Illegal Nano tanks?

[NeilW]

Just stumbled across a law in Germany that prohibits fish tanks from being smaller then 24" x 12" x 12" (60 litres) which surprised me in comparison to our own fish keeping law (or lack of).

'Harro Hieronimus, chair of the German Livebearer Society and the International Rainbowfish Association, was asked to create for the German Ministry of Agriculture a set of minimum requirements for the humane care of fish. His expert opinion has been translated into law in Germany. He maintains that fish must have a minimum volume of 13 gallons of water in an aquarium approximately 24 inches by 12 inches by 12 inches in size. Hieronimus states, "Keeping fish permanently in smaller tanks is cruelty against animals and [in Germany] may be prosecuted by law."'

source; http://www.peta.org/features/aqua-culture.aspx

and Eheim on their nano instructions;

In Germany and Austria, the keeping of fish in tanks of less than 54l. is prohibited. Exceptions exist only for breeding purposes and for very small species.

source; http://www.eheim.de/eheim/pdf/en/broschueren/BA7991420_Guide_aquastyle_GB_0910.pdf

Can anyone confirm this?

 

[George Farmer]

It's true.

The loophole is 'very small' species... Is there a definition by their law of 'very small'?

 

[NeilW]

Not that I can find George. Annoyingly I can't find an 'official' link to the original law, so as you say 'very small' is rather ambiguous...

It may also be one of those things where its difficult to enforce but its interesting to see a government taking some steps for fish welfare.

 

[George Farmer]

I've mixed feelings about this.

I commend that fish welfare is taken seriously, of course.

However, by applying a rather blunt instrument like a 54 litre limit, it could be perceived that if you have over 54 litres then it's ok to keep any size fish in there.

We all know that with good equipment and maintenance it is possible to safely keep small fish in tanks <54 litres. I've kept a dozen fish in a 10 litre before now, and I dare say these were in better condition than some goldfish being kept in a 54 litre tank.

Of course, there's no simple answer and I do applaud fish welfare being taken seriously.

It's an interesting topic. Thanks for posting.

 

[sanj]

I think legislation is often well intentioned, but often clumsy and does not fit all situations. In some ways it has its merits because there are far too many people who take careless attitude to these little life forms.

Yet it is not just about tank size, there are other prequisates for a healthy aquarium system, but then there are many approaches to achieving this.

I would never take one "fish experts" point of view for making legislation, one would need at least a panel from a broad spectrum.

Its pretty messy, but I think we in this country could start with goldfish, I think probbaly the most abused fish in the industry.

 

[NeilW]

I think people into the planted tank thing are more likely of treating their livestock better as they need to understand the nature of a closed ecosystem to be successful and picking appropriate species is part of this.

It seems that small tanks in the planted tank world have come from an aesthetic for miniaturisation; therefore the species housed are usually proportionately smaller to create this illusion. On the other hand it seems smaller tanks for non-planted people have come about for financial reasons or lack of knowledge.

 

[Morgan Freeman]

The size may appear rather arbitrary but it certainly tackles the issue of goldfish in small bowls, perhaps that was the intention?