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Banning
Collection
Most reef aquarists are ethical minded.
Did you know that over 90%
of the reef livestock you own is collected from the wild?! Very few marine fish are
aquacultured whereas 99% of
freshwater are tank raised. This hobby does put
pressure on our natural resources but not nearly as much as the
decimation caused by global warming, the fishing & tourism
industries, boat anchors etc. Even still, some
ethical minded hobbyists might be misguided in wanting to ban the
collection of some species given what they might see as a
poor survival rate in the home aquarium. Though I
applaud such concern... most aren't seeing the entire picture.
The failure rate of most species collected is many times due
to one or more of the following reasons:
-
Many fish are
collected with the drug CYANIDE (or drugs similar). Almost sure death
in your tank! Cyanide
stuns a fish making it easier to collect. If the dose is too strong
the fish's liver is damaged & the end result is a fish that eats but wastes
away...usually in the hobbyist's tank!
-
Improper
collection, handling, holding & transporting techniques at & from the point
of origin.
-
Improper
handling, holding & transporting techniques at the wholesale level to
retailer.
-
Improper
handling, holding, collecting & bagging techniques at the retail store.
This would also include lack of information about the livestock they offer
which many times leads to improper housing, feeding & care. This
misinformation is either passed on to the customer....or no information is
provided at all!
-
Improper
acclimation, inappropriate housing either system or tankmates, misinformed
or have no clue on species needs at the consumer level.
Consider
this...Mandarins who not long ago were thought an
unsuccessful species are now spawning in many systems!
I personally have a mated pair,
they are fat as
butterballs & mating nightly! Did you know that
Mandarins are being successfully tank raised today?!!
Not on a commercial scale at the time I write this but its
not a matter of "If" but rather "When" they are!
Mandarins could have been first on that "ban" list
but thank God we didn't go that far! Let
us be VERY careful with our thoughts to ban anything in this hobby. We do not want to rob ourselves of the opportunity to experiment,
research & find what it takes to be successful with these beautiful animals. I
commend anyone for wanting to be ethical but I’d suggest that energies be put into:
-
Banning the
still in use cyanide collection method
-
Do not buy from stores that we
suspect buy from those who sell cyanide collected fish
-
Do not buy from stores who do not properly educate
customers on the care of the animals they sell
-
Do not buy from stores that do not provide proper
acclimation & housing needs "in store"
-
Do not buy from stores that do not advocate/sell
systems/equipment designed for the hobbyist to be long term successful.
-
Make sure
your reef system is set up to be a healthy environment for the livestock you
choose to keep.
-
Be
knowledgeable about the livestock BEFORE purchasing them. Do not rely
on chain pet stores to give you proper information. Contact me or any
other reputable reef specialist or on-line resources before bringing your
new purchase home.
AquaCorals prides itself in
providing top-notch livestock purchased from ethical
collection & wholesale companies, the best holding/growing
systems & the best in customer guidance & service.
Stop by, see what's "in store" or buy on-line from
AquaCorals with confidence & treat yourself by investing
in the best! :0) |
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