Forbidden fish

[jc]

Being inspired by the discussion about Moorish idols I would like to get everyone's opinion on what fish they think we should avoid buying. Please explain your reasons why.

[justahobby]

Cleaner fish. Cleaner gobies is what I read about but I'm sure there's others. They do a great deal of good for the reef fish and alot of bad when their populations are reduced. My second pick would be all reef inhabitants. This hobby really is a guilty pleasure. I'm sure there are others like me that cringe away from articles, stories talking about the destruction of reefs caused by this hobby....or this post will make me unpopular!

[Gseclipse02]

Being inspired by the discussion about Moorish idols I would like to get everyone's opinion on what fish they think we should avoid buying. Please explain your reasons why.


well its not fish but i would never buy a sally foot crab again i lost a yellow tang due to it and never again will i have a green brittle starfish i lost my 2nd yellow tang to it :bareteeth:

[Kristy]

I'd say there are several types of butterflyfish and anthias that fit into this category of being too risky to remove from the reef (very poor chances of survival). Our experience was with an evansi anthias and I feel strongly that that is a fish no one should collect or attempt to keep.

[captexas]

Mandarinfish. Few people have a stuctured enough pod population to keep them well fed, but because they are so facinating looking, people keep buying them. On a documentary on our reefs I saw awhile back, they actually filmed a green mandarinfish out on a reef. They said because of collecting them for the aquarium hobby over the years, it has become almost impossible to find any in the wild.

Any kind of shark. Even the little ones need lots of room to swim around. People always say that when the shark gets too big they'll get rid of it. Getting rid of it is the problem as there aren't really any places that can take in a shark and dumping them in the ocean after it's been tank raised is not acceptable either.

Agree with cleaner wrasses. Most don't last too long in an aquarium with limited supply of parasites and proper food.

Overall you could say all reef fish though as I believe eventually (if not already) the demand of this hobby excedes the natural supply. They have made great strides in captive breeding programs, but it's really a small percentage of species.

[Jonthefishguy]

I think this thread should be based on what animal does not do well in captivity versus it eats other fish or doesnt do well because lack of food due to inadequate amount of food.

Moorish Idol's should not be in the trade due to their poor mortality record in captivity. It is not a matter of giving it enough to eat. It is a matter of not eating what it would normally eat in the wild as it seems to become more picky in an aquarium. I have watched these fish in the wild for hours and feel that they too graze just like tangs however, there must be something more as they certainly arent dead or dying in the wild.

Placing Sally light foot's or any other crab along with a brittle star on this list simply because it ate a fish or two is far from what animals to stay away from. Crabs and shrimp are scavengers of the sea. They serve a purpose in the trade and dont perish simply because they dont do well in captivity. Being that both are opportinistic, they are doing what they do in the wild.

The starfish that should not be in the aquarium trade would be the BLUE LINKIA. Blue linkias are beautiful, but many fail to live in captivity. The survival rate on this is higher than moorish idols, but all in all, they generally succumb to a slow death. Usually due to not being able to handle acclimation or die of disease.

For the most part, mandarins die due to starvation which is in nearly all cases, the aquarists fault. Give them enough food and they will live for years.

Another invert that should not be in the trade is the NAUTILUS. They are beautiful creatures to look at but when they hit the market for trade, many die due to improper housing. They come from deeper colder waters that are not mimicked in the trade UNLESS the aquarist has specifically built a system setup with their aquarium needs.

Scallops are another one that should not be in the trade. Not because of they simply die, but because no matter where you place them, they always seem to place themselves way out of reach, thus causing the hobbyist to not be able to direct feed them in which they perish. The high mortality rate on this animal does not put a dent in its population, however it boils down to just a waste of money.

Batfish is another species that is very difficult to feed in the aquarium. This species is roughly just as difficult as the Moorish Idol with a slightly better mortality rate.

And yes, I too believe that sharks, specifically Black tip, should not be aquaria trade unless more than adequate environment is provided.

[JKLUSAF]

thanks JC, would like to see what everyone's take is about certain fish that are not hardy in our tanks

Justin



Being inspired by the discussion about Moorish idols I would like to get everyone's opinion on what fish they think we should avoid buying. Please explain your reasons why.

