kindaobsessed
Member
i've had cichilds for two years now and have grown somewhat tired of them. was seriously thinking of getting into the realm of $alt Water fish. the following was a reply in another forum that i'd like you to see. tell me what you think.
[hr]
This will no doubt spark the age-old debate.
Marine aquariums require more care and are clearly more expensive, but are very beautiful. I have a reef tank that had been established for about 2.5 years and is absolutely thriving, but I have no fish. I have spent probably $2000 on fish in these 2.5 years and not one is still among the living. I know a lot of people in the marine hobby and there are very few success stories with fish these days. There are so many people in the hobby now that the demand outpaces the ability to collect fish without drugs.
The harvesting of rock and fish for marine aquariums is unethical. Most, if not all, saltwater fish are collected with drugs. They look great for a few weeks to a few months then die. Collection organizations that say they don't use drugs just haven't been caught yet. Live rock is frequently hacked right off the reefs.
Marine fish aren't happy in captivity....the ecosystems are far too complex, so they don't breed in captivity (with few exceptions.)
If an animal is happy enough to breed in captivity, then you're doing something right.
My conscience and wallet made me want to give cichlids a try and I must admit I'm hooked. I feel really guilty about contributing to the marine hobby that destroys the reefs that I admire so much. I'm not planning on further pursuing any marine aquaria for the time being.
My corals and inverts are perfect and reproduce constantly, so I know the tank conditions are right. Clownfish are the only fish that I have seen that appear happy in captivity...they will also reproduce in captivity and are usually tank-raised in the LFS. They are a good bet to start with. I wouldn't buy any live rock. Make your own base and seed the tank with coralline algae. Check out www.garf.org if you want to see the right way to build a reef.
[hr]
This will no doubt spark the age-old debate.
Marine aquariums require more care and are clearly more expensive, but are very beautiful. I have a reef tank that had been established for about 2.5 years and is absolutely thriving, but I have no fish. I have spent probably $2000 on fish in these 2.5 years and not one is still among the living. I know a lot of people in the marine hobby and there are very few success stories with fish these days. There are so many people in the hobby now that the demand outpaces the ability to collect fish without drugs.
The harvesting of rock and fish for marine aquariums is unethical. Most, if not all, saltwater fish are collected with drugs. They look great for a few weeks to a few months then die. Collection organizations that say they don't use drugs just haven't been caught yet. Live rock is frequently hacked right off the reefs.
Marine fish aren't happy in captivity....the ecosystems are far too complex, so they don't breed in captivity (with few exceptions.)
If an animal is happy enough to breed in captivity, then you're doing something right.
My conscience and wallet made me want to give cichlids a try and I must admit I'm hooked. I feel really guilty about contributing to the marine hobby that destroys the reefs that I admire so much. I'm not planning on further pursuing any marine aquaria for the time being.
My corals and inverts are perfect and reproduce constantly, so I know the tank conditions are right. Clownfish are the only fish that I have seen that appear happy in captivity...they will also reproduce in captivity and are usually tank-raised in the LFS. They are a good bet to start with. I wouldn't buy any live rock. Make your own base and seed the tank with coralline algae. Check out www.garf.org if you want to see the right way to build a reef.