Wild release possible?

[bradleyjay]

I just finished reading Fishaholic's thread about the morality of keeping "improper" species in an aquarium (tangs in a 50), and had an idea.

I have a juvenille Koran in my 55. He is about 4 inches right now, but i've been told that I should expect him to double in size within the next few years.

Since purchasing this fish, I always had the intention of returning him to the LFS when he outgrew my tank, but I just realized that I've never seen any really large angels at any LFS near me. And from what I've read, Pomacanthus semicirculatus is one of the largest.

Then I had an idea. Since I live in sunny South Florida, why not just release him to the ocean? Is this possible? Is anyone else doing this? What are the chances of him being able to fend for himself on one of the local reefs?

Don't flame, for this was just a thought running around in my head. I promise I won't throw him in the back yard, for I live in a condo and my name is *not* kirtis!

 

[Mouse]

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[scavdog]

As far as I know the Koran Angel is commonly collected from the Indian Ocean. Please don't introduce it to local waters. This kind of practice can be detrimental to local species.

I'm sure there are plenty of local hobbiests who would take it off your hands.

Why not just trade it in? You can probably get some good credit this way.

HTH,

 

[Mouse]

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I have a juvenille Koran in my 55. He is about 4 inches right now, but i've been told that I should expect him to double in size within the next few years.

Given excellent water quality and TLC. Not the sort of params you would find in a newbe 55.

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Since purchasing this fish, I always had the intention of returning him to the LFS when he outgrew my tank,

Yea like that will ever happen.


<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote

Then I had an idea. Since I live in sunny South Florida, why not just release him to the ocean? Is this possible? Is anyone else doing this? What are the chances of him being able to fend for himself on one of the local reefs?

No, no no. You know its wrong so why do you see yourself as an exception. Its not so much the fish thats the worry, its the rest of the reef you put in danger. Alien pathogens and deseases to name just a few.

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr> Don't flame, for this was just a thought running around in my head. I promise I won't throw him in the back yard, for I live in a condo and my name is *not* kirtis!
<hr></blockquote>

Troll,

Its unfortunate that threads like these have to be answered, if only to prevent others from following suit. Go back to pulling legs off spiders or something.

 

[bradleyjay]

I would prefer to trade it in. Or trade with another local reefer. I was just saying that I've never seen any large angels at the LFSs around here, so I wasn't sure if they's take it.

If this little guy's from the Indian Ocean, then I won't release it here obviously, but what would his chances be if for example I released him back to the Indian Ocean?

 

[Chucker]

Release to the wild is frowned up for two reasons- introduction of non-native species, and the possible introduction of pathogens from aquarium environments to the wild.

 

[bradleyjay]

Mouse:

Excuse me?
1. who said I had a "newbe 55"? I certainly never said that.

2. Why do you doubt my intention of returning him to the LFS? Do you know me? I think not.

3. I know it's wrong? Unfortunately, it's you who's wrong. If I knew it was wrong why would I be here asking the question?

4. Troll? Umm no. I'm just a reefer who won't pay attention to your useless replies.

"Its unfortunate that threads like these have to be answered"

Sorry if I'm taking you away from your busy day, and I'm sorry I took time from my busy day to read your useless reply. I asked a legit question, and got a legit reply from others. Didn't your momma ever tell you "if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all"?

 

[bradleyjay]

Chucker thanks.

Mouse: See? That's a legit reply. You might want to try it sometime. Otherwise change the topic of this forum to "Stuck up people who malign others with less knowledge"

 

[morepunkthanewe]

Last year at MACNA in Fort Lauderdale Julian Sprung mentioned that there was an inlet near Boca Raton that was home to many foreign species of tropical fish. I forget which ones he mentioned, but he says he has seen Pacific angels, tangs etc, and apparently they are quite common there. I would love to find out where this place is to see for myself. He alluded to the fact that it was practice for the pet stores in the area to dump large fish that won't sell and have outgrown their tanks in this inlet. As cool as it may seem to go diving in our back yard to see imperator angels, if the media ever caught wind of it, the reef hobby would no doubt take another hit to the chin. Who knows maybe legislation after that...

 

[morepunkthanewe]

oh yeah, in regards to your situation, I would just post your fish on this board as a trade. And if it came down to it, I would rather give him to another fellow reef keeper with a suitable tank than back to a pet store. There are plenty of us in South Florida that would probably adopt him.

 

[bradleyjay]

To all those who offered advice, thanks.

I won't dump my Koran into the ocean. As I said before, I just had an idea and never heard it discussed here before, so I asked. I guess some people think that means I like pulling the legs off spiders.

I guess we can let this thread die now.

 

[Mouse]

When i said that i doubt it was ever going to be returned to your LFS it was with regards to its chances of survival, not your concience as its carer.

Perhaps a wiser question would have been.

"do you think its a good idea for me to promote the practise of purchaseing wild caught animals, who's ultimate demands for ensuring a high quality of life cannot be met or gaurunteed by myself"

Im sure your koran looks very nice, but as you know a system capable of providing for that animal throughout the entire of its life are large, expensive and few and far between.

