Getting back into nano reefing need eco friendly advice

[mje113]

Hey all, after over a decade off, and swearing I'd never get into reefs again, my kids finally talked me into getting fish. They meant goldfish, but when I looked at current tank options, decided to go all in on an Evo 13.5.

 

This time around I'd really like to focus on Eco-friendly live stock options. I know some of what I need will need to be live caught, however I'd like to stick to tank bred/mariculture/aquaculture's options as much as possible. Is there a single online merchant that focuses on those, that I can rely on to be honest about origins, as well as having good inventory? I know I can't trust my LFS. Thanks!

[NoOneLikesADryTang]

ORA and Biota are the two big boys, when it comes to captive bred fish. They’re both making great strides when it comes to captive bred fish. 
 

https://www.orafarm.com/products/fish/
 

https://shop.thebiotagroup.com/collections/cultured-fish

[mje113]

Awesome, thanks for the links! How about for coral and inverts? I think with fragging there are probably a lot of options, but I don't know where to start.

[NoOneLikesADryTang]

I’d say check for local Facebook groups in your area, or in Reef2Reef. If you’re in Arizona, I’d be happy to send you home with some frags. 

[mcarroll]

On 5/20/2022 at 4:29 PM, mje113 said:

I know I can't trust my LFS.

How so?  (Please elaborate.)

 

They're going to be getting their livestock from the same sources as the places you're asking about.....but you'll get to hand-pick which specimens you bring home if you buy locally.   Should be a win-win.

 

What does "eco" mean to you, BTW?

 

Is "eco" = captive bred animals?  Or is there more to it for you?

 

If you have a LFS, you should ask if they will stock something for you from one of the breeders linked above.  

 

ReefGen and Sustainable Aquatics are another pair of suppliers your LFS could contact which deal in captive breeding and the like.

[mje113]

Can't trust LFS as it's a dump, the animals don't look health and the staff doesn't seem to know why they're talking about. They do have good prices on some dry goods. I found another not so "L" but not too bad to get to.

 

Yeah, "eco" is a pretty generic term but primarily I am talking about captive bread, aqua/maricultured. Something that isn't putting stress on reefs.

[Tamberav]

@Cultivated Reef is a sponsor here and has captive fish and aquacultured corals

 

https://cultivatedreef.com/

[mcarroll]

49 minutes ago, mje113 said:

Can't trust LFS as it's a dump, the animals don't look health and the staff doesn't seem to know why they're talking about.

If that were the norm for the animals, one would think they wouldn't be in business long.  Is it possible that looks are deceiving?  Or are you taking the position based on experience?  Staff being neophytic is normal and expected....if somewhat unfortunate.  It's a result of folks like us being cheap and unwilling to pay premium prices for livestock....cheaper is always better; free shipping gets the sale; etc.  So we end up (more often than not) buying from LFS's that look like a dump and which are staffed by newbies.  A living example of "you get what you pay for".  Thankfully that doesn't necessarily mean the livestock is crap. It could mean that, but it doesn't have to.  Healthy fish are  attributable to having a good system.  A good system is also maintainable by newbies.

 

So....not saying your LFS is wonderful (I have no idea)...but it's possible for it to look fairly bad, and yet for the animals to be fairly good or even great.  It can be hard to tell in some cases tho...especially if you are new at the hobby yourself.

 

Rest assured that's still a good position to be in....knowing vs not knowing.  You'll never know the condition of the store or the fish if you order online.

 

 

49 minutes ago, mje113 said:

They do have good prices on some dry goods. I found another not so "L" but not too bad to get to.

Well check them out too of course!!  🙂 

 

I don't even have a local fish store anymore – not since 2015 or so.  It sucks.  SUCKS.

 

If you have a local fish store you should do what you can to work with them.....if you think it's needed, get to know the owner if there's any way to do so.  You know they're doing their best (they pay dearly for the "privilege" to run a store).....but nobody can know everything or do it perfectly....so help is required.  Help em out by telling them what you'd like to see – and what you already like!

 

49 minutes ago, mje113 said:

Yeah, "eco" is a pretty generic term but primarily I am talking about captive bread, aqua/maricultured. Something that isn't putting stress on reefs.

Supporting captive breeding is definitely a good thing.  Trading/buying frags from other aquarist or from LFS's colonies definitely counts.

[mje113]

You make a very convincing argument about supporting local in this case. I think intentioned but the place is great for fry stock. I bought my tank there. 
 

I will probably skip it for live stock, but as I mentioned the new place I found has a great frag tank and lots of healthy looking fish. I'll probably focus on them instead of ordering. "Eco" is more than just captive breeding, but also all energy cost in just shipping stuff to my door.

[debbeach13]

Welcome back. The kids showing interest is a great excuse to set up a nano reef (even if they were thinking goldfish). 

9 hours ago, mje113 said:

I'll probably focus on them instead of ordering. "Eco" is more than just captive breeding, but also all energy cost in just shipping stuff to my door.

Using the local shop and getting to know them will absolutely add to the learning experience for you, the kids and the store. I hope you all enjoy this set up for years.

[mje113]

Hey all! Thanks for the advice about relying on LFS... Airing livestock overnight certainly has an environmental impact I wasn't thinking of--besides just adding additional stress.

 

I went a bit further to what ended up being a wonderful LFS, and picked up a beautiful pair of captive bread Black Ice Clowns for about 1/2 the price I've seen them online. Had them from store to home in 20 minutes so minimal stress.