Maricultured Fish ?

[Mthompson]

There is a lot of evidence to show that a good, healthy diet of natural foods (e.g.- marine copepod nauplii for seahorse larvae) goes a long way in sustaining the overall health and disease resistance of an organism. Since it is difficult to raise the proper food for seahorse larvae, they often get fed enriched artemia, which is a less complete diet, nutritionally (or at least is less digestible or usable for the seahorse larvae). In this case, a seahorse raised in a net-pen in the ocean (in a proper location - near the sea floor around algal beds), would be most likely healthier in terms of disease resistance. Another benefit is that an increase in growth and survival is also seen with the offering of natural copepod nauplii.

I hope this helps answer your question SHW. But remember, your question is inherently filled with many variabilities due to its broadened scope. Comparing net-penned to enriched artemia raised seahorses is apples to oranges, because there is many different variables for each condition. The best method would be to work on production of natural live feeds and then compare the growth of seahorses fed natural live feeds in aquaria to those in a net-pen, as there is an obvious shortcoming to enriched artemia.

 

[RichardS]

I really want to know if the theory that CB seahorses raised in sterile conditions are hardier, healthier than those raised in net pens in the ocean.

Well first, no horses are raised in sterile conditions. It isn't a theory that CB horses tend to fare much better for hobbyist's than imported pen raised horses. The issue with pen raised horses isn't nutrition it is more of a pathogen & stress issue IMO. Pen raised horses may have parasites that are not an issue in the ocean but can be a major problem in a small glass box. Add to that the stress of shipping, tanking in a wholesalers system, shipping again, tanking in an LFS system, then sending it home to a hobbyist's tank and there is a very good opportunity for illness. CB horses can be purchased direct from breeders so they don't have to endure that trip and they are fully adjusted to life in an aquarium and eating the same frozen foods that would be offered by the hobbyist.

As far as nutrition, it has been shown that feeding natural live foods (such as pelagic copepods) results in a much faster growth rate (up to 40%) and greater survivability in broods. Many people supplement the fry with copepods and ideally fry would be raised completely on copepods. However it is extremely hard to produce the quantities of copepods that would be needed to raise a large number of fry. Copepod cultures tend to be rather unstable.

 

[PeterIMA]

To Seahorse Whisperer, While I am not involved with rearing seahorses, I have the following observations associated with the EASTI program that involved breeding clownfish and gobies and the rearing of other species captured as post-larvae in the municipality of Bacacay in Albay Province, Philippines. Dr. Ralph Turingan of the Florida Institute of Technology worked with EASTI on this project. I visited the hatchery-rearing facility during November 2005.

The post-larval fishes that were reared first were fed special diets in a facility on shore that had flow through water pumped into the raceways from the ocean. The special diet consisted of natural plankton gathered daily with plankton nets towed behind a small boat (banca) each morning. There also were vitamin supplements and other additives added to the natural diet. The fish were reared to about 1 cm in length, before they were placed into net-pens.

The EASTI program then worked with local fishermen, who were trained to feed the fish with diets consisting of frozen plankton. The net-pen rearing did not depend solely on plankton in the water entering the net-pens. The fish still needed to be fed and the net pens maintained etc.

The advantages are that the food supply is local and hence less expensive. The hatchery facility and the net-pens in the host country (Philippines) were cheaper to create and to maintain than a high tech hatchery that would be needed in the United States. EASTI has plans to create similar facilities in Indonesia and other localities in the Philippines.

Sincerely,
Peter Rubec, Ph.D.

 

[Elysia]

I have the following observations associated with the EASTI program that involved breeding clownfish and gobies and the rearing of other species captured as post-larvae in the municipality of Bacacay in Albay Province, Philippines. The fish were reared to about 1 cm in length, before they were placed into net-pens.

The EASTI program then worked with local fishermen, who were trained to feed the fish with diets consisting of frozen plankton. The net-pen rearing did not depend solely on plankton in the water entering the net-pens. The fish still needed to be fed and the net pens maintained etc.

I have a question about this. From my reading, most "local fisherman," regardless of the locale, are described as being very poor, to the point that I was under the impression that most would not have the facilities to house frozen plankton. I assume I am totally off base with this, from what you report in your previous post? Electricity and freezers are commonplace? (I appologize if that question sounds ignorant, but having never visited I am not aware of what conditions are like for the people who are trying to make a living fishing for ornamentals.)

I am curious, in your visit to this program, did you see anyone (perhaps outside of the program) rearing non-native fish in net pens in the ocean?

Thank you for relating your first hand experience to us.

 

[PeterIMA]

I can only speak from what I observed in the Philippines and in Indonesia. The hatchery site in Bacacay, Phiilippines had electricity. The region has about 1 million inhabitants and most barangays in the Bicol region have electricity. Fishermen on Santiago Island, where I visited in 1986 did not have electricity. The village of Les in Bali, Indonesia has electricity. My guess is that most villages where divers reside have electricity. Collecting areas which are more remote may lack electricity.

