List of fish/inverts that hobbiests should avoid
- Thread starter lion_crazz
- Start date
lion_crazz
Active Member
Just pick a healthy specimen at the LFS and you are good to go. Always make sure it is eating at the LFS and it has been there at least a few days.
startrfish
Member
it may be a better idea if you address a few things. first, the disclaimer you mention about how unsuitable the fish are for aquaria is misleading....and im trying to see this through the eyes of a beginner btw, but it's a little disheartening to tell beginners to shy away from these types of fish you mentioned. Somewhere in there i would put, "but later on once experienced is gained/ achieved, then keep x x x." Afterall, the diversity of this website, I believe, is counting on those who can keep the very difficult butterflies etc. Thats the kind of picture variety that needs to be seen in the photo forum, right? Encouragement is what im sayin dude. who cares about a tank full of percula clowns, etc--> BORING! show the noobs that diversity is good ONCE they gain enough experience.
lion_crazz
Active Member
No, I really mean it. I don't think many of those fish should be kept in captivity. Parrotfish need to be left in the ocean. No one can feed them properly. Cleaner wrasses need to be left in the ocean. Remora sharks are so aggressive that they need thousands and thousands of gallons. I could go on about the rest of them as well. Granted, there are some that expert aquarists could keep on the list, but only a select few on the list.
I don't care how experienced you are, you are not going to be able to keep most of them. There are enough fish out there that you can have a very diverse and beautiful aquarium without trying to buy impossible fish. There are some fish that just do NOT ship. I have worked in this hobby and been in this hobby long enough to see this first-hand.
I don't care how experienced you are, you are not going to be able to keep most of them. There are enough fish out there that you can have a very diverse and beautiful aquarium without trying to buy impossible fish. There are some fish that just do NOT ship. I have worked in this hobby and been in this hobby long enough to see this first-hand.
startrfish
Member
Parrot fish, sharks, of course. Those I understand, and dont worry im not knocking your judgement on any of the fish you listed. It's more of a lets ease the shock for new people who were dead set on getting these types of fish. For some, it was probably the only reason they would get into this hobby to begin with. Suggest an alternative is more like it.
S
sombra7740
Guest
i think christmas wrasse (ornate wrasse) needs to be researched or added.
i found this wrasse to be great looking but poor survival...my lfs also liked it and ordered some, two died in the lfs, i bought one and it dissapeared into the rocks or sand for 48 hours and showd up malled by the crabs.
my lfs wont purchase them anymore.
i found this wrasse to be great looking but poor survival...my lfs also liked it and ordered some, two died in the lfs, i bought one and it dissapeared into the rocks or sand for 48 hours and showd up malled by the crabs.
my lfs wont purchase them anymore.
sepulatian
Moderator
Originally Posted by startRfish
Parrot fish, sharks, of course. Those I understand, and dont worry im not knocking your judgement on any of the fish you listed. It's more of a lets ease the shock for new people who were dead set on getting these types of fish. For some, it was probably the only reason they would get into this hobby to begin with. Suggest an alternative is more like it.
While I understand your point of view, I must say that if anyone is getting into the salt hobby just to get one of the formentioned fish then that is all the more reason for this thread. These fish, as Lion_Crazz stated in the title of this thread, are not for begginers. He didn't say NEVER buy any of these fish, just a list of fish to avoid. We run into this all of the time on the boards, people haveing their heart set on a fish that they don't know how to keep. I firmly think that those people SHOULD read this thread, and I hope it does discourage them from buying these fish because they won't be able to care for them properly anyway.
Parrot fish, sharks, of course. Those I understand, and dont worry im not knocking your judgement on any of the fish you listed. It's more of a lets ease the shock for new people who were dead set on getting these types of fish. For some, it was probably the only reason they would get into this hobby to begin with. Suggest an alternative is more like it.
While I understand your point of view, I must say that if anyone is getting into the salt hobby just to get one of the formentioned fish then that is all the more reason for this thread. These fish, as Lion_Crazz stated in the title of this thread, are not for begginers. He didn't say NEVER buy any of these fish, just a list of fish to avoid. We run into this all of the time on the boards, people haveing their heart set on a fish that they don't know how to keep. I firmly think that those people SHOULD read this thread, and I hope it does discourage them from buying these fish because they won't be able to care for them properly anyway.
ledzep fan
Active Member
Originally Posted by seannmelly
I think you should add hippo tangs to the list. NOT adult hippos, but the tiny ones that fish stores get, I'm talking around 1" if that. I think it is horrible that they are even collected, because it is extremely difficult to get them to eat, and to keep them healthy. I do believe this is one of the reasons why adult hippos(at least for me) are hard to get, rarely available, and expensive when they are available.
I have one about 2 inches long, and I have had it ever sice April 2006. He is doing great! They aren't that hard to keep, just need a balanced diet and good evironment. JMO
I think you should add hippo tangs to the list. NOT adult hippos, but the tiny ones that fish stores get, I'm talking around 1" if that. I think it is horrible that they are even collected, because it is extremely difficult to get them to eat, and to keep them healthy. I do believe this is one of the reasons why adult hippos(at least for me) are hard to get, rarely available, and expensive when they are available.
