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Considering the nature of some people, we at The Aquarium Source felt we needed to explain a topic to help people think about their actions. The topic that is a major subject of debate is Invasive Species and Aquarium Fish.
In a recent discussion about Invasive Species, it was made evidently clear that not every one knows what that is. You know the type of person I am speaking of, they just talk, everyone else knows that the person speaking has no clue what they are talking about, but that person keeps talking.
So what is an invasive species? Leaving textbook definitions aside, an invasive species is any species that is introduced into an area that is not its natural habitat. It can be an aquatic species, mammals, birds, insects, plants etc., if you can think of it, then it can be an invasive species.
The major difference between the normal migration of a species into a new area and the introduction of an invasive species is the lack of natural predators. Without natural predators a new species can rage unchecked and force out the normal life that was originally in the area.
This can relate to the aquarium world easier than you might think. Who hasn’t had a snail infestation? One second your buying a cool new plant and the next there are snails everywhere. They are an invasive species in your tank. Your options are to treat the tank chemically or introduce a natural predator such as a Loach into the tank and let nature do its course.
Turtles and fish are some of the most common “pets” to be discarded in America. It doesn’t matter if you think the fish or turtle is too much work or you just don’t have time to deal with it anymore, DON’T TAKE IT TO THE RIVER OR LAKE TO GET RID OF IT! There are many options such as pet stores, other owners or even posting them on the web to find someone who can take it. Many people are under the assumption that by discarding fish in a lake or stream, the fish will not be able to survive and therefore they should not be concerned. First off, why would you just kill your fish? Second thing that is not always the case. Fish are tougher than most people think and can take a wider range of changes. Some will even “convert” to and from saltwater fish if the change is slow enough.
I was standing on a pier in Okinawa, Japan watching a man fishing. My Japanese was not the best but through broken conversation I was able to find out that he was fishing for puffers and he was doing it just for fun. This man was not using a normal rod and reel or even a net; he was using a pole with a ring on the end of it. After watching for a few minutes I saw that he was pushing on the puffers that were coming for the bait (don’t ask what he was using, I’m not sure) until they blew up, then he would put the ring on them and pull them out of the water. I started to get a little upset when I saw how he was treating the fish by just leaving them sitting there, all blown up. About 5 minutes later, after I was sure the fish were dead he put them back in the water got his stuff and left. Walking over to see just how many of the fish he had killed, I was shocked to see that there were no dead fish. The puffers had survived out of the water longer that I thought any fish could. Point of the story: Fish will surprise you if you let them. Treat them right and take care of them or find someone who will. Don’t just throw them out.