Dive deep into questions about the sale and showcasing of tropical fish. Do tropical fish make good pets? Where do pet stores get their tropical fish? Students decide whether or not tropical fish should be allowed for sale. They also can develop arguments about whether public aquariums should still exist and in what forms.

Go Deeper

Students may use these texts—or excerpts from these texts—to identify additional perspectives on the issue. 

• Selecting a pet fish. Informational text about buying tropical fish for the home. (American Veterinary Medicine Association, n.d.).

• Don’t buy this: Why tropical fish can make terrible pets. News article explaining some of the issues with keeping tropical fish as pets. (Vice, 2018).

• The therapeutic benefits of having a pet fish. Blog post about positive impacts on human mental health of caring for pets. (Mental Health Association in Delaware, 2022).

• Why you can walk into a store and buy a nearly extinct animal. Magazine article about the buying and selling of exotic fish. (Smithsonian Magazine, 2018).

Go Even Deeper

Students may also consider whether or not we need public aquariums. 

• Why zoos and aquariums are beneficial. Informational webpage arguing for the importances of aquariums and zoos. (Association of Zoos and Aquariums, 2020).

• Do aquariums really help with conservation? Blog post arguing that aquariums are harmful to fish and other marine life. (Northwest Animal Rights Network, 2023).

• Humans take out more wild species than any other predator on Earth. Magazine article on human's effects on other organisms. (Smithsonian Magazine, 2023).