Aquacultured livestock - more willing to take a chance?

[BackToTheReef]

One of the things I wanted to do with my tank is try to make as much of it aquacultured as possible. That includes everything from live rock to coral to inverts to fish. While thinking about some of my stocking choices I caught myself thinking "it's aquacultured so why not take a shot?" Meaning it isn't a loss to the wild population but I am beginning to feel even a little guilty about that. I don't want to purposely lose anything based on a chance it might work.

A good example being a captive bred dwarf angel with a captive bred clam or LPS.

So how about you? Interested to hear everyone's thoughts.

PS - I've seen some good looking aquacultured only tanks here.

 

[Acros]

I wanted to go all aquacultured when I started. However, it severely limited my fish options. I would get an aquacultured fish over a wild-caught fish if the option is available for the fish I want. After all, if I am not fully invested in the tank and is making compromises, I might slack off on maintenance.

This is how I rationalized it: The amount of fish taken out for the hobby is a very small fraction compared to the fish taken out via large-scale commercial fishing. The damage caused to coral reefs through practices like dredging is far greater than any damage the hobby can do.

I do not support large scale fish hatcheries. They have been proven time and again as ineffective and can cause damage to wild populations. They exist to protect commercial/recreational fishing industries and does not help with covering the species. In many cases, we see the species as a whole getting weaker and more susceptible to diseases when fish from the hatchery is introduced into the wild.

The only way to converse the reefs or any other ecosystems is to address the real, larger issues. I make sure not to leave lights or any other electronics on when not necessary and try to reduce my carbon footprint in general.

I guess these are things I do to justify (to feel better about myself) having 3 wrasses and a lawnmower blenny in my tank. All wild-caught.