Quote:
Originally Posted by my2rotties
I learned a lesson first hand about buying mature reef fish. Now my new guys are little but larger then a puffer mouth, and I am happy to see the baby cuteness, and ease of feeding. My puffer ate all my mouth sized little guys, and my Naso almost died of starvation. Never again, unless the larger fish is from a member.
I wonder how people discovered cyanide was good for catching fish in the first place... I know it stuns them, but does it kill them if they use too much? In this day and age, you would think there are better options for breeding these fish in captivity.
I do understand from trying to catch my own fish their instict to vanish when a net comes out. It doesn't even have to go into my tank before I suddenly have not a single fish in sight. If clove oil is an option, why don't they just use that instead of cyanide? Is cyanide cheaper or more effective? I know if I was a fish collector I would want to catch my fish without hurting them or the reef.
How do large zoo aqauriums take care of their fish when they need to catch them? The fish are display animals and are valuable, so they must have a way of dazing them without netting or harsh chemicals. At least I would think so.
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Its not quite that simple...if you were a collector in say the Philippines, you would most likely be quite poor and not have the same "values" you do now. I have been over there a few times and seen the poverty first hand. Many of these collectors just want to feed their family. If cyanide allows them to make $20 a day instead of $2-3 a day, they are going to use it, regardless of how destructive it is. I am not necessarily defending the collectors but the governments in both the collection countries and import countries do little to help the situation.
Do you think Canada cares much if ornamental fish being imported are caught legally or not?
Many large aquariums collect animals themselves properly or get them from other aquariums/breeding programs.
Clove oil does work to sedate fish but I am not so sure it would be strong enough to stun fish out on a reef. Maybe I am wrong but when I have used it, it works quite slowly. Seems like you would need a lot to use it as a collection tool. Maybe not though, I don't know for sure.