I have not observed non-native marine species being reared in either Indonesia or the Philippines. Tilapia (a non native freshwater species) are reared in Laguna Lake near Los Banos, Philippines. I ate tilapia (in a roadside restaurant) harvested from a lake fed by streams running off of a volcanoe, when I visited Bali last March.
I don't think anyone is rearing non-native species of seahorses in either the Philippines or Indonesia.

Peter Rubec

 

[Anonymous]

Mr Rubec, I read in Scott Michaels reef series book Angelfishes and Butterflies that delicate butterflies are being raised "in the South Pacific, by starting with wild caught larvae. The resulting juveniles are said to accept a variety of non specialized food. Hopefully, these less finicky individuals will be available to hobbyists in the near future."

Is this true? A obligate coral eater that will live on frozen cyclopeeze?

 

[PeterIMA]

I have not heard about anyone rearing butterflyfish (by any method). It may possible to do it using wild-caught copepods with post-larval
butterlyfish. Whether this would be commercially viable is another question.
With regard to your comment about butterflyfish being obligate coral eaters (some are), the post-larval stages probably still eat planktonic organisms. They only eat corals when they get bigger. I suggest you direct your question about rearing of butterflyfish to Scott Michael., since he was the source of the information you cited.

Several marine angelfish (asfur and maculosus) have been bred and reared in Taiwan. Dwarf angelfish (forget which ones) were reared with wild-caught copepods in Hawaii, but I heard they did not suceed with a commericial venture.

Peter

 

[Anonymous]

I have not heard about anyone rearing butterflyfish (by any method). It may possible to do it using wild-caught copepods with post-larval
butterlyfish. Whether this would be commercially viable is another question.
With regard to your comment about butterflyfish being obligate coral eaters (some are), the post-larval stages probably still eat planktonic organisms. They only eat corals when they get bigger. I suggest you direct your question about rearing of butterflyfish to Scott Michael., since he was the source of the information you cited.

Several marine angelfish (asfur and maculosus) have been bred and reared in Taiwan. Dwarf angelfish (forget which ones) were reared with wild-caught copepods in Hawaii, but I heard they did not suceed with a commericial venture.

Peter

Peter, IIRC Scott is referring to the French company EcoMay that was doing larval catchment like 5 years ago in the S.P. I can't seem to pull anything up on them on google but we have talked about them here in the past. Burton got some of their fish in if you want to talk to someone with experience. Steve brought their feed in fo Burton as well, a whole pallet if my mind serves me right

 

[PeterIMA]

Gresham, I assume that the French company EcoMay was associated with Mr. Regin Dufour in Tahiti (French Polynesia). I met him at a MACNA Conference in Ft. Lauderdale about 10 years ago.

I should also note that Silliman University had a mariculture progam on the Island of Negros in the city of Dumagete, Philippines. The research under Dr. Angel Alcala reared over 100 species of marine fishes from post-larvae. I visited the facility in 1987. Somewhere in my file cabinet is a published paper listing the species (just not sure I can find it now). It may be that they reared some species of butterflyfish.

Anyone know about programs to breed or rear wild-caught butterflyfish?

 

[PeterIMA]

Has anyone heard anything recent about the French company rearing MO fish with ReefCheck in the Philippines (EcoSomething)?

Peter

 

[ERI]

Mr Rubec, I read in Scott Michaels reef series book Angelfishes and Butterflies that delicate butterflies are being raised "in the South Pacific, by starting with wild caught larvae. The resulting juveniles are said to accept a variety of non specialized food. Hopefully, these less finicky individuals will be available to hobbyists in the near future."

Is this true? A obligate coral eater that will live on frozen cyclopeeze?
_________________
Suzy's Reef

Our company enjoyed the exclusive rights to the larval-captured/tank-raised fish coming from Tahiti for many years. We imported a very large number of these fish and, indeed, can attest to the fact that ALL of species readily accepted and thrived on almost any dry food. This was true even for the butterflies! Beautiful, hardy animals that would "boil" the water surface as the pellets hit the water.

 

[fishy+3]

Our company enjoyed the exclusive rights to the larval-captured/tank-raised fish coming from Tahiti for many years. We imported a very large number of these fish and, indeed, can attest to the fact that ALL of species readily accepted and thrived on almost any dry food. This was true even for the butterflies! Beautiful, hardy animals that would "boil" the water surface as the pellets hit the water

What company now enjoys the exclusive rights to these larval raised fish in Tahiti or is it widespread now? On another note is there a list or something that details what fish have been successfully reared? I tried ERI's web address no go though.

 

[IconicAquariums]

Not sure if it's been mentioned, but there is a company in Sri Lanka breeding & rearing H. reidi, from Brazil.

 

[ERI]

Unfortunately the US market was not very receptive to these beautiful fish. Very few stores were willing to pay the extra cost needed to capture and rear these animals (versus cheap wild caught conspecifics). In the end the company opted to halt production and pursue more fiscally realistic projects.

 

[StevenPro]

So, are there are companies left selling these larval-reared fishes?