What if everyone did what you have done, where would we keep all of these 15" Korans. Im sure the number of people with small tanks who would like to keep Korans, greatly outweighs the number of people who have large tanks capable of keeping them. Once we remove an animal from its natural habitat it is vital that we can ensure that animal is safe, looked after and comfortable for the ENTIRE of its life.

"I want a doggy but as soon as he's bigger than a puppy he's going back to the store" - mentality does no favours for anyone.

The fact that you imply "dumping" this animal anywhere is whats tweaking my tits.

[ December 07, 2001: Message edited by: Mouse ]</p>

 

[bradleyjay]

You sound as if I'm the person who took this animal from his natural habitat. Wrong again. Please remember that this animal was caught by someone other than myself. I'm going to assume that was the importer.

So had I purchased the fish or not, it doesn't matter. He's still not in the ocean anymore.

Why not buy the fish and give him a decent chance of survival for at least a couple of years in my tank, rather than letting him die in a few days in the LFS tank. Believe me, no one else was buying this fish. He had ich and a pretty bad case of fin rot, both of which were completely cured by me.

It was a mistake that I bought a sick fish, which I take complete responsibility for. But by the same token I also take complete credit for his recovery. If it wasn't for me 'accidentally' buying this fish, he'd be dead now anyway.

I don't consider myself some 'hero' or 'sick fish rescuer' by any means. It just happens that both the fish and myself caught a lucky break in what could have been a much worse situation. I could have lost $50.00 along with some heartache, and the fish could have lost his life. Lucky for the fish I was able to nurse him back to health, and lucky for me, my little buddy's still swimming hapilly.

So by your logic, I should have left him in the store, where he surely would have died anyway. Or perhaps he would have been released in the Boca Raton inlet mentioned by Julian Sprung. The LFS where I bought him just happens to be in Boca Raton, FL.

The way I see it, while I should not have bought a sick fish that will outgrow my tank, the fish lucked out and got a chance to recover from his ailments and have a happy few years in my tank.

And besides, what's to say that I won't get a bigger tank?

 

[Mouse]

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You sound as if I'm the person who took this animal from his natural habitat. Wrong again. Please remember that this animal was caught by someone other than myself. I'm going to assume that was the importer.

Oh, ok not my fault mentality, good start.

So who's fault is it, chicken and egg im afraid.

The fact still remains that should someone capable of keeping that fish now want one from your LFS a new one would be brought in. Secondly by buying that fish you have aided in the harvesting of this animal by condoning its capture with your hard earned cash. You should have boycotted the sale, and maybe your LFS would be a little more reluctant to order another one to replace dead stock, a sale on the other hand is money in for them.

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Why not buy the fish and give him a decent chance of survival for at least a couple of years in my tank, rather than letting him die in a few days in the LFS tank.

This is the same LFS you suggested "dumping" the Koran on erlier is it.

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It was a mistake that I bought a sick fish, which I take complete responsibility for. But by the same token I also take complete credit for his recovery. If it wasn't for me 'accidentally' buying this fish, he'd be dead now anyway.

Oh so you meant to miss treat a healthy one, i see, i didn't realise you are so decerning with your midlife abandonment.

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So by your logic, I should have left him in the store, where he surely would have died anyway.

Now your getting it, at least this way the LFS may not order them for stock again. Its hard but you just got to do it.

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The way I see it, while I should not have bought a sick fish that will outgrow my tank

So your dissagreement with me is what exactly

[ December 07, 2001: Message edited by: Mouse ]</p>

 

[bradleyjay]

Mouse:

So the poor fish deserves to die so I can make a point boycotting the LFS...that's really nice...kind of like the pulling legs off spiders thing you mentioned, right?

Listen, pal: I'm not gonna keep going back and forth about this with you. I'll say it again since you obviously didn't get it the first time: I asked a legit question, and got legit answers and good advice from everyone except you.

I was asked politely not to return this fish to the wild, and given valid reasons not to, so I won't.

Your needless flaming does nothing to help me, or the hobby. It's people like you who have nothing constructive to offer to a conversation that encourage poor saps like 'kirtis' et al feed their fish to a snake.

I just wanted a little advice, and got it from everyone but you. Do me a favor, and don't answer my posts with the guise of "to prevent others from following suit", because you're not preventing anything by answering a question like that.

If you're so concerned that my post will encourage others to mistreat animals, then ask an administrator to delete it. Funny, thing is, an administrator actually replied to this post, offering exactly the information I was looking for. So I really doubt that the post would be deleted.

And by the way, learn how to spell.

P.S. I don't pull legs from spiders. Only mice, mouse.

 

[Chucker]

Well, this thread went down the gutter quickly.

Mouse- a more mild tone would be greatly appreciated. Keep that in mind for the future.

 

[jethro]

See if you can tag him before you let him go. Maybe somebody will find him someday. Put your phone number on the tag.