Can You Kill Living Things?

[revhtree Verified Admin]

I must admit that I have a problem killing anything that is living. But more specifically I am speaking about little critters that are a nuisance to your aquarium like asternia starfish, xenia, and other things like that.

I have tossed out those little starfish before but the more and more I think about it, I can't do it!

What do you have or don't have a problem eradicating?

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[k2parkstar]

Ive got a buffet of asterinas, but I just bought a harlequin shrimp Friday. I let that guy do my dirty work. Mwahahaha

 

[FaviaFreak]

I have a hard time killing anything period, except mosquitos

 

[wysiwyg]

i have no problem if there pests. other than that i have a hard time killing most living creatures

 

[Blake11rebel]

A couple months ago I was doing a water change and sucked up a brittle worm. I threw it out in the yard, then felt bad about it and ran out there looking for it. It was still moving so I picked it up with tongs but when I put it back in my tank my six line tore it apart. I just consider them a good part of my CUC now, unless there to big.

 

[mainereefer]

is their a difference between killing and population control? I have killed about 500,000 astrea stars upgrading to my new tank.

but I say I dont like killing things

 

[Dave3112]

Not me. I grew up in a hunting family. Killing things is natural. I don't Senselessly kill an animal (like kill a deer and leave it for the animals) if I kill something like that it's for my family to eat. Now as far as for nuisance pests in the aquarium bring them on. I don't have a problem letting the asterina hit the trash can or nuking the aptasia.

 

[tnyr5]

To be alive is to kill things...

 

[gooch Verified Sponsor]

I look at things like this.....if they are suppose to be there I leave them alone. For example....I will not kill a spider or centipede outside. But if it is in my house I kill it because it doesn't belong there. I do hunt but as I get older I do look at it morally. I will not kill it if I will not eat it.

 

[cdness]

Killing for food - OK
Killing just for fun - Not OK
Having fun while killing for food - OK
Killing for population control - Debatable on a per scenario basis as natural selection is there for a reason, but with people interfering in the habitat it may not always work as nature intended it to work.
Killing to protect farm livestock or human life - OK
Killing to protect the health of family pets - OK

In an aquarium your fish and corals are like your pets. While asternias, bristle worms, parasites, and aiptasias do have their part in nature, they can damage the health of your aquarium pets. It's like killing a tick on a dog... They are only removed and/or killed when they are in a place where they can cause damage.

There is a practice in fish breeding that I am not all that comfortable with the idea, but I am also not 100% informed about it either. It may be a necessary thing to do, but I don't understand why other than you only want to keep the best of the best... Seems like natural selection would take them anyway, but at least they had a chance.

This is just my $.02

 

[lars]

I'll kill it if I can eat it or it can harm me or my family. This includes pets so all pest are fair game.

 

[droblack]

I don't like to harm or kill anything, but make exceptions for food and protection.

 

[JSemour]

I have no problem with it. They are called pests for a reason, they cause bad things to happen. I even purposefully kill typically desirable organisms to keep their populations in check and avoid fighting, corals included (kalk pasting encrusting bases that are attacking other corals). It's a part of this hobby (and life).

Not to mention the hundreds, thousands, or billions of animals that died so I could have life in my aquarium. Even land-based aquaculture kills animals.

 

[Young Frankenstein]

I don’t like doing it ……… but if I have to do it I do L

 

[Aquaph8]

Sometimes I dont like it but those blue cloves and xenia just pushed me too far. Honestly though, I would feel more sorry for a cow than xenia and Im gonna eat the cow.

 

[steamer51]

I agree with most here but one thing that hasn't been brought up is putting an animal down if it is suffering or dangerous. I shot a raccoon once in my yard. It was blind, stumbling around and obviously suffering. Maybe it was blind due to advanced rabies (dangerous), maybe some mean person had put out some antifreeze for it to drink (also causes blindness) because it was getting into their garbage and making a mess. It was suffering and a bullet in the head stopped it immediately and the animal never knew it was coming. I still felt bad killing it but would have felt worse if it continued to be in pain.