Tropical Fish Forums

[bm721]

You have a great topic of reference here for many people like me. People like you makes our hobby even more interesting.

Still, so many questions in mind. The journey continues...

[FloridaBoy]

[newman]

I read so many articles about our hobby.
My favorite article is yours today.
The other in the same forum, I wrote for the first time expressing my experience and support for a saltwater approach that I found to be highly acceptable to middle income aussies like me. I had 2 decades of freshwater experience before saltwater.

I look foward to seeing more of your articles.

[FloridaBoy]

Best wishes for your success my friend.
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Keepin' marines happy for 25 years

[sepgundamrg]

I just read your article, and I disagree with some of its points. I am setting up my first marine tank, a 55 gallon FOWLR tank for a Dog-Faced puffer.(Arothron nigropunctatus) This is considered a large puffer and normally reaches 19inches in captivity, sometimes larger. I know he will eventually need a larger tank, and I am prepared to buy him one when he starts to out grow this one(2-3 years from now).

It seems that it isn't that a species shouldn't be kept(you had a rather long list), but that it isn't a good community fish. If I had not done proper research on the species of fish I wish to keep I would have been greatly discouraged from stepping into saltwater after reading this article. This listed 85% of the fish species I see in my lfs as not suitable for a beginner. I think that with the right knowledge and setup, most of these fish can successfully be kept by a beginner.


I do not want to sound like I am trashing this article, I enjoyed reading it and it did have good information, it just seems to harsh towards a beginner stepping into the world of saltwater aquarium, not giving credit to the beginners who did their research and are willing to miss out on the community tank to set up a home for a single specimen.
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My tanks
http://www.aquahobby.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=55885

[FloridaBoy]

Thanks for your words, best wishes for your success...
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Keepin' marines happy for 25 years

[FloridaBoy]

I am starting a list of retailers and wholesalers of captive bred marine life.
As we know, captive bread specimens are often far more likely to thrive in your aquariums, and they provide relief for over-fished wild stocks and the threatened coral reef environment as well. Please show your support for these efforts by purchasing captive bred marines whenever possible.

I will update this list from time to time, please feel free to add more if you have them. I am in no way affiliated with any of these and I do not know if they are all still currently in business, but hopefully it will assist you as a beginner in choosing a supplier to meet your needs. Contacting these companies should be able to help you locate a retailer in your area...

ORA is the largest producer and seller of marine ornamentals in the world. The ORA hatchery complex is located at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution (HBOI) in Ft. Pierce, Florida.
http://www.orafarm.com/

Ocean Rider, Inc. is an organic Hawaiian-based aqua-farm
that follows strict good farming practices in raising seahorses and other aquatic life.
http://www.seahorse.com/

MOFIB is Marine Ornamental Fish & Invertebrate Breeders,
an international group of private and commerical aquarists, aquaculture/mariculture businesses and researchers, dedicated to increasing the production, variety, quality and availability of captive bred marine fish and invertebrates...
http://www.marinebreeder.org/

Drs. Foster & Smith
Captive-Bred Aquatic Life: Combining Conservation with Convenience
Tank-bred marine fish consisting of numerous species of Clownfish, Pseudochromis (Dottybacks), Gobies, and Angelfish are available. (note: this retailer sells wild caught specimens also, so you must request captive bred animals!)
http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/general.cfm?general_pagesid=85

This list from the AMDA is not as new as I would like (2003) but I wanted to post it anyway...

Captive Bred Livestock
"Our Captive Bred Livestock Directory provides retailers with a comprehensive list of all known captive bred livestock available to the marine aquarium trade to date, along with the wholesalers which may currently have these animals for sale on a wholesale basis.

Additionally, if you are a marine aquarist seeking any of the animals listed below, you should be able to find them at a dealer listed in the AMDA Member Directory."
http://www.amdareef.com/
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Keepin' marines happy for 25 years

[Jestalernin]

Thank you for all this information. I read this "after the fact" Now I know not to trust the dealers for good information as they take my money. I see it is my responsability to do my homework. A lesson well learned!

[FloridaBoy]

Thanks for your comments, wishing you all the best in this beautiful hobby.
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Keepin' marines happy for 25 years

[fishfreak68]

HI I'm new to the Board. My name is Lisa. I am a beginner; read this thread and noticed you mentioned cleaner wrasse as not a good fish for beginners. I just bought a six line Wrasse and it's sickly. It swims sideways and stays on the top corner of the tank. is it going to die?
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A closed mouth gathers no Foot