So it’s time to ring in the New Year. 2014 has been a year of great changes for the reef aquarium hobby. While change is neither inherently good, nor bad, the changes that have taken place this year in the hobby, may surprise some reef keepers. The Obama administration has proven to be one of the most aggressive in history, when it comes to preservation of the ocean. Not only has President Obama declared a large swath of sea a candidate as a marine protected area, under this administration NOAA has conducted research into just what is destroying the health of worldwide reefs and how commerce effects the ocean environment. The result for reefers is that our hobby has hit the radar, implicated as a potential cause of worldwide reef decline. NOAA identified 22 coral species (originally proposed 62 species) for the threatened species list, which could make them illegal to own, sell or trade in the future. While a reefer’s New Year’s resolution might be to obtain an exciting specimen, or upgrade a piece of equipment, in keeping pace with changing times, I offer the following resolutions to help make your aquarium more sustainable.
- Take a break from adding livestock
One of the biggest thrills the hobby offers is the addition of something exciting to the aquarium. Though successfully adding a new tenant requires patience, observation and quarantine. Why not take a break from adding anything new. If a large percentage of aquarists did this, it would ease demand for livestock species harvested from the wild. Often it’s best to give a marine aquarium time to settle into being, allowing resident species to stake out a piece of the tank as their own, and adjust well to captive life. Adding something new upsets a balance that can take years to create. Sitting back, relaxing and enjoying what you have can allow your aquarium to become the blood pressure reducer marine tanks are famous for being.
- Re-evaluate feeding, and your protocol for keeping existing species healthy
I often say that most marine fish are underfed, and the same can be said about corals and invertebrates. Many species in the wild are constantly feeding. Surgeonfish and angelfish graze non-stop, and mid water plankton feeders are always slurping up tiny particles. In reality, only predatory fish eat one large meal and then digest. The best possible feeding regimen is several small feedings per day, rather than one or two large meals.… More:
The post A sustainable 2015: Resolutions for aquarists appeared first on reefs.com.