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BANG FOR THE BITE
27% of the world's coral reefs have been lost. Help preserve the ones that are left by choosing carefully which fish go into your tank.
COCKTAIL FACT
If a mother clown fish dies, the father clown fish will biologically transform into a female… Whatta guy!
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home › tip library › Environmentally-Friendly Aquarium Fish
Think Nemo and Dory would make handsome additions to your home aquarium?
The Bite
Handsome, yes. Ecologically-sound, maybe not. In many cases, the aquarium fish trade threatens coral reefs. Decrease the threat on our gilled friends by purchasing fish collected in an eco-friendly way.The Benefits
- Preserve fragile ecosystems. Although coral reefs occupy less than 0.25% of the marine environment, they are home to more than 25% of all known marine fish species.
- Protect coastal areas that rely on barrier reefs for protection from storms, hurricanes, and typhoons.
- Still itching for tropical fish? Opt for MAC (Marine Aquarium Council) certified fish. The organization creates standards and certification for sustainably harvested fish and applies 3 rigid requirements for third-party certification.
Personally Speaking
We both prefer to skip the fish tank altogether and snorkel to get our “fish fix.” Sadly, however, snorkeling is HARD to do in Montana and NYC.Wanna Try?
90% of freshwater aquarium fish are farm-raised, but the majority of saltwater aquarium fish are caught in the wild. If you do want a clownfish like Nemo, just make sure to ask if it was bred in captivity.- Try these MAC-certified alternatives to clown fish:
- Snowflake Eel (Echidna nebulosa)
- Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens)
- Royal Gramma (Gramma loreto)
- Or, try freshwater fish.
- MAC Certified Industry Operators - locate retailers of sustainably-caught salt-water fish near you.
- The Coral Reef Alliance - protecting coral reefs through ecosystem management, sustainable tourism, and community partnerships.
Jun 30,2006
Sponsor
Indeed. His name was Frankie. Frankie the fish. It was his first fish, his first pet since he left home. Here is the story:
Frankie was a fighter fish (aka: Beta fish) and he was so cool... you could go up to the bowl and do a little jig, and he would do a jig with you - bopping back and forth and kind of smiling I think.
I was taking care of him while the ex was away on business one winter. And his apartment building was awful... it wouldn't let you regulate the heat, and it was always too hot so everyone kept the windows open. Well, I had to go on my own business trip, and so gave Frankie an extra helping of fish food to hold him over for two days until the ex got back.
Just my luck: the apartment building's heat broke during a record cold snap... and well, Frankie become a fish popsicle.
It scarred me; I don't do fish anymore (although they are good for calming the nerves, so I just have them on my screensaver). But if I did I would definitely NOT get a clown fish as snorkeling and scuba diving are two of my favorite things in the world, and the places to do that are disappearing so fast. So sad. Almost as sad as me killing Frankie.
Off to visit Frankie the dancing fish's grave... kidding, we flushed him. - Jen
Biter Comments...
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: Jon Sanders | June 30, 2006 at 01:40 PM