Hot and Heavy Topic of the Week!

[Jarred1]

If you have a coral in your tank you have every right to frag it however you see fit. How is it wrong to frag a small coral, in an effort to offset some of the money you spent, regardless of how much it cost? I don't get it. As far as being animals yes they are technically animals, but ethically I consider a coral far more similar to an orchid than a dog. Corals are simpler organisms than worms. I routinely shove a hook through a worm several times and throw in the water in an effort to catch a fish (which I might let go, or fillet and eat), and fish are far more advanced creatures than coral.

Personally I really do consider animals of all types to be natural resources. We as humans have a responsibility to manage that resource thoughtfully and sustainably, but it's not wrong to kill a cow and eat it, or chop up a coral and sell it. Basically I don't consider that animals have rights, humans just have use animals in responsible manner, with the ultimate goal being sustainability.

So by you understanding that we are animals as well then you would also understand that we don't have the rights to do as we please with other life forms.

[rmalone]

No within the restraints of sustainability and sensibility we DO have the right to use other animals as we see fit. Absolutely. There is nothing wrong with killing cows, keeping chickens in small pens to produce outrageous numbers of eggs, fish farming in large barrels to feed people. NOPE nothing wrong with any of that. And nothing wrong with fragging my 2" red planet. In fact I have a frag of that red planet laying on the sand this morning, it will stay there too because I just made as 50gallon vat of fertilizer (no it's not organic) and I would rather not stick my nitrate, phosphate and potassium laden hands into my reef, which would risk every other organism in the tank.

You guys are trying to make it look like I don't care about animals or the world in general, well thats not true. I will put the health of my tank and my dog and my commercial plants (probably evil also), against anyone out there.