• HOME
• COURSES
• DIVING
• DIVE SITES
• EQUIPMENT
• INJURIES
• LESSONS
• SEA LIFE

Private Scuba › Sea Life › Keeping Fish Guides › Duty of Care

Code of Conduct for Keeping Fish

Pets come in all shapes and sizes and each one has basic rights about being cared for in an appropriate manner by their keeper or owner.

This help guide simplifies the duty of care for keeping fish according to the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (England and Wales) and the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) 2006.

The "Five Freedoms" for Domestic Animals

Every domestic animal, including a pet fish, has the legal right to (all):

• Live in a suitable home and a safe environment.
• Eat an appropriate diet.
• Be housed with, or away from, other animals.
• Exhibit their usual behavioural patterns.
• Be protected from pain, suffering, injury, and disease.

Failing to meet the welfare needs of fish in your care (or your child's) may be committing an offence and result in prosecution.

In other words, if you start a fish keeping hobby, you'll need to take a few basic steps to provide a safe and clean environment for your fish to live and grow. Most of all, you must not cause any unnecessary suffering for your pet fish!

Important Decisions You Need to Make

In fact, the Law does not provide you with instructions of what you should do. So, most beginners will need to do some research to get a good understanding of how to keep fish happy and healthy.

• A single "perfect" way to care for all fish species doesn't exist. The reason is all fishes have different needs (e.g. freshwater vs. saltwater environments).
• Thus, it's always best to seek advice from an aquarist expert to help you get started. You can get specialist advice from an animal welfare professional, a fish stockist, your local Fishkeeping Society, or a veterinarian.

The Law: Are you (or your child under 16 years of age) looking after fish? If so, the parent or guardian has the responsibility (not the child) to take all reasonable steps necessary to ensure that all fish species have a suitable and safe environment at all times.

Suitable Environments for Fish

• A suitable "environment" for a fish to live in needs to include the water, plants (live or plastic), heating device (unless coldwater fish), filtration, and decorative ornaments in the aquarium or the pond.
• Like most humans, if you force too many fishes to live in cramped or crowded conditions it can lead to stress, illness, or death.
• Most aquatic animals live in clean water in their natural habitats. Even though you should replicate this clarity of water, in some cases using tap water will require some treatment before it becomes suitable.

Essential Care Issues

• The size of the aquarium or pond must be suitable with good quality clean water. Plus, your fish need to be safe and secure at all times (including when you're not at home).
• Most fish species need to have some stable exposure to a heat and light source - but not excessive amounts of either.
• It's important to keep the filtration system in good working order. You may also need to protect outdoor fish against severe climatic conditions (e.g. freezing water, strong sunlight).
• Fish that are sharing the same environment need to tolerate each other (e.g. not cannibalistic animals). Plus, overstocking leads to poor water quality, suffering, stress, disease, and death.

Suitable Diet for Fish

• You must provide your fish an appropriate and balanced diet to help them remain fit and healthy.
• It's true to say that different sized specimens and individual species will have different dietary requirements.
• You must avoid feeding them more than they actually need. If not, they will become fat and any excess food (uneaten) will deteriorate the water quality.

Essential Care Issues

• By and large, the water temperature and biology of the species will determine how often you need to feed your fish. But, a general rule of thumb is "little and often". Be prepared to adjust the amount of food you give them, and the nutrient content, so they remain fit and healthy.
• You should remove all excess uneaten food within fifteen (15) minutes. Decaying fish food releases chemicals that foul the water and become toxic.
• In general, a sudden change in eating habits will be a sign of illness. Check with your local retailer or a vet for further advice.
• Because fish are poikilotherms, they take their body temperature from the ambient water. In other words, fish species do not need a lot of food to maintain a stable body temperature.

Pro Tip: The Federation of British Aquatic Societies (FBAS) estimates that over-feeding and water fouling kill more fish than any other action.

Allowed to Exhibit "Normal" Behaviour

• Each species has their own behavioural traits. But, unhappy fish tend to show reduced feeding or changes in body colour. Plus, a sign of stress in fishes is closed finnage or abnormal behaviour for the genus (e.g. hiding in a sheltered area of the aquarium).
• You should avoid introducing "incompatible" territorial fish stock to an existing setup. Doing so can cause stress to all the existing fish families.
• Be aware that rapid changes in water temperature (or chemical balance), strong or fast changing light, and loud noise can all be stressful for aquatic animals.

Essential Care Issues

• In general, choosing the best fish tanks for beginners will depend on the actual species that you want to keep and your budget. But, all aquarists agree that the bigger the better.
• Be a vigilant and observant fish keeper. Behavioural changes tend to be signs of distress, illness, or injury. Typical changes include jumping or gasping at the water surface and swimming in an unusual or "abnormal" way.

Being Kept With, or Apart From, Other Fish

• As you learn about marine animals you will understand that some species live in groups (schools) and others live a solitary life. Some are more aggressive than others, and most fish are territorial by nature.

Essential Care Issues

• First of all, make sure you buy suitable and compatible specimens for the size and placement of the aquarium or pond. You should also avoid exceeding the correct stocking density and avoid buying any overly aggressive species. Remember... they will get bigger as they grow.
• You'll need to find a responsible person (e.g. a trusted neighbour) to feed your fish while you're away for long periods. It's always a good idea to remind them about the dangers of overfeeding.

Pro Tip: If you have well-fed and healthy fish, clean and operational filters, and water in good condition, you may not need another person to take care of your setup if it's only for a few weeks.

Fishes Need to be Protected

• Poor water quality is the root cause of most fish health problems because they are vulnerable to a range of infectious diseases and other illnesses.

Essential Care Issues

• Always buy fish stock from a reputable source, such as members of the Ornamental Aquatic Trade Association (OATA). Make it a daily habit to examine them for signs of injury or illness and look for signs of inappropriate behaviour.
• Do not delay removing any specimen that seems to be in pain, ill, or injured. You can buy a cheap quarantine aquarium for these emergency situations where you need to administer treatment for an individual fish.
• Always quarantine new fish for a period of at least seven (7) days before you introduce them to an existing setup.

Disposing of Diseased or Dead Fish

You should NOT flush a dead fish down the toilet (or bury it in the ground) because waste water and soil water will make its way into the river systems. Hence, diseased fishes can create a serious problem for native river species in the UK if they don't have a resistance to the strain.

Instead, the best method for getting rid of any dead fish is incineration. Another solution is to wrap it in newspaper and then Microwave it for two (2) minutes at 600 Watts (to kill harmful bacteria and viruses) before putting it into a household waste dustbin for routine collection.

Divers also enjoyed reading about...