swims withthe fishes
08/01/2006, 11:54 AM
Today, reading back over a thread i was posting too long ago about the sale of livestock, stores holding animals, and the age old "what's best for the animal" topics, i came to a personal discovery that most of us may or maynot have discovered on our own already.
What is best for the individual animal, un-argueably of course to be left in it's natural environment to live what we would like to beleive is a happy fish life in the wide open sea. What is better for the species however is, IMO, a totally different story.
50 years ago i am sure hundreds of thousands of clownfish died in attempts to be kept in captivity by (what was a much smaller number of) hobbyists and biologists.
Today because of those attempts made by both scientist and hobbiest, and the lives unwillingly donated by many a clownfish, they are now reared in captivity thousands at a time, and have even spawned naturally out of contentment in our own home aquariums. Something that our grandfathers could not even fathom seeing in their home aquarium in 1956.
We have all undoubtedly read on CNN.com or seen on the news or even found out here on RC about the global conditions and how they are affecting our coral reefs with global warming, bleaching and other causes and effects, and how this could eventually lead to affect stability of most life on earth, including our own.
Our only savior from this possible disaster is our own knowledge of the affected environment and the species that live there. This knowledge is ofcourse only gained through experience, such as with the clownfish. Other animals that are currently almost impossible to keep can truely only be learned about if they are still collected, and attempted in captivity. Even though studying animals in their native environment is certainly beneficial, it bears no weight to trial and error scientific studies in a controled environment.
My best current example would have to be the Goniopora. One of the most beautiful and desirable corals i have ever seen. Out of all the people i have known to attempt one, only 3 cases have i seen it flourish and even once spawn in captivity. It has been suggested many times that we "simply" halt collection of this species and leave it alone because of it's almost certain demise in a home aquarium. The same could, and probably was said 50 years ago about the Acropora species that is now cultured and distributed amongst nearly every serious hobbyist in this country, and across the world. This is only possible because of our continued attemps to maintain them, and one day i am sure we will thank ourselves for not giving up.
In my short time (i am only 25) as a hobbiest, and working in the field, I have seen many of both types of reefkeepers. Those that make every attempt to learn and excell as a reefkeeper, and those who want a pretty glass box in their living room.
I only hope those like myself who live to advance both themselves and this hobby, are doing what they can to make up for the less educated, and less caring individuals who take a life into their home just because it's pretty, and not because they care. Todays loss in captive species that we know little about should not be for no reason. Learn from your mistakes, better yourself, and pass that knowledge on at every opportunity so that todays lack of knowledge will not yeild a complete loss and tomorrow we may benefit from it.
thank you for taking the time to read this. and happy reef keeping.
-chris
What is best for the individual animal, un-argueably of course to be left in it's natural environment to live what we would like to beleive is a happy fish life in the wide open sea. What is better for the species however is, IMO, a totally different story.
50 years ago i am sure hundreds of thousands of clownfish died in attempts to be kept in captivity by (what was a much smaller number of) hobbyists and biologists.
Today because of those attempts made by both scientist and hobbiest, and the lives unwillingly donated by many a clownfish, they are now reared in captivity thousands at a time, and have even spawned naturally out of contentment in our own home aquariums. Something that our grandfathers could not even fathom seeing in their home aquarium in 1956.
We have all undoubtedly read on CNN.com or seen on the news or even found out here on RC about the global conditions and how they are affecting our coral reefs with global warming, bleaching and other causes and effects, and how this could eventually lead to affect stability of most life on earth, including our own.
Our only savior from this possible disaster is our own knowledge of the affected environment and the species that live there. This knowledge is ofcourse only gained through experience, such as with the clownfish. Other animals that are currently almost impossible to keep can truely only be learned about if they are still collected, and attempted in captivity. Even though studying animals in their native environment is certainly beneficial, it bears no weight to trial and error scientific studies in a controled environment.
My best current example would have to be the Goniopora. One of the most beautiful and desirable corals i have ever seen. Out of all the people i have known to attempt one, only 3 cases have i seen it flourish and even once spawn in captivity. It has been suggested many times that we "simply" halt collection of this species and leave it alone because of it's almost certain demise in a home aquarium. The same could, and probably was said 50 years ago about the Acropora species that is now cultured and distributed amongst nearly every serious hobbyist in this country, and across the world. This is only possible because of our continued attemps to maintain them, and one day i am sure we will thank ourselves for not giving up.
In my short time (i am only 25) as a hobbiest, and working in the field, I have seen many of both types of reefkeepers. Those that make every attempt to learn and excell as a reefkeeper, and those who want a pretty glass box in their living room.
I only hope those like myself who live to advance both themselves and this hobby, are doing what they can to make up for the less educated, and less caring individuals who take a life into their home just because it's pretty, and not because they care. Todays loss in captive species that we know little about should not be for no reason. Learn from your mistakes, better yourself, and pass that knowledge on at every opportunity so that todays lack of knowledge will not yeild a complete loss and tomorrow we may benefit from it.
thank you for taking the time to read this. and happy reef keeping.
-chris