Inhumane?

christinelyn0131 · April 2010

I was passing ideas around earlier, and thought of a centerpiece idea

Small, glass bowls with colored rocks and FISH. Yes, real ones.

If I made sure the rocks were good for them, and made sure they found a home, would it be inhumane??

danieliza1127 · April 2010

I think so, yes, because animals (even fish) aren't meant for decoration. Plus it's just gross. No one wants to watch fish poop or splash water out of the bowl while they're eating, and yes it does happen. Plus a lot of fish will die, even during the reception, which is also gross. And I doubt you would be able to find homes for them all, or have people wanting to take them home and deal with them at the end of the night.

I just think there are tons of options for unique and fun centerpieces without using live animals.

BecW2be · April 2010

Can you make sure they find a good home? What if one dies during the reception and you have an icky dead fish floating around? What if a kid or immature guest decides to torture one? I think they are a bit tacky, and there are so many variables that just take too much consideration and planning for a centerpiece. My advice is to save yourself the trouble.

tracy_k · April 2010

I'm not a fan. If you wouldn't use a hamster or a kitten as a centerpiece, why use a fish?

Also, I just don't feel like they actually add anything to the beauty of a centerpiece.

They make lovely glass floating fish that you could use in centerpieces to get the same feeling without any issues with finding a home for them, etc.

http://www.gelstuff.com/art-glass-fish.html

caseyandlizzie · April 2010

Ditto PP....fish are animals, not decoration. I would nix this idea.

girl2bewed · April 2010

I dont necessarily think this is inhumane, I think it would actually look pretty cool BUT like the PP's said, if some kid decides to reach in and start grabbing at them or one dies and is floating around dead in your centerpiece it would be pretty terrible. The chance of at least a few of them dying I would think would be pretty high.

MyNameIsNot · April 2010

Yes, it is inhumane. Putting them in the bowl with the rocks is not the problem. The problem comes in because you cannot properly control the environment like you would with a pet fish at home. You can't control the water temperature, the noise and vibration from the party will stress out the fish, people will tap on the glass, even if you don't have anyone acting like a jerk. But in any group, there's usually at least one jerk, so you end up with someone putting vodka in the water, or trying to eat the fish, or putting food down there, or putting the bowls together (in the case of bettas) to try to get them upset.

Yes, it is inhumane.

jennylove810 · April 2010

Ditto PPs, except for one small point - fish are decorations (wouldn't a fish tank in your house be considered a decoration?) but they're not decorations for your wedding centerpieces for the reasons that MNIN (and others) said.

Fish are beautiful, but they're animals - delicate animals at that. And I really don't think you want to spend your wedding reception keeping an eye on your centerpieces to make sure the fish are OK, and I doubt you'll want to deal with finding them all good homes afterward.

mbcdefg · April 2010

In addition to the reasons stated above, I think it's just too impractical.

FI and I loaded his car with the stuff to transport to our reception hall this morning - candles and holders, guest book stuff, etc. Those were quite enough of a pain in the _ass, and those were just inanimate objects. I hate to think of the hassle involved with transporting live animals to and from your wedding. Boxes and bags of crap were bad enough, but transporting a bunch of glass bowls, live fish and water-filled containers sounds like a nightmare.

And if our boxes fall over or bust open ... yeah, the stuff might break in a worst-case scenario, but at least they're not dead.

emilyinchile · April 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_inhumane?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:5Discussion:828241fb-a614-4ad1-978b-b4e905282ca5Post:cf11c5b2-43d1-4089-bff1-3e4ae452d00d">Re: Inhumane?</a>:
[QUOTE]Yes, it is inhumane. Putting them in the bowl with the rocks is not the problem. The problem comes in because you cannot properly control the environment like you would with a pet fish at home. You can't control the water temperature, the noise and vibration from the party will stress out the fish, people will tap on the glass, even if you don't have anyone acting like a jerk. But in any group, there's usually at least one jerk, so you end up with someone putting vodka in the water, or trying to eat the fish, or putting food down there, or putting the bowls together (in the case of bettas) to try to get them upset. Yes, it is inhumane.
Posted by MyNameIsNot[/QUOTE]

This.

