10% water changes?

zombie

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#41
One pretty easy solution would be the same way they now approach logging. Take one specimen from the wild and you must place two native species in its place or in a struggling nearby reef within X time. Most mariculture facilities already do this, but making it official would probably appease most politicians

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SkyShark

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#43
What argument would you make for our hobby? Saying that our hobby is not as bad as another hobby is not a good argument and nobody will listen.
Rationalizing a hobby beyond “it makes me happy” is almost always going to be an uphill battle and you are right that we would never win (though I’d love to hear someone rationalize NASCAR). My view is that people protect what they care about and our hobby brings people to the ocean and makes them care about it no matter how close or far from it they really are. A coral reef is an abstract concept to a large percent of people. I think our hobby really does make people care about the oceans and gives them a more educated voice. Yes, at times it can be paradoxical and we often hurt the things we love, but I do believe this hobby has the power to do more good than harm and in indirect ways.
I love Mike’s tank at the school - I know the students that love and learn about that tank are going to carry that connection with them for a long time.
 

SkyShark

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#44
One pretty easy solution would be the same way they now approach logging. Take one specimen from the wild and you must place two native species in its place or in a struggling nearby reef within X time. Most mariculture facilities already do this, but making it official would probably appease most politicians

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Exactly. And lots of people would pay a premium knowing this. I know I am more than willing to pay a premium for captive raised fish.
 

jda123

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#45
I think that a pretty easy fix would be to allow captive trading of any already-in-captivity species if they should later be placed on a IUCN Red list. This is a pretty easy argument to make. I would be happy to donate a whole pile of A. Granulosa to a non-profit to reintroduce in the ocean, should it ever be put on the Red list - it is close to being on there. I would not be shocked if buying/trading in captivity would require a certification of some kind (how, I do not know) that you are capable of good care. This happens with some reptiles where zoos, high end hobbyists and other orgs can get captive bred stuff that is endangered as long as they document they will be the best stewards. I think that it is reasonable to prioritize people with large, established, stable systems that have the best care level over just somebody with money. This might be a good level to aspire to for people getting into the hobby.

There is no rationalizing NASCAR... or the people who fly their own planes at a huge carbon footprint over flying commercial. You can kinda make an argument for classic cars since it costs more carbon to recycle/destroy them than it does to barely drive them and let them sit. The fertilizer, weed killer and gas needed to make and keep a golf course nice is no joke.

I just think that if smart, outside people dig into this hobby, they will see a downward trend on husbandry with more focus on the reefer and less on the animals that people are trying to protect. The commercialization of the hobby has contributed to this as much as anything.
 

neil82

Sting ray
M.A.S.C Club Member
#46
Good discussions going on here. I'd like to see certifications for livestock being sold at LFS as captive bred or maricultured so the hobbyist could purchase with confidence. And detailed information about where wild caught specimens originated from.
Regarding water changes... I shoot for 5 gallons every other week on my 55. Sometimes I slip and it gets pushed back a week.
 

DyM

Sting ray
M.A.S.C Club Member
#47
good thread, good info.

For me I have about 160 gal total volume and change about 80gal a month through the liter meter. I plan to get that down to 40gal a month soon. I like water changes to keep it simple as Doug mentioned. Automating water changes so far has been one of the best things incorporated into my new reef.
 
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