TFH Archives
Captive breeding of clownfishes is easier than it is for many other reef fishes because the clownfishes are demersal spawners (they lay their eggs on a substrate rather than in the water column), the larvae are fairly advanced evelopmentally when they hatch, and the larvae don’t have as prolonged a pelagic stage as many other reef fishes do. Because clownfish larvae are relatively large, they are able to accept easily cultured live foods, such as marine rotifers and, later, brine shrimp. Whenever possible, hobbyists interested in purchasing a clownfish should choose captive-bred specimens over wild-caught specimens. This offers numerous benefits to the hobbyist. They include: • Captive-bred clownfishes have not had to endure the rigors of capture and prolonged shipping, so they are in much better condition overall when they arrive at your local aquarium store. • Captive-bred specimens are used to life in captivity—the only life they’ve ver known! There is no difficulty getting these fish to accept standard aquarium foods. • Captive-bred clownfishes are less likely than wild-caught individuals to carry diseases or parasites. • You can also be confident that you’re starting with a young specimen. There is no way of knowing whether a wild- caught specimen is just starting out in life or approaching the end of its natural lifespan. Sometimes captive-bred clownfishes cost slightly more than wild-caught specimens, but they are well worth the price! Wouldn’t you rather pay a When selecting pomacentrids for your tank, pass over any that are lethargic, hiding, or uninterested in food. The Perfect Introduction to Saltwater Aquariums Not only are many pomacentrids great fish for novice marine aquarium hobbyists, but they’re also a good choice for introducing kids to the responsibilities of marine fish keeping. A smaller aquarium containing a damselfish or, perhaps, a clownfish pair can be set up and maintained with a little parental oversight. After some basic instruction, kids should be able to manage everyday chores, such as feeding, checking the water temperature, and topping off the tank with dechlorinated tap water to compensate for evaporation. Initially, the parents might want to help with some of the more complicated tasks, such as testing for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate and performing water changes, but even these chores can eventually be learned and mastered by children once they’ve had an opportunity to observe how they are accomplished. Such a family aquarium is a great educational tool that will help strengthen a child’s sense of responsibility—not o mention it may just awaken a lifelong passion for the marine aquarium hobby!
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bit more for a specimen that is far and
away more likely to survive in your
tank and that wasn’t taken from the
wild? Consider it an investment in
success.
Deadly Harvest: A Note About Cyanide Collection One very regrettable aspect of the marine aquarium trade is the ongoing use of cyanide poison to stun and capture reef fishes in some areas, such as the Philippines and Indonesia— and, yes, damselfishes (though, to my knowledge, not clownfishes) are among the fishes known to be collected in this manner from these areas. Cyanide is used for the very simple reason that it facilitates the easy capture of large numbers of fishes with very minimal effort. The fish collector simply squirts the cyanide mixture into the coral heads and crevices where the fishes take refuge and then gathers them up after they become immobilized and sink to the bottom. Because cyanide collection is so much easier than net collection, fishes taken in this manner can be brought to market at a price that is much more attractive to hobbyists. The problem is that virtually all cyanide-exposed fish perish—many right there on the spot and many more during transportation and distribution. Those that linger long enough to make it into a hobbyist’s tank die days or weeks later, leaving the hobbyist guessing what he or she could possibly have done wrong to cause the fish’s fatality. What’s worse, cyanide collection doesn’t kill only fishes. It also wipes out any invertebrates that are exposed to the poison, which can lead to the loss of entire tracts of coral reef. Unfortunately, there’s no way for the average hobbyist to know just by looking at the fishes in a dealer’s display tanks whether or not they were collected by net or via an unsustainable method such as cyanide poisoning. But here are steps conscientious hobbyists can take to ensure that they aren’t supporting this ecologically devastating practice. They include: • Get to know the dealers in your area, and ask them about the source of their livestock. Better dealers should be able
October 2010
