How to buy responsibly?????

[jmelville]

I have not been involved in the salt water industry in over 15 years so the method of fragmenting and tank raising fish is new to me. What is the responsible way to purchase? Do you only buy raised coral and fish or is okay to buy from dealers who are harvesting from the ocean? Are there good regulations in place now that are keeping the reefs from being over harvested?
Thanks for any info and thoughts!

 

[thominil]

Buying tank raised is encouraged whenever possible. Many species of fish have been bred in captivity. Still, most of the marine live stock is wild caught though. Welcome to AA!

 

[sweetshannon]

I had my heart set on an anemone, until doing a bit more research. From what I can tell, they aren't really raised or captive bred like some fish. And really don't live very long in captivity, so I am leaning away form getting one. Anyone else here have opinions on anemone? Whether it is more responsible not to get one?

 

[HN1]

Welcome to AA!

Buying captive raised is always the better option. Both for responsibility reasons and the quality of the livestock. Generally captive raised animals will readily accept prepared food and are more easily acclimated. The list is small, but fortunately more and more fish and inverts are being bred in aquaria. My favorite source of livestock is through the local reef club. Some of it may have originally been wild caught (although we have a few very successful breeders as well), but at least my purchase doesn't contribute to another being taken. ORA and a few other emerging vendors are working hard to expand their selections and take advantage of a more enlightened group of hobbyists.

 

[mdaniel2882]

TR whenever possible is the best way for the enviorment and you. TR fish are hardier than wild. find out as much as possible about the collection methods at the souce. there are ways that fish should NEVER be collected but they are used.

always remember that it is not the goal to have the coolest fish.....It is the goal to have the coolest HAPPY fish.