I've written this in other comments, and I've replied to everyone, but I don't think people should have fish as pets. The idea of a pet is something a lot more personal to me than what people do for fish. I currently have a dog and cat, but I grew up with everything from geese, chickens, rabbits, birds, bees, and my parents also grew up with goats and cows. My mom built an enormous sanctuary for her birds by herself.

This is just getting down to maybe a more philosophical argument of keeping pets I think. My position is that, before we keep pets, we should focus on making the environment at large sustainable for thriving ecosystems, including everything from the soil to plants to animals. And I don't think most pet owners give a damn about the environment. There are also incredibly important issues regarding animals raised for human consumption that I think most pet owners aren't even ready to consider. So, again, I just think it's hypocritical to put a fish in a bigger tank than someone else, and then feel like you're ethical about animal welfare.

I think maybe for this type of conversation to be coherent, it would need to be in person or I'd have to write a longer essay clarifying my positions.

Anyway, I've responded to everyone, but I don't think this forum is adequate, so I'm deleting my comments because I'm tired of repeating the same thing over and over to people. Plus, I'm tired and my cat just came over to nap on my lap, so I'm calling it quits. Thank you for talking! I'm sorry if I wasn't able to express myself well enough.