I have one about 2 inches long, and I have had it ever sice April 2006. He is doing great! They aren't that hard to keep, just need a balanced diet and good evironment. JMO
lion_crazz
Active Member
Originally Posted by RiDoMart
I think this is one of the best threads I've read on here & should be on the New to the hoby list, save a lot of money & aqua life. Great work.
Thank you very much!! This is a very important cause for me, and I try to make everyone aware of these animals so that they are not falsely bought. The more that are bought equals the more that are collected. Thank you for taking the time to read it.
Catawaba, I agree with you. I will certainly add them to the list.
I think this is one of the best threads I've read on here & should be on the New to the hoby list, save a lot of money & aqua life. Great work.
Thank you very much!! This is a very important cause for me, and I try to make everyone aware of these animals so that they are not falsely bought. The more that are bought equals the more that are collected. Thank you for taking the time to read it.
Catawaba, I agree with you. I will certainly add them to the list.
dskrezyna
Member
Originally Posted by sepulatian
While I understand your point of view, I must say that if anyone is getting into the salt hobby just to get one of the formentioned fish then that is all the more reason for this thread. These fish, as Lion_Crazz stated in the title of this thread, are not for begginers. He didn't say NEVER buy any of these fish, just a list of fish to avoid. We run into this all of the time on the boards, people haveing their heart set on a fish that they don't know how to keep. I firmly think that those people SHOULD read this thread, and I hope it does discourage them from buying these fish because they won't be able to care for them properly anyway.
Couldn't agree with you more!!
While I understand your point of view, I must say that if anyone is getting into the salt hobby just to get one of the formentioned fish then that is all the more reason for this thread. These fish, as Lion_Crazz stated in the title of this thread, are not for begginers. He didn't say NEVER buy any of these fish, just a list of fish to avoid. We run into this all of the time on the boards, people haveing their heart set on a fish that they don't know how to keep. I firmly think that those people SHOULD read this thread, and I hope it does discourage them from buying these fish because they won't be able to care for them properly anyway.
murph
Active Member
The logic for species that end up on list like this is certainly sound. The only problem I have is in years gone by some of the species that are commonly kept by even novice tank owners with success would have shown up on list like these. List like these use to include most all corals and filter feeders.
There are few absolutes when it comes to this hobby and experimentation is vital. With that said I could never bring my self to criticize the experienced hobbyist when they attempt livestock on list like this.
The right combination of factors for keeping these animals in captivity is likely to be discovered and could even be quite different than those conditions they have in the wild.
There are few absolutes when it comes to this hobby and experimentation is vital. With that said I could never bring my self to criticize the experienced hobbyist when they attempt livestock on list like this.
The right combination of factors for keeping these animals in captivity is likely to be discovered and could even be quite different than those conditions they have in the wild.
lion_crazz
Active Member
Murph, thanks for your imput. While I do agree that experimentation is important, I do not think that the average hobbyist should be experimenting with these species. They are far too difficult. This hobby is no longer a hobby where little information is known. Corals were on lists like these years ago because technology could not provide the right things for the corals. Now, technology allows us to have 1000 watts of light over our tanks if we want to. This hobby has come a long way, and these species are still pretty impossible to keep. When experimentation is done, I would rather it be done by people who have the INTENTION to experiment and try to be able to keep these species - rather than the person who goes to the LFS, buys a sweetlips because it's "pretty", and then when it dies, they finally learn why it died.
I wrote this list because I want people to be more educated. If they know about the fish and still decide to try it, well, at least they will know that they have a challenging task. Then, when it is alive, they can come on here and tell us about it and then maybe we will all be able to learn from the experience.
Besides that, there are tons of fish on there that are on there because of their own characteristics. Nothing that the hobbyist does will make the panther grouper, emperor snapper, lookdown, or titan trigger grow smaller, keep the boxfish, soapfish, or cowfish from emitting their toxins, stop the scorpionfish from being poisonous, clam the aggressiveness of the remora shark, etc.
I wrote this list because I want people to be more educated. If they know about the fish and still decide to try it, well, at least they will know that they have a challenging task. Then, when it is alive, they can come on here and tell us about it and then maybe we will all be able to learn from the experience.
Besides that, there are tons of fish on there that are on there because of their own characteristics. Nothing that the hobbyist does will make the panther grouper, emperor snapper, lookdown, or titan trigger grow smaller, keep the boxfish, soapfish, or cowfish from emitting their toxins, stop the scorpionfish from being poisonous, clam the aggressiveness of the remora shark, etc.
lion_crazz
Active Member
Thank you very much for the comments. I really appreciate that you have read it and like it.
I may condense it over time. I like that it is interactive though, so people can ask questions, add their thoughts, and clear up confusion that they may have.
I may condense it over time. I like that it is interactive though, so people can ask questions, add their thoughts, and clear up confusion that they may have.
