The RED List of Fish, Inverts, and Corals

[marie]

Originally Posted by GreenSpottedPuffer

Easy, Im not sure where the confusion is...you answered your own questions really. A fish like mandarins are NOT a great fish to be encouraging people to keep as they do not have a very high survival rate. They would be an example of a fish that is in a category for more experienced reefers with an established tank. Its just a way to educate people. Hopefully if they see that Mandarins are on a "tough" to keep list, they will think about if their system is suitable.

And damsels, I don't think they would even come up but if they did, came thing, caution would be warned as they can be nasty.

I think your looking at it very one dimensional. Mandarins are not tough as nails unless eating and quite often not eating...so they are not close to an easy fish. They are also cyanide caught a majority of the time. Another reason they should not be encouraged.

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I have had 5 mandarins, 1 female went carpet surfing in the 2nd yr, 1 lived for 4 1/2 years after being bought as an adult and the 3 I have now I've had for at least a year and a half. It has to be more then coincidence that I managed to find 5 mandarins not cyanide caught when they haven't even come from the same source


They have lived through failed heaters (temp down to 68), extreme abuse from an aggressive clown, high ammonia (quarantine tank) , high salinity...ect.. The one thing I have always made sure of is enough live rock to ensure a high pod population until they start eating mysis. 4 out of the 5 eat/ate frozen mysis, the only one that I haven't actually seen eat mysis is the female I have now but her body is thick and obviously not starving.

The point I was making is if a mandarin has a thriving live food source that can sustain itself when first introduced they can survive serious abuse without ill effects. I would never recommend them to newbies simply because a new tank can't possibly support their need for live food but they are by no means difficult


These are but 2 examples I guess what i'm saying is...what makes a fish difficult, any fish no matter what species can die from cyanide does that make them all difficult? If you see an angel that is known for not eating, eating in the store is it still too difficult to keep? Clarkii clowns are as viscious as any damsel. I'm just wondering what line is drawn for a fish to make the red list

[whatcaneyedo]

... and history just keeps on repeating itself. Most people would rather complain and object to a list rather than actively read one and understand its purpose.

Anyways, based on my 5 years of limited experience I'd nominate the banded snake eel, elegance corals, goniopora sp, linkia starfish, and the strawberry blue coral (thats what it was called... I still have no idea of what it actually was) to be added to the red list. Dwarf Lionfish are also quite difficult to wean onto frozen food so maybe the yellow list for them.

[marie]

Originally Posted by whatcaneyedo

... and history just keeps on repeating itself. Most people would rather complain and object to a list rather than actively read one and understand its purpose.

....

Originally Posted by marie

I don't mean to confuse the issue (aww who am I kidding yes I do ) ...