Reef Ramblings

SAIA, the Sustainable Aquarium Industry Association, the European organisation for everybody interested in an ethical and sustainable Marine Aquarium Trade and Industry, has published a list of unsuitable and unsustainable fish species.

This document can be freely downloaded from the SAIA website.

This is a consultation document and SAIA welcomes feedback and discussion from all aquarists regarding the listed species.

The primary objective of the list is to raise awareness for a responsible, ethical, and sustainable hobby and trade by considering the difficulties in keeping certain organisms alive in captivity. The list identifies species where there in no justification for their being traded in volume.

In the first instance, the aim is to raise awareness in the average hobbyists who bear the disappointment and cost of choosing an unsuitable species.

For the industry the list should serve as guideline on what to avoid when placing an order, with the exception of where the listed species is requested by a buyer with either proven record of being capable to keep such specimens or for the purpose of breeding or research. Such buyers are not the average hobbyists.

SAIA would like to point out that the number of species listed as unsuitable or unsustainable is represents a small proportion of what is traded, so no significant loss to business and economy would result from adhering to this list, nor does it restrict the hobby significantly in the variety of species on offer.

The majority of the species concerned are available only from the wild, and it has to be questioned why such species, which do not survive for long in captivity or are threatened with extinction, should be traded. The intent of the list of unsuitable & unsustainable species is not to totally ban the listed species from trade, but rather to raise awareness and hence decrease the demand for such species.

Before reading the list I would suggest first reading the criteria for inclusion, reproduced below from the SAIA website, to enable the reason for listing to be put into perspective.

Note: where a family or genus is listed, the criteria in question relates to all members of that family or genus.

Criteria for unsuitability:

• Diet: Require a specialized diet that is difficult to duplicate in captivity e.g. coral polyps, sponges, tunicates, etc.
• Habitat: Require a specialized habitat which is very difficult to simulate (e.g. deep sand bed, depths of more than 10 meters)
• Aggressive: Extremely aggressive, have large territories in the wild, and are unsuitable for community aquariums. Note: aggression in fish is not anger but is due to territorial behaviour.
• Size: Grow too large for home aquariums, may require 4000 litres or more. It is not enough to merely provide a tank where the organism is well covered with water, an adequate habitat appropriate to the species requirements should also be provided.
• Stress: Those species that are sensitive and stress easily, do not transport well, and are susceptible to parasites and disease. This classification also includes species that only seem to survive in an aquarium when kept in large shoals and those that are collected from deep water, often improperly.
• Potentially harmful: information on venomous/harmful species will be provided shortly.

Criteria for being unsustainable:

• Rarity:  If it is difficult to find a species in the wild this may be an indicator of rarity. The minimum criterion is data deficiency on stock status. The industry does not want to stand accused of collecting a species to extinction.
• Destructive collection methods: collection of these species might lead to destruction of the habitat e.g. cyanide/drug use.
• Stock Status: the species is threatened in its population by other activities e.g. by catch of food fishery, habitat loss.
• Source: species being readily available from culture/breeding should not be taken and offered from the wild.

Some species might hit several categories and criteria, some only one. Nevertheless, species marked as unsuitable or unsustainable should not be demanded by or sold to the average hobbyist.

The list is not exhaustive, it is a work in progress, currently only covering fish species, which will be updated and extended, over time.

If you have any comments regarding this list please contact SAIA directly through the SAIA website. If you have any queries regarding SAIA in the UK, please feel free to contact me.

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

©2010

SAIA

©2010

In this article I’m going to discuss a few commonly available species that are difficult, if not impossible, to maintain in captivity.

People often complain about the cost of the reef aquarium hobby, well one way you can save a little money is by only buying species that are within the capabilities of you and your reef system, avoiding those that are more difficult to maintain and, to be blunt about it, destined to die prematurely in captivity. Some more advanced reefkeepers may quibble with my views and there is always that exception to the rule, the aquarist who has managed to keep some impossible to maintain species for many years. That does not negate the fact that the vast majority of these species will die in the hands of less experienced reefkeepers.

Why Don’t These Species Thrive in the Aquarium?

Nutrition

In nearly every case, the problem is one of nutrition. The majority of the species listed below are heterotrophic, that is organisms that, unlike photosynthetic (or zooxanthellate) corals cannot manufacture their own food. This can be further broken down into the amount of food required by a particular organisms or whether there is a specialised feeding requirement.

