Captive bred fish: Please Respond

[BC_Grl]

christ, but that was my point: I had no idea that there was a difference. Now that I see there IS a difference, I would spend my money more wisely and buy the captive-raised.

You see, unless someone tells you that there IS a diffence, how are you to know? I did not run into how the animals were caught and treated yet in my reading. I would not knowingly buy an animal that was poisoned to be captured and mistreated in other ways just to save a few bucks. That is why I had just said before, that now I know that there is a difference, I would spend the extra money.

I originally thought that the only difference was in cost of the owner spending time, $$ on extra equipment, and other costs on breeding the animals rather than a small commission from the lfs. And I know from other hobbies in the past, it is often cheaper to buy something than to make it. And the quality is about the same. You just cannot replace the value of your time & costs...

That is also why I used the words "I may be ignorant on these matters" because I am ignorant. Not ignorant in the way you're thinking: that I don't give a damn, but ignorant in that I didn't know any better.

Wouldn't it have been better had someone questioned me why I think that way or did I know the conditions the animals were put through before flaming me? Then I could've explained that I thought the only difference was cost? And that was it?

I can understand why this is a passionate subject to you all... but what I cannot understand is why others can't explain something to someone who clearly is not knowledgeable in this particular area without making them feel like they've done a horrible wrong. That maybe I shouldn't get into this hobby since I am so incredibly heartless & cruel.

To you all: I am very sorry for my statements. I had no idea of any of the conditions of these poor animals or any of the details that has been given to me. If I had known, I wouldn't have said what I said. Should I have asked what the difference be? MAybe. But again, I only thought the diffence was in the dollar amount. Like buying a name-brand "product" over no-name...

No cheers from me.. I am very sorry. :(

[Troy F]

Jeanna, hats off to you for looking at the issue and making an informed decision. This is a very touchy subject and I think Brad misunderstood your point in the same way that I did and that is the other kind of ignorance. Don't worry if we all don't agree everytime, as long as we can all learn from one another, the board is a success. If you learned something here then the thread was also a success.

Cheers to you Jeanna [img]smile.gif[/img] .

[BC_Grl]

Then would some of you please send me articles or links regarding this subject to my email address, please? I would like to print them or store them in my favourites list on the 'net. That way if I have to make this point clear to anyone, I can do it properly without saying "well, someone on the ng said this..."

[Aquattro]

Jeanna, nothing personal against you; there are tens of thousands af saltwater hobbyists that either don't know the difference and/or don't care.
Unfortunately you put your hand up and became a target. For others reading this thread, I've met both Jeanna and her husband Andy. I believe they will become concientious hobbyists as their knowledge grows.
The unethical capture of fish is a large part of the hobby and is propagated by many/most aquarium stores.
One store owner is quoted as saying " Well, nowhere is a sign saying I DON'T sell cyanide caught fish" to a customer's concern about a recent fish loss.
This LFS buys the cheapest fish available to maximize profit without regard for any environmental issues or the end result to their customers. If a fish dies from cyanide, rhey can come buy another. And then you need to assess the damage from cyanide to the corals in the vinicint of the fishing grounds. As you are all aware, coral doesn't swim very fast. Dump some NACN in the water and the corals bath in it.

If inland breeding facilities offer an alternative to this, even at an elevated cost, we as hobbyists MUST support them. If we don't, we and our kids will end up collecting stamps as a hobby. This hobby is a sustainable resource if managed properly, but we need to do our part.