Hope all is well with everyone! I have just started school again at the start of this month and I haven't been able to check the forums much to see what is going on with everyone, but I have heard about the situation with the endangered species of corals and how that relates to the aquarium hobby. I have not been completely up to date with it and I know that this subject in particular has had some people (not on this forum) get frustrated with the situation to put that lightly and before I start talking about the topic more in depth, I just want to say that this is my opinion and you don't have to agree with it, but I would like to share what I have to say in the hopes that people in general will have more of an open mind of the effects that one person can contribute to this world.
Previously at a NJ Reefers meeting I was greatly inspired by a couple of people and their perspective on the coral reefs and the aquarium hobby. Since that meeting I have had numerous thoughts of how much of a bigger picture the aquarium hobby is then what I originally thought. I have been in the hobby for a few years now and it wasn't until now that I realized how much the hobby had to do with the coral reefs. Sure the occasional thought of wow that coral is from Australia or Indonesia, but I never really wrapped my head around the whole idea of a coral being teared out of it's home and being boxed up to be shipped to the US. Also, with the most recent articles about the endangered coral species has gotten me thinking even more. I don't know how long it took you guys to realize what I have or if you have at all, but I would like to get the word out even more then it already is and start taking action. As I said before, I have been in the hobby for a few years now and when I first started with my bio cube I got the tank because it was a stressful time in my life and I was hoping that this would give me something to relax to and take my mind off of other stuff. Getting my bio cube has not only done that but it has enabled me to have a hobby that I enjoy and I have progressed in the hobby to the point where I would like to devote my life to the coral reefs and the ocean as a Marine Biologist. My hopes are to find cures for diseases from the ocean because there is so much yet to be discovered and I think that there are species of animals in the coral reefs and the depths of the ocean that are able to provide humans with beneficial technology. How this all relates to you and your aquarium is that if we don't start being more intelligent about the decisions that we make with what corals we do and don't buy then it is not going to be long until there is no such thing as a coral reef. Coral reefs are home to 99% of known living species in the ocean. In my opinion the best case scenario would be to stop corals from being shipped to the US and all of the corals that are here now would be bought and traded among reefers in the US, but since that is very unlikely we should take simple actions that can result in the greater good of the reefs.
I really want to stress the fact of how important aqua cultured corals are and making it a point to be more conscious of whether you are buying a wild coral or a coral that has been in many different peoples aquariums and not ripped from it's home. This action that you can take will not only help restructure the coral reefs, but the survival rate of aqua cultured corals is far greater than wild corals. A big reason that the survival rate of an aqua cultured coral is better is because they are coming from another persons tank which fluctuates in parameters and everything else far more than the ocean. Unless you are a highly experienced reefer then the ocean is going to be more stable than your tank which means that the corals from the wild are going to be less hardy and more susceptible to stress from changes in your aquarium. The majority of us if not all of us have had trouble caring for corals at some point in their time as a hobbyist and buying an aqua cultured coral that will be more likely to survive for a little bit more more $$$ then buying 5 different wild corals that all won't survive sounds like a lot better deal to me! You will be hitting two birds with one stone. Next time you are ordering a shipment of corals or are at you LFS keep this in mind.
Thank you for taking the time to read,
Andrew
Previously at a NJ Reefers meeting I was greatly inspired by a couple of people and their perspective on the coral reefs and the aquarium hobby. Since that meeting I have had numerous thoughts of how much of a bigger picture the aquarium hobby is then what I originally thought. I have been in the hobby for a few years now and it wasn't until now that I realized how much the hobby had to do with the coral reefs. Sure the occasional thought of wow that coral is from Australia or Indonesia, but I never really wrapped my head around the whole idea of a coral being teared out of it's home and being boxed up to be shipped to the US. Also, with the most recent articles about the endangered coral species has gotten me thinking even more. I don't know how long it took you guys to realize what I have or if you have at all, but I would like to get the word out even more then it already is and start taking action. As I said before, I have been in the hobby for a few years now and when I first started with my bio cube I got the tank because it was a stressful time in my life and I was hoping that this would give me something to relax to and take my mind off of other stuff. Getting my bio cube has not only done that but it has enabled me to have a hobby that I enjoy and I have progressed in the hobby to the point where I would like to devote my life to the coral reefs and the ocean as a Marine Biologist. My hopes are to find cures for diseases from the ocean because there is so much yet to be discovered and I think that there are species of animals in the coral reefs and the depths of the ocean that are able to provide humans with beneficial technology. How this all relates to you and your aquarium is that if we don't start being more intelligent about the decisions that we make with what corals we do and don't buy then it is not going to be long until there is no such thing as a coral reef. Coral reefs are home to 99% of known living species in the ocean. In my opinion the best case scenario would be to stop corals from being shipped to the US and all of the corals that are here now would be bought and traded among reefers in the US, but since that is very unlikely we should take simple actions that can result in the greater good of the reefs.
I really want to stress the fact of how important aqua cultured corals are and making it a point to be more conscious of whether you are buying a wild coral or a coral that has been in many different peoples aquariums and not ripped from it's home. This action that you can take will not only help restructure the coral reefs, but the survival rate of aqua cultured corals is far greater than wild corals. A big reason that the survival rate of an aqua cultured coral is better is because they are coming from another persons tank which fluctuates in parameters and everything else far more than the ocean. Unless you are a highly experienced reefer then the ocean is going to be more stable than your tank which means that the corals from the wild are going to be less hardy and more susceptible to stress from changes in your aquarium. The majority of us if not all of us have had trouble caring for corals at some point in their time as a hobbyist and buying an aqua cultured coral that will be more likely to survive for a little bit more more $$$ then buying 5 different wild corals that all won't survive sounds like a lot better deal to me! You will be hitting two birds with one stone. Next time you are ordering a shipment of corals or are at you LFS keep this in mind.
Thank you for taking the time to read,
Andrew