Quantity.

It may be possible to maintain some heterotrophic species long-term if they are fed large quantities of planktonic food, phytoplankton and or zooplankton, but this has the downside of producing a polluted environment requiring an onerous amount of tank maintenance.

This mitigates against keeping these organisms with nutrient sensitive corals species.

Specialised Feeding Requirements.

This includes many factors: particle size, diets restricted to a single food source often a specific algae, sponge, or other invertebrate such as a coral species.

Specialised System Required.

In particular, this applies to jelly species; with one exception, all jelly species need to be kept suspended in the water column. This requires the use of a specially designed system known as a Kreisel, which imparts a circular flow to the system, keeping the jellies in suspension.

Short Life Span.

Many of the animals discussed in this article have a short life span, depending on species this can be as short as a few months up to a year, possibly two, as a maximum. Although some aquarists may accept keeping an animal with a short life span, the major problem here is that is almost impossible to tell how old these organisms are; you may find you’ve been fortunate enough to have purchased a juvenile but you’re just as likely to have bought a specimen on the verge of senescence.

Commonly Available Species to Avoid.

Porifera - Sponges

The majority of the decorative sponges do poorly in captivity, they are heterotrophic animals i.e. organisms that, unlike photosynthetic (or zooxanthellate corals) cannot manufacture their own food. The exceptions to this tend to be the autotrophic sponges coloured green, through blue, to purple, that contain symbiotic blue-green algae which can utilise light, contributing towards the sponge’s nutritional requirements much as in zooxanthellate corals.

Heterotrophic sponges however are filter feeders and are reliant on a combination of dissolved organics, bacteria, and phytoplankton. For their aquarium maintenance, I would suggest feeding with a quality live phytoplankton such as DT’s.

Many sponges produce toxins as a form of defence, hence limiting the number of animals that predate on them. Dead sponges can release these toxins to the detriment of soft corals.        On the whole it’s difficult to say which sponges are heterotrophic, which are autotrophic, which are toxic, etc as, with the exception of a handful of distinctive species, these are difficult animals to ID with any certainty. This also makes it difficult to make recommendations on placement, although many sponges will benefit from lower levels of light, there are also those which can be found in shallow water even though they have no photosynthesising symbiont.

A further factor in lack of success with sponges may be that of Silicate limitation owing to the widespread use of RO water in reef aquaria.

Cnideria

Hydrozoa.

Stylaster and Distichopora species. Common Name: Lace Corals

These hydrozoan corals don’t have as powerful a sting as their close relations, the Fire Corals, what they do have though is vivid colouration making them attractive to aquarists. Unfortunately, these azooxanthellate corals are very difficult to maintain owing to their dietary requirements of plankton and possibly nutrients absorbed directly from the water. The colours, blues, violet, pink, through to red are derived from foods rich in the caratanoid, astaxanthin, so perhaps CyclopEeze FreezerBar may be a useful addition to their diet. They are also adapted to strong current, which may also be a factor in their poor survival in the aquarium.

Scyphozoa

Cassiopaea species. Common Name: Upside-down Jellies. Aurelia species. Common Name: Moon Jellies.

Whereas Upside-down jellies can be accommodated in a conventional aquarium if attention is paid to their requirements, all other species of jelly need to be kept suspended in the water column.

Jellies have a complicated life cycle and none but the most advanced aquarists or public aquariums will have much success in raising these animals. Life span is dependent upon species and environment, can be from months up to a year in the wild. Note: Aurelia species are cold water, not tropical.

Pennatulacea

Cavernularia species. Common name: Sea Pens

In addition to being a heterotroph requiring targeted feeding of planktonic food, sea pens need a very deep substrate. These unusual and interesting soft corals dig their peduncle or “foot’ into the substrate as an anchor, this can be more than half the body length of the animal, depending on species, and considering that some species can grow to a height of 40 cms or more, we can be looking at a considerable depth of substrate, deeper than some aquaria.

Nephtheidae and Nidaliidae

Stereonephthya, Scleronephthya, Dendronephthya, Siphonogorgia species. Common name: Carnation Corals

Heterotrophic. These gorgeous, brightly coloured corals are difficult to accurately identify to genus, let alone species level. All require large amounts of food if they are to be kept alive for any length of time but all are destined to waste away over time

Poritidae

Goniopora species.

