pressure our hobby as put on the worlds reefs and what we can do
to minimize damage. First and foremost we must promote
responsible reef keeping by learning and researching these wild
animals we wish to care for out of their natural environment.
Management through collector and consumer education as well as
captive farming and aquaculture we can make this hobby
sustainable.
The aquarium hobby is a complex hobby to say the least, this
makes research the most important component in this hobby. The
net is full of resources that will help you in your decision of
your newest animal you want to add to your aquarium. There are
many things you need to ask yourself when you are adding a new
animal to your reef.
1. Are my current animals compatible with this new addition.
2. How difficult or sensitive is the new animal to water
conditions.
3. What is the success rate of this animal in captivity. Does
keeping them in an aquarium cut their life span in half.(In the
wild Mandarins live to be 15 years old, in captivity most don't
live over 2 years.)
4. What are this animals food requirements, water temperature,
or salinity etc.
5. Are you purchasing this animal from a responsible store or
supplier (Stay away from stores that will just sell you a fish
to make a sale, or sell corals that they know don't survive in
captivity for long periods of time.)
These are just a few of the questions you need to ask yourself
before making the purchase of a new animal.
Next I want to get into the subject of Captive bred fish and
Aquacultured corals. This to me is a very important role in the
aquarium industry. Not only do some of the most beautiful prized
and most expensive pieces of coral come from aquaculture, they
also are adjusted to the life in an aquarium through generations
of captive fragging.
There are more reasons to aquaculture than I can think of but
here are a few reasons.
1. You can do this at home! Many people pay their hobby
expenses or make a living from selling their aquacultured
corals.
2. Wild corals generally come with parasites or foreign animals
you don't want in your aquarium.;
3. Wild colonies will be shipped in unhealthy and for the most
part will not adjust well to your aquarium causing lack of color
and health as well as death.
4. Aquaculture put less stress on the worlds reefs. Although
some countries like the Filipino government has failed to
protect its coral reefs and ornamental fish this doesn't mean we
can't prevent further destruction by sustaining our own captive
inhabitants.
5. Less costly. Most aquaculture corals are less costly than a
wild caught animal as they don't have to travel as far and
aren't imported.
Finally the last thing we can do to promote the health of world
reefs and maintain a sustainable marine aquarium trade is to
educate the consumer and collector. Organizations like Reef
Check and MAC challenge hobbiest and collectors to maintain
standards and care of ornamental marine life. Education to
consumers and collectors will help the effort worldwide for a
sustainable aquarium industry.
In essence there are many ways we can all help to maintain and
keep this hobby sustainable. First by educating yourself about
your new animals or upcoming purchases. Second by promoting
aquaculture and purchase of aquaculture animals rather than
their wild counterpart. Third consumer and collector education
will help the worldwide effort in promoting a successful marine
aquarium industry.
About The Author: http://www.saltysup
