MAC certification is for all involved in the industry, from collector to retailer. For a retailer to sell fish as MAC certified, first the retailer has to be certified. Next they have to have a supplier who is MAC certified. The fish themselves have to be certified all the way through the supply chain and meet the mortality requirements to become certified at a retailer. To my knowledge no retailers are certified in Canada yet.

Saltcreep is right. MAC includes the LFS and online stores.
Yes but Coast Mountain which is a wholesaler in Vancouver is. As long as we ensure that the fish we buy come from them we know we are getting cyanide free fish. Hopefully other wholesalers including the LFS will follow.
How do we know?
Just ask the LFS. Dont be afraid. They wont bite off your head. :cool:

here's an interesting question... has anyone here actually tried to keep a powder blue? what luck did you have with it (no i am not considering one, just wondering).

and how can they prove that the fish are cyanide free when MAC doesent test for cyanide at this time?

Steve

quote]

and how can they prove that the fish are cyanide free when MAC doesent test for cyanide at this time?

Steve[/quote]

All MAC certified fish are not cyanid caught.
Random cyanide testing will ensure that no one on the chain cheats.
MAC may have reinstituted the tests already. We will find out tonight.

I tried a powder blue a couple of times. The fish up an died witin 9 months for no apparent reason. I thought it was me until I read on reefcentral and reefs org posts by experienced reefers with the same results. Some LFS posted that they no longer sell them for the same reason.
"I have a sick powder blue tang" is the most common sick fish post that I have observed on those boards as well.
Having said that some reefers have kept them alive for some time :confused:

J&L told me that Mac certified meant I could ask them to find out exactly where the fish was caught and by which collector, including the day it was caught, as well as to guarantee that the fish was net caught.

So whats this about they may be starting the testing again did they stop random testing? Who does the testing?

from the start and up to about 2 months ago no one does the testing, MAC decided that the cyanide testing wasn;t importand when compared to the other idems they were trying to do. So basicly they are relying on the colectors being honest.

MAC cirtification is not a real guarentee yet (I personaly would love to see it work) but there is problems with the testing and it hasn't as of yet been done by MAC.

Personaly I have not heard of any importers being MAC certified yet, as most are against it, so it is all find and dandy to get MAC certified fish to the importers but will they be kept seperate from non cirtified fish? Especialy at a non certified place? Personay the only way I could ever see MAC working is if the catcher, exporter, impoter, and store delt with 100% MAC certified and nothing else. as soon as one of thease legs is missing ther eis no proof that the fish you got is MAC certified or if it has been substuted to make more money.

The Idea of MAC is good but the way they have been going about it is not.. unless there have been some big changes in the last 2 months I would question any store that says they are selling MAC certified fish as how they could be ceritfied cyanide free with no randome testing.

Is something going on tonight Naesco?

Steve

Well, some have already responded with their experiences, and imo you will find that most often these are the same people hating to see these fish in the hands of a newbie, let alone an experienced reefer.

I'll add my experience, I have never in my life seen ick like that. (Well, an achilles was a close second.....) I tried a powder blue as a relative newbie to the hobby. As many do. :sad: And, no, I did not QT. (However, I don't think ALL fish need quarantine, or necessarily benefit from it....but that is an aside...)

This stuff isn't always about the experienced reefer ....it's about the newbie ...and at least TRYING to save them the same loss experiences, whether they feel that $$wise or whatever works....

It's a good point tho teevee......I have witnessed a powder blue die. If I had a 300g or more that was years old....yeah, I might order one in. :confused:

At 6pm Vancouver timee on reefs org , chat #reef, there is a discussion about MAC. Brandt who is the MASNA President just got back from the Phillippines.

Coast Mountain Aquatics is the first and only certified company in Canada to date.

The entire premise of being MAC certified is akin to being ISO certified. It is not just about cyanide free fish but that every aspect of your business meets a certain level of professionalism (for the lack of a better word). Yes, having cyanide free fish is a major factor in the process but so is the ability to track the certified fish through proper record keeping and segregation of fish.

There is a certain level of trust placed with a MAC certified company. The process of performing post audits and random cyanide testing at exporters' facilities would definitely assist with keeping people honest. This is like having the possibility of having your taxes audited as an incentive for doing them properly.

If a retailer or importer is not certified by MAC then none of the fish they can't sell any fish as MAC certified, even if it comes from a MAC certified supplier.