[Biogeek]

I completely agree with you Tony, and jellyfish certainly do require a specialized environment that most people are not aware of. But my response was to the question (which asks "is there ANY point in keeping jellyfish?") more than to the specific situation at Big Al's (and from your description of their misguided treatment of these animals, I was right in assuming that they did not have the correct setup for them). I make no claims that this pet shop should not have imported the jellies we are discussing, I was simply trying to answer the question posed by VHDH who asked what these animals need to survive in the aquarium...

I don't think that any of us would disagree that animals should not be brought in if they cannot be properly housed and cared for, and I certainly agree that it is a sad failing of the system that animals are offered for sale without the sales staff having adequate knowledge of their care. However, in this case, it is much easier for Joe Q. to care for and have success with a species like Cassiopea -- provided the petshop that is selling the animals is conscientious and educates the person as to the needs of the animal before selling it -- than they are to have success with a wide variety of other corals that are sold every day without question. If the buyer is made aware of their biology and taught how to set up a tank to provide for their needs, the success rate with these animals is fairly high (certainly higher than animals like clownfish- hosting anemones, carnation or flowerpot corals for example). Personally, my feeling is that if someone is interested in these animals, then we owe it to them to provide the details of how to provide an aquarium that will allow them to succeed rather than simply the reasons that they will fail...

Thanks George. I was just pointed to this site by Mitch, and will try to drop by from time to time, but I must admit that I'm not really a regular poster on any board...

Rob

[ 09 April 2002, 09:41: Message edited by: Biogeek ]