Sometime over the last couple of years a long-time US aquarium writer, I can’t remember whom, made an observation to the affect, “Back in the eighties, when corals led short lives in the aquarium, we used to feel that we’d done well when a specimen of Goniopora lasted as long as twelve months. Today we can keep most corals indefinitely, yet Goniopora still rarely survive for more than a year!”

Unfortunately, this species remains one of the corals imported in greatest quantities and one of the species least likely to last out a year.

Goniopora species contain zooxanthellae but even that is not enough for the coral to survive without wasting away. There is speculation that a large part of their food take up in the wild consists of a combination of phytoplankton and small particle zooplankton.

Caryophyllidae

Nemenzophyllia turbida. Common name: Fox Coral.

Another zooxanthellate coral that does poorly in the reef aquarium. Again, it is possible that like Goniopora it has a particular feeding requirement that cannot be easily accommodated in the aquarium, in this case the animal may be reliant on absorbing nutrients from the water.

Additionally there is concern about the restricted distribution of this coral; hence, sustainability of collection is in question

Dendrophylliidae

Tubastrea species. Common name: Sun Corals.

This is a heterotrophic or azooxanthellate coral, and is completely dependent on receiving sufficient zooplankton to survive. I have mixed feelings about this coral as, although it is azooxanthellate, it is also the species I’d recommend to any one interested in trying to maintain heterotrophic corals. I would categorise it as being the easiest non-photosynthetic coral to keep alive long-term but to do this requires real dedication to its care. The finest example of an aquarium featuring this species belongs to Swiss aquarist, Daniela Stettler; her dedication is such that she feeds each individual polyp with artemia every evening.

Platyhelminthes

Pseudoceros species. Common name, Flatworms

Gastropoda

Phylidiidae species, Hexabranchus species, Chromodoridea species. Common Name: Nudibranchs, Sea Slugs.

Both Flatworms and Nudibranchs are often difficult to identify. They share the two main limitations of diet and longevity. They may have very specific diets relying on one single species of algae or animal and these foodstuffs may not be present in the aquarium. Although some of these animals may have vivid colouration making them attractive to aquarists, they appear to have short life spans so, even if you were fortunate enough to have the appropriate diet available, you may be dealing with a species that lives for six months or less. Some species may also be toxic with the potential to pollute the tank when they die.

Bivalvia

Lima scabra. Common Name: Flame Scallops. Spondylus species. Common Name: Thorny Oysters.

Heterotrophic. Another couple of animals that require large amounts of food if they are to be kept alive for any significant length of time. Both species feed predominantly on phytoplankton although the addition of small particle size zooplankton such as rotifers may increase survival.

Flame scallops are short lived, maximum of three years, so given retailers preference for stocking bigger animals it may be that most of those in the trade are of an advanced age, explaining why they rarely survive for more than six months.

Cephalopods

Order Octopoda - Octopuses, and Order Sepiida - Cuttlefish

These highly intelligent molluscs have specialised requirements for housing. Nearly every public aquarium, livestock supplier, and retailer that has kept octopuses will have tales to tell of these Houdini’s of the deep. These animals are master escapologists, capable of squeezing through the smallest gap and there are many stories of mysterious fish losses that have eventually been traced back to an octopus leaving it’s tank at night for a takeaway meal, then returning to it’s own aquarium afterwards.

Octopus and cuttlefish have short lives, living for one year, possibly two at the most. It can be distressing seeing these fantastic animals fade into senescence towards the end of their life and knowing that there is nothing you can do to help them.

Echinodermata

Crinoidea Feather Stars and Ophiuroidea Basket Stars

These close relatives of the more familiar Sea Stars and Brittle Stars are filter feeders that rarely survive in captivity for any length of time. It is currently unknown whether this down to lack of food or selectivity of diet.

As they die there is a tendency for their arms to fragment, which can often be seen to continue moving after separation.

Holothuria

Pseudocolochirus species. Common name:  Sea Apple

Heterotrophic. A brightly coloured member of the holothurids this animal is highly toxic. If not fed sufficient quantities of food it will waste away and die, this frequently results in the death of any fishes in the aquarium as the powerful toxin, holurathin, is released.

