We’ve said this many times before, and we’ll keep saying it:  Never dispose livestock, substrate, and aquarium water into lakes, ocean, or waterways! It doesn’t matter if you think it’s “just water” or one little fish or algae.  ABSOLUTELY NO EXCEPTIONS!

Invasive aquarium species can cause catastrophic damage to our local ecosystems.  Look no further than Lionfish in the Atlantic and Caulerpa algae in California, Mediterranean Sea, and Australia for examples of the damage this irresponsible act can inflict.  Recent scientific studies also highlight the threat of “aquarium dumping.”

Advanced aquarists should not only be good stewards of their captive ecosystems but also of their local, natural ecosystems.  Educate your aquarist friends and LFS. “Aquarium dumping” is bad PR for our hobby, and more importantly, it’s bad for the environment.

[via KCRA-TV]