most aquariums, fishes are wild caught. This is a matter of concern not only because fish populations are already highly exploited but also because the live-capture industry is not well-regulated, and some of its practices are highly questionable. For example, hand-made bombs and sodium cyanide are still sometimes used to stun and capture fish.
• some fishes are not wild caught but they are farmed. Again farming is a cruelty. A large no of fishes are forced to bread in a totally unnatural environment. They born in captivity and died in captivity.
  
  _{Millions of Aquarium Fish Are Caught Each Year With Cyanide}

Do we learn anything about fishes from aquariums?

• It is a very common and weak argument given in support of aquariums that aquariums are very good for the educative purpose. Specially for children that they learn a lot about aquatic animals from aquariums. But what we learn is the most important. By taking children to these places, we are communicating to them indirectly that it is acceptable to confine non-human animals to small tanks that dramatically restrict their movement, and derive pleasure from gawking at them.
• Going wild places to see aquatic animals swimming freely is the ideal way to learn and entertainment but if it not possible, other option is to watch documentaries or read books about marine animals.

If I were a creature I wouldn’t want to spend my entire life in a small space. Swimming around from one end to the other. Animals in cages have been known to become frustrated and banging their heads on their cages and go insane and live their entire life in stress. Need to have freedom isn’t just a human one. I don’t know how a fish feels in aquariums, but the kind of lives they have there, must not be pleasant.