The Exception to the Rule.

There are a couple of possible explanations for those reports of aquarists having managed to keep seemingly impossible to maintain species long-term, which may hold out some hope of being able to maintain some of the animals in the future.

Identification.

Given the difficulty in identifying many reef organisms accurately there is the possibility that these species may have been misidentified and that they have different requirements to the species in question. This includes the possibility that some look-alike species that do survive longer than usual in aquaria are undescribed species.

Origin.

The animal in question may have been collected from a different part of the reef to where it would normally be found, and has adapted to conditions differing from its usual habitat making it more suited to life in the aquarium. For example, it has been reported that crinoids living in plankton poor environments may have arms that are longer and more highly branched than those inhabiting plankton rich environments.

These animals collected from abnormal habitats along with their adaptation to the environment, may mean that we are seeing organisms in the process of evolving into new species.

Afterword.

Although I have highlighted a number of factors that may improve the chances of keeping many of the animals discussed for longer periods, I do want to emphasise that the overwhelming majority of the animals listed will die in the marine aquarium within a few months of introduction.

Glossary.

Azooxanthellate coral - a coral that does not have symbiotic zooxanthellae in its tissues.

Heterotroph - an organism that cannot manufacture its own food, and therefore requires external sources of energy.

Hydrozoa - a class within the phylum Cnidaria, contains five orders that include colonial forms with massive aragonite skeletons, fire corals and Lace Corals.

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

©2010

The reef aquarium industry comes under threat again as scientists call on the US to stem the ecological impact of trade in coral reef wildlife.

A paper in the journal, Marine Policy, from a team of 18 scientists says that International law has failed to protect coral reefs and tropical fish from being decimated by a growing collectors market, but that U.S. reforms could lead the way in making the trade more responsible, ecologically sustainable, and humane.

Using data from the United Nation’s conservation monitoring program the authors say trade in coral and coral reef species is substantial and growing, removing 30 million fish and 1.5 million live stony corals a year. The aquarium industry targets some 1,500 species of reef fishes. Many die in transit, leading collectors to gather even more animals to compensate for their losses.

“Our actions have a big impact on these coral reef ecosystems, which are already hit hard by global warming, ocean acidification, and over fishing,” said Brian Tissot, lead author and professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Washington State University, Vancouver. The result is some species have gone “virtually extinct,” citing as an example the Banggai Cardinalfish, unique to a remote Indonesian archipelago, which has had its numbers reduced and even eliminated through much of its range after it became a popular aquarium fish in the late 1990s.

The paper’s origin goes back to a meeting of more than 40 scientists, NGOs, and policy experts during the 2009 International Marine Conservation Congress. When the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) took no action on key groups of corals this March, concerns grew. Authors include experts from the U.S. Agency for International Development, the National Marine Fisheries Service, Humane Society International, the Pew Environment Group, and the Environmental Defense Fund.

The U.S. accounts for more than half the world trade in live coral, fishes, and invertebrates, the authors recommend using U.S. market power to reduce the trade’s environmental effects. They suggest laws to protect a wider variety of species, enforcement that includes tracking a product’s chain of custody, and reforms in source countries. Also recommended are changes in marketing to promote the sales of species certified as being humane and sustainable. The authors add, “The U.S. should assume its role as an international leader in coral reef conservation and take steps to reform the international trade it drives.”

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

2010

While starting to research unsuitable fishes for SAIA, I remembered this article from a couple of years back. Hopefully this should explain some of the rationale behind restricting the availability of certain species of fish. Personally I would not want to see the trade in these species banned, rather that availability should be restricted to:  those with the capacity to provide suitable accommodation - in the case of large species, advanced aquarists  - in the cases where it’s a matter of nutritional limitations.

Criteria for Unsuitability.

SAIA’s criteria for unsuitability include: size (organisms growing too big for the average hobbyist tank), feeding (specialist feeders), and sensitivity to transport conditions. We believe that as part of our goal of an ethical and sustainable marine aquarium trade that we can reduce the demand for unsuitable species by making information available to both the trade and the hobby. Below are a few further comments on some of the criteria for unsuitability.

Generation replacement time.

