Reef_Geek's tanks

[FishyFishy!]

Originally Posted by Reef_Geek

definitely crowded if they reach larger sizes. At present, they're only about 5 inches. Always have the option to sell or use opportunity to convince wife to let me upgrade tank size. Have worked years in the fish/aquaculture business... and you can see the crowded conditions in LFSs when you visit... often it's about water QC more so than space. Not much aggression/nipping/tail swipe so far. There's also the "malawi cichlid" set up effect... that is, put enough fish in the tank and not one fish bears all attacks... one fish is chasing one guy but then quickly loses focus to another fish... whereas if you put very few fish in, there's typically one winner and one loser.

Outbreak definitely from intro... it's only been days upon arrival.

Good thought though.

At the risk of sounding like the 'Tang Police'....I'll be the first one to say something about the tangs. (and belive me, I don't usually say anything about the tang situations).

In Reality, its not aggression, or being 'to crowded' in a 3 foot 65 gallon tank with 4-5 tangs in it.... it's the fact that they need lots of swimming room, as they are an active, continuously swimming fish. Just because fish stores cram 6 tangs in a 20 gallon tank, dosn't mean that morally, you should too. With that much rock work, there is probably only 30-40 gallons actual swimming room in there for them. Thats not a suitable habitat for them at all.

If you are in the "fish/aquaculture business" as you say, then you should truely know better, or at the very least, sympathize with these animals a little more.

Sell the tangs. Theres a lot more fish out there that you can keep. Wait until you have a bigger, better setup for the tangs.

Just a thought..

[kien]

Originally Posted by FishyFishy!

At the risk of sounding like the 'Tang Police'....

Too late! Tang PO-PO!

[FishyFishy!]

Originally Posted by kien

Too late! Tang PO-PO!

Daym you!!!

[Reef_Geek]

Those tangs are long gone via outbreak during my vacation to Costa Rica. The current tangs are 3" only.

Fish Business / Aquaculture business doesn't have anything to do with morality. I'm not going to get into a debate on morality here as it's always a matter of perspectives. A non-fishkeeper would just as well call all confinement immoral. Let's pass on this topic.

[FishyFishy!]

Originally Posted by Reef_Geek

Those tangs are long gone via outbreak during my vacation to Costa Rica. The current tangs are 3" only.

Fish Business / Aquaculture business doesn't have anything to do with morality. I'm not going to get into a debate on morality here as it's always a matter of perspectives. A non-fishkeeper would just as well call all confinement immoral. Let's pass on this topic.

Sure. What kind of filtration are you running?

[Reef_Geek]

The 3 tangs and hawkfish are in a quarantine tank w/ Cupramine running with Rena canister filter. Main display is a Berlin system.

[FishyFishy!]

Originally Posted by Reef_Geek

The 3 tangs and hawkfish are in a quarantine tank w/ Cupramine running with Rena canister filter. Main display is a Berlin system.

Nuff' said!

[Reef_Geek]

Here's some macro shots Nov 30, 2012. Taken with a Canon 5D mk II with a 100mm f/2.8 macro lens (non IS).

Yup, glass was dirty and didn't bother to clean it. Noticeable as a fogginess to the corals further in the back of the tank.

Catalaphyllia jardinei


Plerogyra sinuosa


Zoantharians



Ricordea


Pocillopora


Acropora


Montipora



Echinophillia


Euphyllia


Faviid

[Reef_Geek]

Originally Posted by Reef_Geek

Those tangs are long gone via outbreak during my vacation to Costa Rica. The current tangs are 3" only.

Fish Business / Aquaculture business doesn't have anything to do with morality. I'm not going to get into a debate on morality here as it's always a matter of perspectives. A non-fishkeeper would just as well call all confinement immoral. Let's pass on this topic.

Ok, so I wasn’t in the best of moods when responding to this. I’m now a bit cooled off and just want to better articulate this. By no means did I intend for this to sound uncompassionate. It is accurate, but lacking in explanation and perspective.

Any business’s first objective is to create shareholder value. Shareholders can range as anything from common stock buyers of a public company to a sole proprietor. Either way, if the company does not align its activities to create value for its owners, it will cease to exist as a going concern, or it’s not a business (it’s a charity rather). Next, a company would be wise to hold mission statements (and have tangible actions) in corporate social responsibility, holding values that matter to those it does business with and to those within communities that drive their business. Being corporate-socially responsible is not necessary for any company to remain a going concern, so it is not a mandate so much as a very wise and right thing to do.

Now transferring this to the aquaculture / aquarium business. The people employed in the aquarium business are everyday people, some of whom aren’t even hobbyists. The degree to which any given individual employed in this business "cares about animal welfare" varies as much as any hobbyist. Assuming that one must be conscientious or a conservationist would be just that, an assumption that is no more valid when applied to any other person. The aquarium business and aquaculture IS a fishery, only the end consumers do not eat the harvest. That said, there’s a whole lot of mortality among capture rates leading to the provision of the strongest specimens that survive to the market (capture, hold until landing, hold until export, hold until import, hold until shipped, hold until tanked at LFS, hold until your tank). So participation in this hobby is not an act of conservation nor compassion. Putting this back into a fair perspective, however, most species are those of sustainable wild populations and many (not all) are caught using sustainable practices. So just treat it as such, hobbyists are consumers of a fishery, but hobbyists are not noble providers of shelters. Hobbyists, however, would be wise to learn where poor fishing practices exist and avoid buying species from those regions, and would be wise to avoid species that are unsuitable for captivity.

Now onto the issue of stocking density. The objection is that 3 tangs at 4”-5” and 1 tang at 2” is overstocking a 65 gallon. This is as debatable as can be. You could put up a poll and likely the split would be 40-60 or 30-70… and many hobbyists exceed this without wanting to cause ripples here so publicly. At the very least, someone from the fish business is not likely to err on the conservative side of stocking density. It’s in fact ongoing improvement to push the envelope on stocking density through sound husbandry practices. You will see the same thing at public zoos and aquariums that are nationally accredited (e.g. AZA).

So to clarify this point, the fish business is first and foremost about business and science. It can be compassionate and conscientious, but it is not a prerequisite. I did not mean to sound so harsh.

By way of mention, the Cryptocaryon outbreak is not a stocking density issue. It is my fault, but not a stocking density problem. The fish were undergoing treatment at the LFS, and the owner was hesitant to sell so soon. So he had me wait and wait, and I grabbed them as soon as he'd let them go. So they were clearly not fully cured. The outbreak occurred within days of their arrival. My fault is that I rushed, plus I did not have a full quarantine tank set up. It's my fault for being too brave and impatient. I was used to using pharmaceutical grade chloroquine, chloramphenicol, and formalin which are more effective at protozoan eradication, and I over estimated whatever the LFS was using. In treatment, I tried to short cut using freshwater dips and Herbtana, but my 1 week vacation did the fish in. Since then, I now have a full quarantine tank where I can use copper. The new fish, have never lived one second in the main display, so one can knock the Berlin system all they want, but it has no influence on fish that never lived there.

[Reef_Geek]

To learn more about the aquarium fishery, see this article

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B2j...jRieDNlcnQyU2M