Is it a good idea to keep wild caught saltwater fish as pets?

Unless your friend has extensive experience with saltwater tanks and keeping saltwater fish,the squid will likely die in captivity. Please have your friend take him back to the sea where he can live a happy and healthy life.

Salt water aquarium requires a great deal of regular maintenance to keep the fish alive. This can be helped by adding live rock (similar to live coral) to the aquarium. Below is a link to some great information for maintaining a salt water. aquarium.http://www.madhattersreef.com/20-ways-improve-aquarium-husbandry/ I hope that helps and all is well with your fish.

Thanks for reaching out, the rule of thumb is 1" of fish per 3 gallons, but smaller tanks are very difficult to keep stable, and saltwater fish are easily stressed by environmental fluctuations (salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen). Good luck.

It is very difficult to get a good biotope in a just 1 foot long tank unless it is a few feet high. You will not be able to keep fish in it, only invertebrates, maybe a few shrimp or sea anemones. It is much harder to keep the water healthy in a small tank,and the appliances needed for running a salt water aquarium cost pretty much the same (if available) as appliances for a larger tank. I suggest you join a club of salt water aquarists who will be able to start you off perfectly. Your local fish/pet shop should be able to point you to a club.

The Cowfish, or Longhorned Boxfish, is a marine species that should be kept only by experienced aquarists. When stressed, they can release toxins into the water which may harm tank mates. Pacman frogs, leopard geckos, corn snakes or bearded dragons are all easy to keep.

First, you should check with local, state and federal laws to make sure you can keep a wild caught snake. Even if legal, it isn't recommended since wild caught animals do not transition well to captivity. Feed it what he would eat in the wild. That would be fish, salamanders and other aquatic species. Feeder fish would be easiest and most convenient. Place them in a shallow bowl on feeding days. It may not see frozen/thawed mice as food, so may not eat.

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is the same question I asked myself a few years ago when I started with my first saltwater aquarium. It really depends on a lot of factors. Consider that it requires a significant amount of time and money commitment if you want to do it the right way. It is really time consuming though extremely rewarding. Water quality and equilibrium of the tank are key and ensuring both requires using the right equipment and constantly testing the water and adjusting things as needed. I would consider reading a lot about it before commiting any money to it. I personally love it but it really is a second job I have every Saturday morning just to take care of my tank. Good luck!