A 'must read' for all aquarists

[crazyred]

I found this interesting article on releasing aquarium species (both fresh and salt) into non-native waters and I found it highly educational and wanted to share:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,207878,00.html

 

[Jchillin]

This isn't the first time a local Fisherman has caught a Pacu, seems to be a common occurrence now.

IIRC, the last one I read about had some nice teeth, pretty evenly spaced.

 

[roka64]

Yeah, it was about a month ago. Some one posted another article.

+++EDIT+++
DUH! It was me.....LOL! Man, I need a vacation!

 

[Jchillin]

Yeah, it was about a month ago. Some one posted another article.

+++EDIT+++
DUH! It was me.....LOL! Man, I need a vacation!

LOL...yeah it was you! Let me know your vacation plans, I think I should join you.

 

[crazyred]

Yeah, but they always focus on freshwater. This is the first I've heard of a lionfish population in an area of the ocean where they're not supposed to be. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention. Anyway, still interesting.

 

[roka64]

My apologies, crazyred! I didn't see that part...WOW!!! That is truley amazing.

Let me know your vacation plans, I think I should join you.

LOL!! Pack your stuff!

 

[Fluff]

I had heard of the sw incidents with the lionfish along the east coast and about the caulerpa on the west coast. There was a special on discovery channel about the caulerpa invasion that covered the kill off and how they are trying to control it now that it's there. People just don't look at the big picture when they make the decisions to dump these creatures. They are either ignorant and think they are doing what's best in saving the fish. Or just don't care if their children and childrens children will get the chance to see some of the indigenous species of fish and plants that will be killed off or go extinct due to continual dumping of predatory fish and invasive plants. That's why most of us are here. To try and educate who we can and hope for the best. There are so many issues with our oceans and reefs, transplanted fish and plants are just one more thing it doesn't need and when the small reef fish and inverts that keep things on a equal level are gone, and once the algaes have smothered out the corals, we will be loosing sooo much. The same goes for fw and why more states are making keeping some of these fish illegal. They really need to make more of them illegal to sell or at least difficult to aquire. But, then that gets complicated. So, we'll just have to keep on preaching to anyone who will listen. Ok, off my soap box.

 

[vsnsofadrgn]

that makes me so sad.

 

[WaterPond]

I live on a river that connects to lake huron. There have been many times during the summer that people have caught pirahnas and pacus. There were even rumors of a female bullshark in the bay that my town is built around. It is said that someone released it from their SW tank, and it adapted to FW. We also have alot of koi in the bay.

 

[crazyred]

Bullsharks naturally adapt from fresh to salt and back in the wild. They are the only shark known to do so. Many, many bullsharks have been found in rivers that empty into the ocean.....in fact, females return to freshwater to have their pups. When the pups reach adulthood they swim back down river into the ocean. Totally natural. Infact, many people are attacked and killed in rivers by sharks and experts are pretty sure it's bullsharks. They think it was a bullshark that killed a couple of people in a river in New Jersey (I think) back in like 1916. Just FYI. I'm not aware of any aquarists keeping bullsharks.

 

[JRagg]

That was actually a pretty good article. It went over why the dumping happens. Mainly that people don't know what to do with the fish and they have to move. I guess I can understand the fish, but the plants...

I mean I like my plants, but not so much that I would throw them into a lake or something so that they wouldn't die.

 

[WaterPond]

I know about the freshwater thing and bullsharks, i saw the show redwater, lol. This was all just a hoax anyway, there was no bullshark, but i guess they could like in the river near me. the river is part of the great lakes, so yeah, it connects to the ocean, but don't bullsharks need warmer water?