Ethics of Reefkeeping: Buying with a lack of knowledge

[Paul B]

I think I would buy just about anything but first I would like to SCUBA dive where it comes from to learn how it makes it's living. I did that a few times with Moorish Idols and I can keep them now, Not as long as their natural lifespan which is "probably" 10 years so I consider that a failure.
But most creatures can be kept especially if you live near the sea and you can closely approximate it's food. With some animals it's not just food but habitat or amount of water you have. Tangs are easy to keep but most live in schools so will always be stressed in a tank with only a few specimens. They are also long range swimmers and eat a little algae constantly. Algae doesn't have much nutrition so they need to get it all through the day. Mandarins are simple if you just make a feeder. They are long lived fish with no maintenance and constantly spawn.
I have very little luck with orange spotted filefish as I can't, and don't have the time to feed them correctly but I know some people ever breed them.
But I would try just about anything. Not by just putting it in a tank and hoping for the best like too many people do. But I would have to go through much planning for something very difficult and I may not be successful.

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

I selected "Other" because I was thinking Manderin. Then read your post and realized that my answer is no. I'm getting to where I don't even want a fish unless it's aquacultured.

One day I will have a tank that is hopefully 100% aquacultured and built with manufactured or sustainably gathered building materials such as reefsaver rock. I think that is an end goal all of us should strive for in this hobby with a small group of individuals trying to advance aquaculture practices through breeding so called "halo fish" such as peppermint angels and other super high end fish.

 

[andrewkw]

Yes under the right circumstances, and to be honest most of that circumstance would be available money. I will give a couple of examples.

I raised dwarf cuttlefish from eggs twice, some people suggested things like keeping them in a refugium to hunt, hatch baby brine ect. People who actually had experience with them fed them mysid shrimp so I had weekly shipments of live mysid shrimp coming to me. It cost 100s and 100s of dollars to feed these guys which I paid maybe $20 for the eggs. When I kept Octopus I'd order fiddler crabs so I'd have ample live food until they took to frozen instead of buying cheap inverts once at an lfs and then hoping for the best. When I kept garden eels I did a trial with a couple and when I realized I could keep them alive I setup a larger tank just for them. The tank was built around them and other things that were compatible with them went in vs trying to get them to live in my reef. There were other times where stores would offer me free cuttlefish eggs because they knew I kept them where as much as I wanted them I'd have to decline because I knew I couldn't afford the weekly shipments of live food.

More common example would be an Achilles tang, I had a 55g qt that he could stay in indefinitely prior to introduction to 180g. Pretty much anything you can get an LFS you can take care of if you have the right equipment and feeding. Even the sponges and nps with really low survival people are keeping them alive in specialized tanks. I recall someone who used to go around getting dying LPS corals to feed Angels when they weren't eating prepared foods. It's like having a harlequin shrimp and collecting astrena starfish. Would be a pain in the butt but you can do it if you put the effort into it.

One day I'd love to keep a Moorish Idol but their difficulty is not what's stopping me it's that I don't have a tank, or the ability to setup a tank around them which is what you really should be doing in the case of the really really difficult creatures that have very specific needs. The very specific needs that don't fit with your mixed reef / sps reef or whatever tank you are keeping is the main reason why certain animals are difficult to keep, it's not so much it can't be done it's that it can't be done in your current tank.

 

[samnaz]

No. I would't. Not unless I knew exactly what caused others lack of success with it and I knew exactly how to combat it and provide an adequate habitat for it to thrive, or at the very least, survive. There is always, always a reason for low success rate of any given species. Some reasons are obvious, some are totally unknown.

I would never gamble with a creatures life. No matter how small or seemingly insignificant. Many people see fish as replaceable objects or show pieces, not as living beings. They deserve to keep on living. If you know you can't keep it alive... what's the point in trying? just for fun? In my eyes that's kinda cruel and a tad selfish.

I lost one of my shrimp a few months back and tbh I was distraught for days. I couldn't help thinking it was my fault and I killed him. It's an awful feeling. Isn't it? I prefer to keep my creatures alive and well for as long as possible.

 

[flsalty]

I think we all prefer to keep our creatures alive and well for as long as possible.

How do you know you can't keep it alive unless you try? I'll use Mandarins as an example since they are one of my favorite fish. When I first started in this hobby they were plentiful, but nobody could keep them alive for any length of time. Thanks to people who tried, we now know what it takes. It was as simple as figuring out what they eat. So, besides it being a personal challenge, it is a chance to learn. Hopefully those who learn share their knowledge and we all end up taking care of our creatures as best as possible.

People who just buy stuff and not bother to learn proper care? Don't think a pet is anything more than a disposable decoration? Yes I think they are unethical because they are wasting a resource. But these are two different things. A person who is trying for the betterment of the hobby and personal growth is a lot different than someone who doesn't care. Just remember, the reason you can keep fish now is because other people tried and failed until they got it right.

 

[ReefingwithO]

I would try it, we wouldn't be where we are if we didn't have reefers who are willing to push the boundaries.

I would still try my best to provide sufficient habitat and food.

I've heard stories of when people said stony corals or acropora where too hard to keep in a reef tank.

 

[DeepBlueSomething]

I answered no - and the reason is that I am not at a point experience-wise that I want to challenge myself beyond working to have a healthy, thriving tank. There are success stories for difficult to keep livestock, but I am happy to stick with easier items right now to enjoy my tanks!

 

[Bruce Burnett]

There was a time when I had the financial resources but did not have the time to try and keep much that was difficult. Back in the early 80's I could keep Acropora and leather corals but just no luck with LPS. Today I have the time but lack the money and physical fitness to do it. I am able to keep SPS, LPS and soft coral all in the same tank now.