Have you ever been so excited about getting a fish that you can’t sleep for a day or two beforehand? I went through just that this week- so much excitement and Friday couldn’t come soon enough. I get this way with most of the new aquacultured species we bring into the shop, but the Goldflake Angel was a fish that I had never seen in person. Its big price tag had kept it from being a fish that we were willing to risk bringing in. We used to be a small time local shop, until they started raising some amazing fish in captivity. We said we would never ship fish but now here we are, getting in high-ticket fish that we will probably sell online as opposed to in our physical store.  I love aquacultured fish and I know for a fact that they are stronger and healthier than wild caught.

This fish came in small, which can be scary for a store owner, but we are used to it. There are benefits to small aquacultured fish. In the angelfish I have encountered, small juveniles mean that you have more chance to get a pair as they haven’t changed sex yet. You can have a haram tank with a lot of females and just one male, which is such a sight to see! They are usually less expensive because the breeders do not have to take up room to raise them as long  in their grow out systems, meaning more fish can come through. It’s so much fun to watch these baby fish grow up, you can even take monthy pictures and make a baby book of your fish to keep on your coffee table and show off to guests.

This fish arrived super healthy and was already eating TDO Pellets from Reef Nutrition. He came in with a beautiful Majestic Angel from Quality Marine. These guys have done an amazing job with aquacultured fish. I can always find something beautiful and eye-catching display at our store.

These fish were bred at Bali Aquarich; they are doing some great work with aquaculture, and the quality of fish that we get from them is outstanding. I am always excited to receive their animals, and confident that they will be awesome.

This is a difficult time to be in this business but I know that with all the fish being raised in captivity, our future looks bright. More people are starting to realize the benefits of aquacultured fish over wild caught fish, and there are more facilities opening all the time. Fish are starting to be aquacultured that have never even been offered or seen before in our industry.

Aquaculture will win the day! Aquaculture is the future!