Declining Reefs

[Reefscape]

Hiya all...

Just a general talking post here..

Dont know how aware people are about the declining state of the Reefs around the world...But, if you had the opportunity to put back in to the reefs something from your tank, what would it be and why? Whether it be a fish, coral, invert etc etc..

Really just after peoples opinions..

Niko

[fsn77]

I'd say that I'm only marginally aware of the problems being faced by our natural reefs. I'll catch an article or report online once in awhile, but certainly wouldn't say that I know anything more about it other than it's happening. From what I've read, many of the problems are related to increasing ocean temperatures and the release of waste into the water.

If I was keeping something in my own personal reef that was trying to be restocked back into the wild, I'd definitely go for it. In the same sense, if there was a serious effort to captively raise anything with the intention of restocking the wild reefs, I'd truly be honored if I could somehow be a part of it and would switch over my system if needed to accomodate what was being reintroduced.

[FeatherDuster]

Hmm... I don't have much in my tank now. But it would be my liverock. I am sure it would offer some nice micro organsims to the sea and offer a home for some new ones.

[kandibrandy]

If it came down to "me" a hobbyist giving a little to help, I would give up the whole tank and discontinue the Hobby...If the ocean needs it more than I do by all means I'd give it up and just go visit...Or propogate if it were necessary...or logical.

Since many factors are applying to the reefs depletion, there are underlying issues that need to be addressed soon before we as hobbyists could ever accomplish by putting something back...If the issues were addressed as a whole by the human race, the ocean as well as other resources would replenish naturally and so on...

Another issue is where we get our livestock, It is an economical issue as it supplies jobs and so on...

I play my part by recycling what I can, yet I still drive a vehicle, flush a toilet, use saran wrap and dispose of garbage etc...So untill we as a human race can work together to prevent global warming and whatever else we are doing to the earth, nothing is going to get better...

I am by far no environmentalist, and IMHO they are just hipocrits...but they try!

ARRRRG! I could go on forever...so many things to discuss...:mad2:

Sorry if I rambled and/or may have offended anyone!

Just my 2 cents is all...

Brandy

[fishcatch22]

well.... i'd try to make an effort now to breed more SW fish and inverts in captivity so that more don't need to be harvested.

[musho3210]

well for me, i always like the fact of cultured live rock, not sea taken, but i cant find any, the only one i found is a 45 pound one but no 20 pounders. I will continue my search of course though

Live rock seems like the most interesting thing from reefs, one of the reasons why i wanted to join the hobby.

[Catpicklesdog]

After reading alot of opinions about them on here, I think I'd give my cleaner wrasse back. Seems they're needed more out there than in my tank (although it would be a wrench)!!

[Mr.Firemouth]

I don't think I would put anything back in, however coral farming exsisting reef species in area where the natural population has declined I would be in favor of.

As far as the world's reef status goes...This is very politically reported. For one...there are reefs thru out the indo pacific that are difficult to reach and are still pristine and flourishing that never get talked about. For two...there are also tons of new life on the reef that doesn't get discussed mainstream but is discussed in scientific literature. Most coastal environments near heavily populated areas are in poor condition, but the outer reefs and deep water reefs are thriving. Alot of what we read is propaganda. There is a truth to all stories, but it how the stories are told that effect us most.

Even the Great Barrier Reef has miles of new growth and miles of decimated reef. Nature has a way of healing things. In the late 70's there were a series of very bad winters and all the "experts" claimed there was a new Ice Age coming. Don't laugh. They really were saying this stuff. Go figure. I like the rest of us can only hope that the Oceans and reefs survive alive and well.

[Germanman]

wrote a few papers on the topic..by the time i have my phd there may not be any reefs for me to study its sad....
id go with coral though

[Nick540]

Because of the declining state of reefs globaly it was hard for me to go into the reef keeping hobby knowing that in some way i would be contributing to the degredation of coral reefs. Within a reef ecosystem there are over 1 million species of fish, many are not known to man. Some of these hold the cure to diseases such as the caribean reef sponge. In Southeast Asia cyanide and dynamite fishing was quite common and many reefs and aquatic life suffered from these practaces. Having further researched the topic before i got into reefs i found that this type of fishing is now illegal and live rock could only be taken from reefs after a storm, from boats that had a government permit. The fragmentation that we as hobbyist do contribute to the knowledge as well as possible re-groth of costal reef environments. This is one reason i got into the hobby. I will learn about my own tank and hopefully be able to teach others about the importance of keeping reef systems. So to answer the question i would frag all my corals and hopefully be able to re-introduce them back into their natural environment.

[USCavalry19d]

Well just to put my 2 cents in here. The oceans are rising in Temps which is the main cause of the "bleaching" and death of most corals in the reefs. Ice caps are melting rapidly which is dumping Trillions of gallons of Fresh water into the Oceans lowering salinity levels. Soon this will begin to play a major effect on the gulf stream that runs up the east coast of the USA into the Arctic and down the west coast of Europe back to the Caribbeans. I agree with KandiBrandi on what she said, If we as a human race don't work together to stop Global Warming then it doesn't matter what we put back into the oceans it will simply end up dieing as well. However, "Mother Nature" has always found ways of correcting the balance here on earth. So with this said i'm sorry i would not put anything back in the reefs, until the balance of everything has proven to be stable enough for it. If and maybe when this happens then i will be happy to Frag every coral i can frag and return them to the Ocean. I would not return my fish because of the fact that they are used to being fed on a nightly basis and would most likely not have what it would take to live in the wild again anyways.

