Fish Bowl Centerpieces

EricaKevin13

woow... they're just fish. chill.

I'm actually using this idea too.  i think betta would be the best fish to use.  unless you go through the whole chemical and tap water crap with goldfish, there's a good chance that the fish will die. Then u can let the kids go home with the fish as favors

aerinpegadrak

Do you make it a habit of walking into a room and telling a bunch of strangers how to behave, Toni?

brittanycherie

I think it's a really good idea and totally creative. As long as it's not too hot outside or anything it'd be awesome. I really dont understand how this is cruel and offensive. If you have people willing to help you out I say you should do it!

ExpatPumpkin

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_fish-bowl-centerpieces?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:5Discussion:62f42d66-83d2-40c4-9a99-39e965fd3a36Post:2d44443e-7d94-481c-8cc7-b9a37b56b630">Re: Fish Bowl Centerpieces</a>:
[QUOTE]This whole thing has made me really sad.
Posted by msmerymac[/QUOTE]

<div>Me too :(</div>

[Deleted User]

So, I'm guessing you all would think that my "babies in a crate" centerpieces are a bad  idea. Sheesh. You people are so uptight!

amandajean36

fish freak me out.  alot.  i would not sit at a table that had a fish staring at me. 

i know i'm weird - but just another thing to think about besides the cruel/dirty arguments. 

steph43987

 I'm amazed at how much people here know about fish. Granted, the people who I would think would be most motivated to post would be people who are doing this idea as their centerpiece, and those who know so much about fish they know it's a bad idea.

I'm neither of those. My opinion is it's not a good idea. I've seen this once at a wedding and actually a wedding planner was responsible for the entire shindig. It was pretty disastrous. In theory, it sounds like it would look very neat, but it wasn't neat seeing dead fish or watching trashy, drunk, groomsmen daring each other to swallow fish whole (the point at which FI and I left).

As for the babies in crates, I don't think it's a HORRIBLE idea, but you may want to consider the size of your crates compared with the size of your tables... also, soiled diapers may affect your guests appetite.

meladoriestar

to the people who are saying that those of us who don't necessarily find it completely immoral must hate treating animals humanely, get over it. don't make assumptions about another person's character based solely on that.

i can see this as being a bad idea, i wouldn't do it or recommend it, but i don't find it immoral. and yet, somehow, i also DO care about animal rights and treatment.

it doesn't have to be one extreme or the other, where either we are abhorred by the thought or else we torture animals for fun.

meladoriestar

actually, to respond to a previous message, I've heard people say not to do butterfy release, but why not? is there some harm in it? (genuine question here....) not to open a whole other can of worms (though I'd probably get in trouble for having worms in a can and not in the earth....)

lauralaur

Butterfly releases are a no-go for me because if the butterflies get touched at all it destroys their wings. They are usually frozen before they get to your wedding and if you don't thaw them out properly, they can't fly away. (The idea of thawing out a butterfly is a bit much for me by the way.) Plus, they don't always all survive long enough to fly away when released, and then you are releasing dead butterflies. Gross.

And I also disagree with the fish as centerpieces idea for all of the reasons mentioned. We briefly considered fish when we first got engaged and then realized that there is no logistical way to get a filter on every fish tank, make sure every ph and temp is good, make sure they get there OK, and then make sure they get home OK. And, as others said, it's not a good environment for the fish in terms of noise, children tapping on the bowl, etc. Betas can survive in a bowl, but you can't keep them together, so if this person's MIL were to take all of the fish home at the end of the night, she would have 10 (or however many) fish bowls in her home. All other fish, goldfish included, NEED filtration. Filters remove toxins from the water and allow the fish to breathe. It's just not a good idea. I do agree that it would be pretty, but it's just so, so bad for the fish and a logistical nightmare.

aerinpegadrak

Yes, butterfly releases are extremely harmful to the environment when the butterflies are actually released instead of arriving dead or dying.  Dove releases are actually okay if you use a licensed dove trainer (who's probably using white carrier pigeons), but there's always the possibility that predators will pick them off before they get back home.

And frankly, someone's complete flippancy about animal cruelty is an excellent basis for a judgment on their character.

duckie1905

http://www.naba.org/weddings.html

This is an article from the North American Butterfly Association that talks about why releases are bad.

Again, they are animals.  Not props.

vazwedding1020

i agree with the bride to be... im getting married in october on a yacht  and i want to make a similar centerpiece for a water theme. just make sure you treat the water 24 hours before u put the fish in u can buy the water treatment formula at petsmart or aquatic stores, and dont buy tropical fish while theyre beautiful almost all of them are semi aggressive and you would also need a water pump. i have two aquariums at home with tropical fish who should also be in a large tank. Goldish are nice and simple but are much more likely to poop. i would reccomend bettas not only are they colorful but even put individually they make a great centerpiece and have also been known to be slightly more pristine and a cleaner fish ive read that they can be huge hits at weddings and guests love to take them home. just put a dicreet thing of fishfood on the table with maybe a cute little instruction card that could say take me home. put the food container in a small white box with a bow and it will look beautiful.
for whoever made the comment about people getting drunk and pouring liqour in the water or behaving like animals i dont know what sort of people u associate with but if u are having a classy wedding with classy people noone would do such  thing.

vazwedding1020

alot of people dont know this but butterflies just like moths have a powder on their wings that enable flight. their wings are far too sensitive to be handled and frankly butterlies shouldnt be kept in a box to release.