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Aquarium hobbyists are always on the lookout for aquacultured live rock and corral. It’s the safest way to create a saltwater aquarium. It is also the most environmentally friendly. There is no risk of having disturbed a reef in order to obtain the rock or coral—it was grown in a controlled environment. The same goes for tank raised fish.
Every time you take a fish out of the ocean, you are disturbing an ecosystem. In addition, if you catch a fish directly from the ocean, there is no telling what sort of bacteria or diseases the fish might be carrying. Tank raised fish were bred for one reason—to be part of saltwater fish tanks. In some sense, you can think of tank-raised fish as “cured” fish. As such, aquarium hobbyists seek out tank raised fish rather than fish that come directly from the ocean.
The advantage to tank raised fish is pretty simple: they live longer. It has been proven that tank raised fish have a lower mortality rate than fish that were raised in the ocean. This is true for all types of marine life: clown fish, crabs, or sea anemones. Basically, if it was raised in a tank, it has a better chance of surviving in a fish tank.
One of these reasons is culture shock. It can be a shock to the system for a fish to be suddenly thrust into a smaller environment. Tank raised fish know no other life than the fish tank. More importantly, though, is the same issue that affects cultured live rock and coral—there is less of a danger of bad bacteria. In the absolute worst case scenario the fish could have a bug that is contracted by other fish in the aquarium.
In addition, tank raised fish can be much more fun. Think of an animal in the wild—pretty skittish and fearful. Now think of a domesticated pet: friendly and outgoing. People might not think of fish in these terms, but aquarium hobbyists can tell the difference. A tank raised fish is much more accustomed to people and so the fish will be more well adjusted and used to being fed by humans. This will also lead to a heightened longevity.
While there is some difficulty with transferring a fish from one tank to another, this transition can be pretty seamless, and it is nothing compared to the transition from ocean to tank. Some other factors are less aggressiveness and a greater tolerance for fish of other species. This is extremely important in a closed environment such as a fishtank. Tank raised fish are much more docile and so they are sought after by aquarium hobbyists and enthusiasts. |
