Buying wild or farm raised

[Jim b]

After watching several documentaries on this I’m starting to think buying wild might be beneficial for everyone involved in the hobby! Any thoughts 

[Fish Folk]

This all depends on your goals, skill level, and relevant concerns. I’d love to hear from you about this! Is your primary concern ethical fish treatment? Genetic health? Resource management?   Just curious. I like buying from home-based breeders. 

[gardenman]

It's complicated. In theory wild caught fish should have more genetic diversity and you're helping those who collect the fish. If a fish becomes trendy, like the Asian Arowana, wild collection can deplete the stock and make a species endangered. (There are probably more Asian Arowanas in existence now than ever before though due to massive captive breeding.) Fish raised domestically will often have been raised in water more similar to yours, have been stressed less, may be healthier. 

If you're looking for a wild caught Oranda, Lionhead, Flowerhorn, etc. you'll never find one as they don't exist in the wild. Fish farms often exist in areas where the money is needed also. Many fish farms aren't exactly hi-tech, sterile operations. They'll use whatever they've got that holds water to raise the fish.

There are lots of YouTube videos of fish farms of every type, from the hi-tech Israeli farms, to very, very makeshift fish farms in Vietnam, Indonesia, and other places.

And to some extent it depends on who you buy the fish from. Some companies, like Freshwater Exotics import directly, so the fish go from where they're collected (Brazil, Peru, etc.) directly to Freshwater Exotics. Other imported fish might go to a wholesaler, then a regional distributor, then a local pet shop and experience more stress. 

There really is no "best" or more beneficial way to get fish. Fish farms are less troubled by rainy seasons and can guarantee a more steady supply of fish. Wild caught depends on local conditions a lot more. Especially with South American fish where river levels can vary enormously during wet and dry seasons.

[Jim b]

Thanks for the information! You are obviously very well schooled on this topic! Thanks for the information. 

[Scapexghost]

I wouldn't hesitate to buy wild caught fish but if you have the option farm raised fish are generally easier to keep. They are more likely to eat dry foods and will generally do better in a wider variety of pHs and GHs compared to wild caught fish. They will usually be more outgoing as they'll be more adjusted to living in an aquarium and will be used to humans.

[gardenman]

On 1/1/2022 at 12:13 AM, Jim b said:

Thanks for the information! You are obviously very well schooled on this topic! Thanks for the information. 

I've watched way too many YouTube videos on commercial fish farming and also wild fish catching expeditions. There are dozens if not hundreds of videos out there on both topics and it's pretty neat stuff. Domestic fish farming seems to be dying out a bit. New regulations and the low cost of importing fish have many farms that used to only raise their own fish, now largely importing fish and reselling them instead of breeding their own. This is happening with many small hobby breeders and larger commercial operations. Some hobby breeders who made their name breeding guppies, bettas, and the like now do little breeding themselves but import the fish they sell under their name and just rebag and resell them. That gives them a steady supply of fish to sell without the hassles of raising them. More profit and less trouble is a pretty good formula for them, but people thinking they're buying domestically bred and raised fish may be surprised to find they're not. 

 

[Jim b]

Thanks for the feedback on this topic! It is definitely a complex subject . I guess a good mix of both is the answer! The recent documentary online  was a eye opener, according to them most of these areas the fish are taken from dry up anyways. It’s a renewable resource?!

The 2 part series is titled Wild Caught aquarium fish trade of the amazon

[Jim b]

I also think it would be nice if the retail stores could let you know if the fish are farm or wild .

[Torrey]

Retail stores, sadly are rarely informed if the fish from the wholesaler are wild or domestic. 

 

We humans have done a lot of damage, and the fact that Aquarium Co-op helped with financing the research and filming Wild Caught raised my opinion of Cory (higher than I had before).

Our local BioPark has been trying to help reintroduce "extinct in the wild" species and recently found success in collaboration with the Zoo in Great Britain, locals in Mexico, and primarily thanks to individual, private breeders like us.

I strongly believe that we all have a responsibility to the fish we keep as well as the environments they come from, and there are no easy answers. I believe that our hobby has a responsibility to work with and listen to The People who have traditionally listened to and worked with the environments our fish originally came from.... even if our selective breeding has changed the descendants our ancestors took out of the wild to the point they are no longer recognized as the same species. 

Indigenous groups in the Pacific Northwest have been warning for decades that the dams are damaging the river, and the earth would suffer if we didn't heed the warnings. 

They **knew** the salmon and the grandmother trees were interdependent, and that interrupting the web would lead to weaker forests and harsher fire seasons. 

I also have been learning how few USians realize how interdependent we actually are, because few USians are in regular and trusted contact with people Indigenous to the land. 

I know that Wales, England and Scotland are rewilding their lands in an attempt at reducing global warming, improving air quality, and recognizing the importance of taking care of the land. 

After watching friends lose everything this past Thursday/Friday as an area that should have been under snow burned, I am really hoping that we can find ways to work together to entice more people to be willing to be responsible for the environment. 

 

Guess I am getting a bit maudlin.

I used "endangered species" search before starting a new post about the successful  reintroduction of an extinct species, thanks to aquarium hobbyists and breeders.

 

 

[Jim b]

Obviously there are always 2 sides to every story but if you believe the experts and These fish are trapped and will die anyways then I’m all in for buying wild! After all our very hobby began in the amazon region. I think even Cory has changed in his thinking that buying wild does have a place! I’m think that we should be able to find out where the fish we buy are from. 

[Guppy Guy]

On 12/31/2021 at 8:22 PM, gardenman said:

Fish farms often exist in areas where the money is needed also. Many fish farms aren't exactly hi-tech, sterile operations. They'll use whatever they've got that holds water to raise the fish.

That is a good point. Guppy’s shouldn’t need salt in their tank if they are healthy, but nowadays you have to because of the farms. Where the farms are, 100% freshwater is expensive so they use brackish water instead. Because the fish are born in salt, it is naturally what they are used to, so in an aquarium, salt is required. That is why I prefer buying guppies(or free if you look hard enough) from local breeders. Then I know that they don’t need salt in the water.

[Jim b]

I would just like to know if the fish are farm raised ,wild or locally raised. At least it would give us the option. I believe Cory at his store does signify the origins of the fish he sells!