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3. Be smart

The biggest blow to marine aquariums in recent years, is most likely the release of non-native fish. The key example is the lionfish epidemic taking place throughout the Caribbean, on up to Maine. It’s a problem, and the jury is out, as to whether aquarists releasing their fish, or ships dumping their ballasts are to blame. It doesn’t matter, it makes the hobby look bad. All the aquarists I’ve known make responsible decisions. If a fish outgrows their reef, they give it to a fish outlet, or fellow hobbyist. Then again, the majority of hobbyists I know, are nowhere near the open ocean.
This boils down to simple personal responsibility. Keeping fish that won’t outgrow your aquarium, and maintaining integrity with your reef keeping methods. Even if you live in the native marine habitat of a specimen, releasing a fish from captivity is bad news. As Jacques Cousteau once noted, “Once taken into captivity, an animal is no longer wild.”

Being smart also boils over into the realm of research. Current statistics thrown out by aquarium activists report, that nearly 95% of fish taken off natural reefs, die within one year of captivity. 70% don’t even make it to a wholesaler’s tank. While these figures seem high to me, I know the death rate is high. The largest contributor, ignorant shop owners and ignorant would-be aquarists. Too many fish die in the hands of someone, who hasn’t a clue how to care for them. Copperbanded butterflyfish, Moorish idols, and Achilles tangs – all represent species who should only be kept by aquatic experts. Their diet, reluctance to feed, susceptibility to parasites and general demeanor are too much, for someone new, intermediate or even advanced, to really care for or understand. There are a handful of aquarists, if given a healthy specimen, who can keep it successfully every time, but that’s it.

There are far too many hardy, beautiful fish, which adapt well to aquarium life, to justify keeping something, you simply have no business keeping. In the age of the internet, information about marine fish is easily accessible, for free. Intelligent, well informed fish keepers, and responsible shop owners, are two of the pieces to solving this death rate puzzle.

The next is capture and collection techniques. For years, cyanide was the weapon of choice for wild fish collectors. It stunned the fish, killed off a few, devastated the reefs, and delivered a dying specimen to the aquarist. Today, initiative taken from within the reef aquarium industry, has educated local populations on how to net capture fish safely, and provide for them until they are picked up by an exporter. It wasn’t uncommon for specimens to spend hours, if not days, on a tiny boat, in a cup of water, exposed to the blaring Pacific sun. The Marine Aquarium Council got the ball rolling, teaching islanders what it takes to net capture fish, keep them healthy and ensure survival.

It’s worth noting, that this wasn’t something the reef aquarium industry was forced to do, this is action they took willingly. Activists must remember, the reef aquarium industry is fueled by aquarists, who have a strong attachment to these animals.


Hundreds of dead tangs, pulled from a Hawaiian dumpster, put there by an irresponsible marine aquarist, provides powerful ammunition for those against reef aquariums


The aquarium industry has taken initiative to train fish collectors on reliable and humane ways to collect aquarium fish


4. Utilize grey water

If you run a RODI (like many of us) then you have ample grey water. Even an efficient unit, creates 4 gallons of waste, per one gallon of pure. In a world where people die, due to limited access to clean water, wasting it by the hundreds of gallons, to fill your fish tank, may seem like a bad idea. The good news, just because we call it waste water, doesn’t mean it can’t be used. Toilets can be flushed, flowers watered, washing machines filled – the list goes on and on. Grey water from a RODI can also be used to keep a self-watering planter system. The water wasted while running your RODI, can be put to good use growing vegetables, which not only provides fresh healthy foods, it reduces the need to consume GMO enriched store bought veggies.

One awesome use of grey water, is to use an inexpensive pump and hose, to use the water to wash your car. Car washing is another major water waster, and if you have a large tank, the amount of grey water you create, works perfect for a nice car wash.


Grey water can power a nice, small or large, self watering garden

5. Properly maintain your tank

This would seem like a no brainer, but every visit to any forum, and you’ll find someone dodging basic reef aquarium care, typically a water change. Can they be dodged, to an extent, maybe. Should they be dodged, no they shouldn’t. A properly maintained reef will allow livestock to flourish. A poorly maintained one, that tries every shortcut in the book, will result in constant failure. This means one aquarist is consuming double, if not triple, the resources a more prudent one does. In an age, where for some, money is of little object, it boils down to pure responsibility. Fish, nor corals, nor invertebrates are an everlasting resource. There natural environment is under stress from many things: climate change, pollution, over fishing, reef degradation, etc. The last thing coral reefs need is millions of irresponsible aquarists, who treat their livestock like a disposable decoration. Shows like Tanked, make it seem like the whole lot of us are thick headed imbeciles. Reality is, most aquarists are educated and wise about what they are doing.

It’s for this reason, that it’s so vital that everyone implements a quarantine system. Many, if not almost all, fish related illness and death, can be totally averted by properly quarantining new arrivals. It’s a common misconception that all of our systems are ich infested, and with proper quarantine, they won’t carry any parasites. Quarantine allows you to observe and treat a new arrival, by protecting your body of livestock from any possible illness. Again, good for the environment, good for your wallet.

When you make the commitment to a reef aquarium, you need to understand that it costs money and time. Like I always say, often to prospective clients, “Reef aquariums are not for everyone.” For those of us that love them, we couldn't live without them, for someone Luke warm about having to care for a small personal ocean, then another hobby is probably a better choice.



6. Know your facts

Being informed about your hobby, is always a good idea. Knowing that sustainable fish collection, coral propagation, and culturing marine invertebrates has provided jobs for islanders who were blowing up their reefs for the limestone industry, is good knowledge to have. I personally have dealt with reef conservationist who attack the hobby, and would love to see it shut down, or tightly regulated. Reality is, the hobby is a small poke on the natural environment, when compared to over fishing and illegal disposal of waste.

If you follow the tips and ideas in this article, you’ll not only have a beautiful reef, you’ll have one that creates a tiny footprint on nature, and sets a positive example for other aquarists.