[JimD]

Octopus, especially the blue ring. Why people insist on using the lives of these and other animals to challange their 'ability' at the expense of the the creatures life is beyond me... Sea Apples, all Linkias, Idols and many many more should be left in the worlds oceans, unless over collecting, natural disasters dictate the necessity for captive breeding to save the species..

[hobogato]

blue spotted box fish (guilty:redface:) just lost my second try. first time was many years ago and i kept it alive and happy for a few months. this one never ate (ultimately the downfall of the other one - stopped eating).

[mharmon]

I think the Harlequin Shrimp should be added to this list. The shrimp themselves seem to be easy enough to keep, but the food source is the problem. So many starfish are lost in collection, shipping, etc. Until we have a strong source of Linckia or Fromia from captive-bred stock, I would just say "no". I know that some shrimp will eat other starfish, but some won't and you don't know what will.

[marshall.read]

harlequin sweetlips, they look real nice at the pet store at about 2 inches, but the vast majority will not eat in captivity and those that do will eventually grow to be about 3 feet long. i actually saw a pet store selling one as a 'clownfish', i guess because of its shape and manner of swimming, needless to say i wasn't very impressed

[Captain Jack]

I think this thread should be based on what animal does not do well in captivity versus it eats other fish or doesnt do well because lack of food due to inadequate amount of food.

Moorish Idol's should not be in the trade due to their poor mortality record in captivity. It is not a matter of giving it enough to eat. It is a matter of not eating what it would normally eat in the wild as it seems to become more picky in an aquarium. I have watched these fish in the wild for hours and feel that they too graze just like tangs however, there must be something more as they certainly arent dead or dying in the wild.

Placing Sally light foot's or any other crab along with a brittle star on this list simply because it ate a fish or two is far from what animals to stay away from. Crabs and shrimp are scavengers of the sea. They serve a purpose in the trade and dont perish simply because they dont do well in captivity. Being that both are opportinistic, they are doing what they do in the wild.

The starfish that should not be in the aquarium trade would be the BLUE LINKIA. Blue linkias are beautiful, but many fail to live in captivity. The survival rate on this is higher than moorish idols, but all in all, they generally succumb to a slow death. Usually due to not being able to handle acclimation or die of disease.

For the most part, mandarins die due to starvation which is in nearly all cases, the aquarists fault. Give them enough food and they will live for years.

Another invert that should not be in the trade is the NAUTILUS. They are beautiful creatures to look at but when they hit the market for trade, many die due to improper housing. They come from deeper colder waters that are not mimicked in the trade UNLESS the aquarist has specifically built a system setup with their aquarium needs.

Scallops are another one that should not be in the trade. Not because of they simply die, but because no matter where you place them, they always seem to place themselves way out of reach, thus causing the hobbyist to not be able to direct feed them in which they perish. The low mortality rate on this animal does not put a dent in its population, however it boils down to just a waste of money.

Batfish is another species that is very difficult to feed in the wild. This species is roughly just as difficult as the Moorish Idol with a slightly better mortality rate.

And yes, I too believe that sharks, specifically Black tip, should not be aquaria trade unless more than adequate invironment is provided.
Great insightful contributions. I just wanted to clarify a couple things. Don't want to come off as a nit-picker, but I want to be sure you are understood correctly. Mortality rate is the opposite of survival-rate, so low is good and high is bad. And batfish are difficult to feed in *captivity*. Right?

[Jonthefishguy]

Thanks Jack. I edited and corrected.

[Ping]

All the fish that are going to get too big for your tank. Planning on giving the animal to another aquarist or Seaworld is not always a viable option.

[msmith619]

Mandarins? I would love a mandarin for my tank. I have a 75 gallon reef set up and was waiting until the tank was a year established and then planning on getting a Mandarin. I thought in that sized tank with a well established reef system they would survive on the critters crawling across the live rock. If that won't be adequate, I will not get the Mandarin.
Maybe I will just get a yellow watchman gobie instead :(
Mike

[d3rryc]

Here's another one - ribbon eels. Gosh, they're cool looking, but they're another one with dismal records in captivity b/c it's so hard to get them to eat well.

[jc]

A new magazine article is suggesting that cleaner shrimp are starting to disappear from certain reefs due to over collection. Maybe we should stick with neon gobies as cleaners. They are available C.B.