In theory, if you had the water at the right temperature and pH, it's not inhumane - the fish doesn't know it's being used as a decoration. But in a party atmosphere, there are so many things that can and probably will happen to upset the habitat you created with the rocks and water and all that, and that's where it gets a bit cruel.

aerinpegadrak · April 2010

Yes, it's inhumane, for all of the reasons the others have stated. There are just too many variables and too many chances for something to go horribly wrong. They're living beings and need to be properly cared for, and that's pretty much impossible to do when they're scattered around the tables at a wedding.

[Deleted User] · April 2010

Yes, I vote inhumane. But also think about guests that don't like fish.

Fish seriously freak me out. I would not be comfortable sitting at a table with one. For me, you might as well put a bowl with a snake in the middle of the table. I know I'm on the far end of the spectrum, but you should still consider the fact that you may have some guests that would not enjoy them.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown · April 2010

I agree with everything others have said about it being inhumane.

Also, if you do it (which I sincerely hope you don't), please don't serve fish as a choice of main course. THAT would be really weird.

shellydiane820 · April 2010

I think its just plain gross.

loveslug · April 2010

Apparently this has become very much a trend, as our venue made a HUGE point of making sure we understood that our decorating plans could not include live fish-period-they have had many, many people wanting to do this recently. If you are seriously considering this (and I hope you are not) I would check with your venue before you brought in a bunch of fish to see if it is even allowed.

While having them in a bowl or vase or whatever in itself may not be inhumane, the frequent moving-from pet store to home to venue to bowls/vases to new home-within a very short period of time would be extremely stressful for the fish. Plus, as mentioned before, the logistics of keeping the fish alive until the reception, getting them to the reception and set up, and packing them up for the trip to elsewhere would be a nightmare.

And I am of the opinion that fish are not decor, even when in a home aquarium. The last fish I had, an oscar named Poe, died in a freak aquarium accident...I cried for two days. Still miss that fish.

nda_roxybabe · April 2010

What's weird is I feel like this is an old, over done idea. At my 9th grade Valentines banquet we had real fish centerpieces. It just screams cheesy to me.
Oh yea, and one of the boy took the fish out and fried it on a candle...HS boys are such asses.

loveslug · April 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_inhumane?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:5Discussion:828241fb-a614-4ad1-978b-b4e905282ca5Post:d9884cda-48dd-43f2-9b5d-335dd6cb470e">Re: Inhumane?</a>:
[QUOTE] Oh yea, and one of the boy took the fish out and fried it on a candle...HS boys are such asses.
Posted by nda_roxybabe[/QUOTE]

Oh, how awful...

tracy_k · April 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_inhumane?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:5Discussion:828241fb-a614-4ad1-978b-b4e905282ca5Post:dfd97332-5b9d-49ea-97af-fd6c3d16cfb8">Re: Inhumane?</a>:
[QUOTE]i dont find it Inhumane... If you have fish in a fishtank its still a decoration...
Posted by Bpoliska[/QUOTE]

Most people I know with fish at home consider them pets, not decorations.

Lasairiona · April 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_inhumane?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:5Discussion:828241fb-a614-4ad1-978b-b4e905282ca5Post:921bfe7e-0927-4fb9-b0ed-40a1cf9e67c9">Re: Inhumane?</a>:
[QUOTE] And I am of the opinion that fish are not decor, even when in a home aquarium.
Posted by loveslug[/QUOTE]

By that logic, puppies and kittens in the home are just decorations as well and not pets. Someone who thinks like that shouldn't have animals in the first place.

loveslug · April 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_inhumane?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:5Discussion:828241fb-a614-4ad1-978b-b4e905282ca5Post:b2631aad-4fa2-496a-acbf-43251bcf8e43">Re: Inhumane?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Inhumane? : By that logic, puppies and kittens in the home are just decorations as well and not pets. Someone who thinks like that shouldn't have animals in the first place.
Posted by Lasairiona[/QUOTE]

I'm afraid maybe I wasn't clear in my post...I do NOT think fish are decor...I have gone so far as to make toys for my fish because I was afraid they were bored!

Animal=/=Decoration :)

bullentini · April 2010

I think using fish as a centerpeice would draw negative attention at your wedding. If you don't want to be answering questions all night about where you got them or what you are doing with them afterwards, I would stay away from this idea.

Think about how the people on this board responded. Your guests might feel the same way.

tommyandy · April 2010

What if you rented a large lit tank of fish from the fish store & put it behind the escort card table? It would be a lot like a fish tank at a restaurant.

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