[Nick540]

Why not take action before it is too late. part of our job as hobbyists is to educate others. As reef keepers there is a responsability to know about our oceans and take action where nesecery. WHATEVER ACTION NEEDS TO BE MADE INCLUDING THE PROPIGATION of corals.

[OldManOfTheSea]

My young fellow hobbyists, this has been a growing concern now for a number of decades and unless thousands of us with the worry of the worlds coral reef declining make ourselves heard and not in some petition form but to march across the white house or sometime and not only once, it would take time to wake the whole world up on this ever growing problem.

Like that woman who picketed in front of President Bush ranch home because of her son who was killed in this sick war, that will have no end to it. That something as this it would or might take, for as petitions, the Government can tossed them into the trash without a thought of the growing problem that the world face in this.

Like that time on when one person was catching the clarion angel without any permission to do so has caused a tight restriction for others for before that, the Government was allowing only a small number to be captured. I not know as yet that if this ban was lifted or not. I assume that its still in place.
But still, in order to get the world to hear our voices in this matter, we need to picket/march pass Government buildings so that the whole country would hear what's going on with the worlds declining coral reefs. I feel that if that type of action not help, nothing would.


The oceans are rising in Temps which is the main cause of the "bleaching" and death of most corals in the reefs.
That is a concern, but were to add all the dynamiting and cyanide trappings not help this matter of saving the coral reef. I not believe that anyone can control the rising temp, but we should be able to stop and control those who are driving and destroying the worlds reef just to make a profit.

[Michael Marino]

Well think about it... the reeds were here first what is the deep down reason we purchase them? Well I sure it varies but it is a hobbie. I Guess juggling an inocent animal, trying to recreat there envoirnment ant ect isnt fun for them unless you are a proffessional and know what you are doing. Well if I could put somthing back whould be the LFS. Pulverise it to the ground and send them back to the over prised hell AHAHAHAH

[OldManOfTheSea]

We purchase to manage them in a home aquarium due to their beauty, but what we can do is request captive corals only and leave what reef there be to repopulate.

[spinx]

Stopped by one of our local fish and coral suppliers today. They didnt have any stock at all.Everything perrished. Upon enquireing why it came out that they lost all of last weeks shipment. Theyre suspecting the cause to be cyanide. We buy specimens wheter it be fish or coral because we take responsibility in caring for them. I believe that the people who collects specimens in the ocean for distribution to us should be passionate about what they do and not just chase money. Some of these money chasers unfortanately use cyanide to make their job easier. What most of them dont know is that where ever they use cyanide on a reef bank, the reef collapses and takes years ( if at all) to finally sustain life again. I believe that governments world wide should take better responsibility in reef care. If we carry on like this, pretty soon we wont be able to keep our colourful specimens anymore. :eek: :mad: :help:

[Germanman]

Stopped by one of our local fish and coral suppliers today. They didnt have any stock at all.Everything perrished. Upon enquireing why it came out that they lost all of last weeks shipment. Theyre suspecting the cause to be cyanide. We buy specimens wheter it be fish or coral because we take responsibility in caring for them. I believe that the people who collects specimens in the ocean for distribution to us should be passionate about what they do and not just chase money. Some of these money chasers unfortanately use cyanide to make their job easier. What most of them dont know is that where ever they use cyanide on a reef bank, the reef collapses and takes years ( if at all) to finally sustain life again. I believe that governments world wide should take better responsibility in reef care. If we carry on like this, pretty soon we wont be able to keep our colourful specimens anymore. :eek: :mad: :help:
u all know that most the people that catch the fish are poor families that are uneducated in how to safely catch fish right?

[spinx]

That is not a good thing, really! doesnt give me any reassurance.:eek: (thnx for moving the post)

[kandibrandy]

Where's your 2 cents...?

[musho3210]

well i dont see anything wrong with having wild caught fish ONLY if there are not endangered or anything and only if the owner is able to take proper care of the fish, but still i like tank raised/tank bred fish the most

[Reefscape]

Kandibrandy....My 2 cents will come....lol

I created this thread more so to get everybody elses opinion and to get everybody involved....

Niko

[Pineapple]

The world as we know it, a declining sphere, declining so fast it’s comparable to a bad horror film. B rated please :confused:

As a hobbyist, and not a bad one, I would never return any of my sea creatures. I would give anything to science on conditions but if a scientist hinted the plan was to set free I would tell him or her to walk. One of my reasons is that the environment decline is too fast for adaptation so I’m not sure of the point. As long as I have good salt I’m still in business.
Knowing our race we will not stop the cause even when facts hit us in the face but then again there is the solar fight. Who is to say if we each let something free from our systems and recycled etc that this would save species? The world would be a cleaner place, don’t get me wrong. The world always fluxed before our existence, ice ages etc… dinosaurs. :help: I hope I have a good drink, not too sour please.

Cheers,