I live in Texas, and unless you're going to have a parks and wildlife officer in for dinner, or something, no one cares. Nobody (around me, anyway) would know a c. wendtii if it bit them in the (you know where.) No one here on my part of the border anyway, even appreciates aquariums enough to know what kind of fish are in them...Come to think of it, I don't think that if you did have someone from parks and wildlife over for dinner, that they would even take more than a flashing glance at your tank,lol, I wish someone who visited my house WOULD recognize (at least something) about my tanks... there's just no interest for stuff like that around here....except for me,lol( not in my neck of the woods, anyway....)
Heard about the aquatic plant ban in Texas? Your state next?
- Thread starter bobalston
- Start date
Just because people don't care, doesn't make it a problem. In fact, because people don't care, it IS a problem.
I think what they mean is that no one will notice, so no one will care. Indeed, it's going to be near impossible to enforce this law on the hobbyist level, but who it's REALLY going to hurt will be the local mom and pop LFS who may have stocked several species of the plants in question. Remember H. polysperma? Ambulia? All of those were in shop tanks not too awful many years ago.
I agree about the invasive species thing and all, but here I have to get the plants off of the internet.. I, for one, am not about to give them up just for them to go into the river.....If I did need to get rid of them and HAD to trash them, to travel all the way to a water system would be more trouble for me than to just let them dry and chunk them in the trash...
The thing is that most people didn't go to a body of water and dump them out, it's more complicated than that. Mostly they are cultivated and they "escape" - here's the story of how Hydrilla was introduced, for example:
http://myfwc.com/docs/WildlifeHabitats/InvasivePlants_Circular18.pdf
I don't think the real problem is people dumping the entire contents (plants and all) of their aquariums into waterways.
I'm not sure how many invasive plants were introduced because of improper disposal (living plants thrown into the trash, where they continue to reproduce via spores or other means, dumping down toilets or faucets in areas that are connected to waterways) but it seems the aquarium trade, which cultured the problem plants, is the one that is mostly responsible...
At least that's how I understand it. Fish on the other hand are a different story, many aquarists have and continue to dump turtles, goldfish, plecos, cichlids, livebearers and many other kinds of fish into waterways...in this case, aquarists are directly responsible.
http://myfwc.com/docs/WildlifeHabitats/InvasivePlants_Circular18.pdf
I don't think the real problem is people dumping the entire contents (plants and all) of their aquariums into waterways.
I'm not sure how many invasive plants were introduced because of improper disposal (living plants thrown into the trash, where they continue to reproduce via spores or other means, dumping down toilets or faucets in areas that are connected to waterways) but it seems the aquarium trade, which cultured the problem plants, is the one that is mostly responsible...
At least that's how I understand it. Fish on the other hand are a different story, many aquarists have and continue to dump turtles, goldfish, plecos, cichlids, livebearers and many other kinds of fish into waterways...in this case, aquarists are directly responsible.
The introduction of Caulerpa taxifolia is a fine example of unintentional release by aquarists:
http://www.sccat.net/#what-is-caulerpa-1e86c8
"Releases from aquaria, either directly into the water body, or indirectly through a storm drain, are the most likely sources of both southern California infestations of Caulerpa taxifolia. Caulerpa was declared eradicated from both sites on July 12, 2007, at a cost of approximately $7 million."
http://www.sccat.net/#what-is-caulerpa-1e86c8
"Releases from aquaria, either directly into the water body, or indirectly through a storm drain, are the most likely sources of both southern California infestations of Caulerpa taxifolia. Caulerpa was declared eradicated from both sites on July 12, 2007, at a cost of approximately $7 million."
I collect buckets full of that stuff while net-fishing. Been debating trying it in an aquarium but wasn't sure what it was so I kept throwing it back after sorting the fish out of it. :rofl:
I think it is worth distinguishing that
a) the release was done by a public aquarium/museum
b) it is a saltwater plant.
Bob :frog:
Maybe so, but what about Snakeheads in MD? Boas in the everglades, etc. While some aquarium plants may be caught in too wide a net, that is what public comment periods are for, etc.
And yes, I am a dyed-in-the-organic-hand-fed wool tree hugger.
