Are wrasse really difficult to keep?
For expert or advanced aquarists only! Difficult to keep! Whenever I go onto the web and do some research about keeping wrasse in general, or when looking for specific wrasse species this is the type of guidance often given. When looking on several commercial sites or on various forums and discussion pages this is what I generally see but it is not my experience. Why not?
I think this has more to do with the information out there than on my incredibly advanced and expert aquarium skills and knowledge! Over the last few years I have kept a number of wrasse successfully. By that I mean for a number of years my wrasse have been feeding, growing and behaving normally, in my 300 litre reef aquarium. And, when given the correct conditions, which should apply to any fish kept in a home aquarium, they have been excellent reef inhabitants.
So let me offer some thoughts on the information and guidance given. As with all things on my site I am just sharing my thoughts and not trying to offer any kind of authoritative opinion on this subject.
So let me offer some thoughts on the information and guidance given. As with all things on my site I am just sharing my thoughts and not trying to offer any kind of authoritative opinion on this subject.
When I look on the web for a specific fish the first sites that are found are often commercial sites selling fish or some of the forums where members are having a discussion about the topic. My first thought is now to look at the date, the information may be well over a decade old. How much has the hobby advanced in that time? Another aspect I have seen is how the guidance on commercial sites is not only very similar between sites but in one or two cases is actually a verbatim copy. Where did this guidance come from in the first place? How often has it been revised in the light of advances made within the hobby? How original are the different sites? I tend to look at some of the very good and well written articles available but still look at the dates.
"Up to 90 percent of the 11 million tropical fish that enter the U.S. each year are caught illegally with cyanide, according to a 2008 report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration."
A few things to consider here. Cyanide fishing is illegal, unregulated, unlicensed and causes massive suffering for the fish involved in capture and the condition of the remaining reef. Secondly this report concerned imports into the U.S.A , the biggest market. How much has changed since 2008? Was this practice from specific catch areas and not others? The Coral Triangle including the Philippines and Indonesia are places where this type of capture was and is still happening. There are huge ethical and commercial issues to be considered with this illegal fishing method but consider one thing...most of the fish which survive capture and transportation will not be in the best of condition to introduce into home aquariums no matter how well the aquarist tries to acclimate them.
This could account for much of the advice given if your fish have been caught in this horrible way. But is it still accurate today?
A few things to consider here. Cyanide fishing is illegal, unregulated, unlicensed and causes massive suffering for the fish involved in capture and the condition of the remaining reef. Secondly this report concerned imports into the U.S.A , the biggest market. How much has changed since 2008? Was this practice from specific catch areas and not others? The Coral Triangle including the Philippines and Indonesia are places where this type of capture was and is still happening. There are huge ethical and commercial issues to be considered with this illegal fishing method but consider one thing...most of the fish which survive capture and transportation will not be in the best of condition to introduce into home aquariums no matter how well the aquarist tries to acclimate them.
This could account for much of the advice given if your fish have been caught in this horrible way. But is it still accurate today?
Although cyanide fishing is still with us much is being done within the trade to eradicate it. Scientists are currently trying to devise a way of testing to see if a fish has been captured using cyanide. If this can be done then countries and importers will be able to do more to ban the practice. There are now far more regulated and well licensed sustainable fisheries around the world. Australia and Kenya being very good examples. In Britain we also have the Ornamental Aquatic Trade Federation (OATA) which aims to set the standards for sustainable and ethical capture and sale of marine fish. In 2016 they published a report which included information on capture methods. Report This paints a very different and much more positive picture to 2008. I also wonder if there is any significant difference to the market supply in Britain and the USA.
More recently (2019) a paper entitled "Wild caught ornamental fish: a perspective from the UK ornamental aquatic industry on the sustainability of aquatic organisms and livelihoods". was published by Tracy A. King and offers a much more positive and sustainable viewpoint.
More recently (2019) a paper entitled "Wild caught ornamental fish: a perspective from the UK ornamental aquatic industry on the sustainability of aquatic organisms and livelihoods". was published by Tracy A. King and offers a much more positive and sustainable viewpoint.
Fish which have been hand caught in small nets, traps are barbless lines will be in a much better state physically and will be less stressed than fish caught in less sustainable ways.
Methods of transportation in properly filtered holding tanks aboard boats and into good quality facilities ashore all mean these fish have a much better chance of survival than was previously the case. We are often told that many genera of wrasse travel badly and are therefore difficult to introduce into our aquariums. When the catching, transportation and acclimating methods at all stages of the fish's journey from reef to home aquarium are of high standard, properly regulated and licensed then I believe their chances of being successfully introduced to our aquariums are greatly enhanced.
Where our fish Come from (Kenya)
Reef to Aquarium
In the last 15 years or so the way our lovely little fish are supplied to us has changed massively for the good but perhaps the guidance we read from various sources has not kept pace with these changes.
Methods of transportation in properly filtered holding tanks aboard boats and into good quality facilities ashore all mean these fish have a much better chance of survival than was previously the case. We are often told that many genera of wrasse travel badly and are therefore difficult to introduce into our aquariums. When the catching, transportation and acclimating methods at all stages of the fish's journey from reef to home aquarium are of high standard, properly regulated and licensed then I believe their chances of being successfully introduced to our aquariums are greatly enhanced.
Where our fish Come from (Kenya)
Reef to Aquarium
In the last 15 years or so the way our lovely little fish are supplied to us has changed massively for the good but perhaps the guidance we read from various sources has not kept pace with these changes.
One of the main European importers of marine fish and invertebrates states that it works closely with its worldwide suppliers to ensure that the most rigorous welfare and environmental standards are met and everything possible is done to ensure that livestock is net caught. On arrival at their facilities livestock is carefully acclimatised in their state-of-the-art holding facilities to ensure that the fish and inverts reach the customer in peak physical condition.
A tour round TMC UK
My assumption is that many of the issues which made keeping wrasse difficult in the past may now be alleviated to a large extent by these better capture and transportation methods as well as the advances in aquarium technology and reef keeping expertise. Maintaining good populations of micro fauna within live rock and sand beds is now much easier than 15 or so years ago. Improved salt mixes and filtration methods have all advanced massively over recent years as has the different types and quality of food available to the average aquarist. Much of the guidance about wrasse talks of the difficulty in feeding. If this guidance was written now, with all of the different foods available perhaps it would be rather different.
All of these changes and advances in the hobby have made the keeping of all marine fish, not just wrasse, much easier than in the past. Providing for the needs of wrasse in our aquariums perhaps need no longer be for 'experts only' just a thoughtful and conscientious aquarist.
Page updated 14.2.20
A tour round TMC UK
My assumption is that many of the issues which made keeping wrasse difficult in the past may now be alleviated to a large extent by these better capture and transportation methods as well as the advances in aquarium technology and reef keeping expertise. Maintaining good populations of micro fauna within live rock and sand beds is now much easier than 15 or so years ago. Improved salt mixes and filtration methods have all advanced massively over recent years as has the different types and quality of food available to the average aquarist. Much of the guidance about wrasse talks of the difficulty in feeding. If this guidance was written now, with all of the different foods available perhaps it would be rather different.
All of these changes and advances in the hobby have made the keeping of all marine fish, not just wrasse, much easier than in the past. Providing for the needs of wrasse in our aquariums perhaps need no longer be for 'experts only' just a thoughtful and conscientious aquarist.
Page updated 14.2.20