Many fishes have a slow generation replacement time; meaning collection for the aquarium trade can affect the sustainability of the breeding population.

Rarity in the wild.

Some very desirable species are comparatively rare in the wild.

Limited natural range.

A good example of course being the Banggai, a limited range implies a small population that can be easily over-exploited by the aquarium trade.

Method of capture.

Owing to their habitat there are fish species, which are difficult to capture, fishes such as dwarf angelfishes and mandarins come to mind. Cyanide is still in use, along with a number of other chemical agents that are used to knock out fishes to make collection easier.

Nutritional requirements.

If you can’t feed it, you can’t keep it!

Just because some retailer tells you, “No problem, it’ll eat anything” it doesn’t mean that they’re correct. Research fishes’ nutritional requirements, if you cannot accommodate a specialist feeder do not buy it thinking it’ll acclimate to aquarium food in time, it won’t, it’ll starve to death!

Size.

This is of particular importance in view of the public aquarium Big Fish Campaign, launched in 2006, which aims to educate aquarists about the potential sizes of fishes in the trade and point out that public aquaria cannot be relied upon to take care of poorly thought out purchases, when they outgrow home aquaria.

Remember, when you buy a fish it shouldn’t just be something to keep until it outgrows your system, you should be making a commitment to keep that fish for the length of its natural life, something that in many cases should be measured in decades not months!

On the subject of size, there is also the question of what size fish should be collected for the trade, this can affect the sustainability of the breeding population of a species. Size can also have an influence on how well a particular species survives the process of collection and transportation.

10 Marine Fishes You Shouldn’t Even Think About Buying.

Elasmobranches.

Elasmobranches, sharks and rays, should remain the provenance of public aquaria. The only exception to this rule is if you can provide facilities similar to those of a public aquarium, both in scale and in technology.

I’d particularly like to draw your attention here to the Blue-spotted stingray, Taeniura lymma. This is an animal that is being put into danger by collection for the marine aquarium industry and features in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It’s of particular concern as it has a poor record in captivity with a significant number of those brought in for public aquarium display failing to survive the acclimation process. If public aquaria, with their knowledge and facilities, find these difficult animals what chance do hobbyists have of keeping them alive?

Carangidae (Jacks).

Few, if any, fishes from this family are suitable for the home aquarium. The Golden Trevally, Gnathanodon speciosus, is my poster fish for animals that should not be imported unless ordered specifically for a public aquarium display. It is completely irresponsible for these fishes to be imported and held as a matter of course, it’s inevitable they’ll end up in the wrong hands (i.e. outside the public aquarium industry) when picked by people ignorant of the size of these fishes. At 6 -7 cms it’s a cute colourful fish, full grown at 120 cms, it becomes something that smaller public aquaria may have problems housing.

Wild Caught Clownfishes.

You might find this one a bit of a surprise but it makes complete sense. Every Clownfish taken from the wild means the potential demise of its host anemone, a potential that becomes even greater when it’s a pair that’s been collected.

All Clownfishes can be bred in captivity with differing degrees of difficulty, and contrary to uninformed opinion the colours of captive bred fishes can be just as vibrant as those of wild ones.

Ribbon Eels.

Rhinomuraena quaesita, with its nasal extension is a very striking fish. It’s unique amongst the Muraenids in displaying sexual dichromatism, males and female being differently coloured. It’s a protandrous hermaphrodite starting off life black, as it changes to male it takes on the very attractive blue colouration associated with this fish, finally becoming female at around 85 cms when the colour changes to yellow or yellowish green/blue.  These fish are difficult to feed, rarely surviving for more than a year in an aquarium; consequently, the female colouration is seldom seen in captivity.

Wild Caught Banggai Cardinalfishes.

Perhaps another surprise, but this is a classic example of an animal that is easily bred in captivity yet endangered in the wild by the aquarium industry. This fish inhabits a limited range; it produces small broods, and is limited in the number of broods it can produce over the course of the year.

Obligate Corallivores.

Unless you’re prepared to devote a separate aquarium to coral cultivation, one that can keep up with the demands of the fishes being kept, you shouldn’t buy any obligate corallivores. These are fishes that are obliged to eat coral polyps as a mainstay of their diet. Typified by Butterflyfishes plus the gorgeous Blue-spotted filefish Oxymonacanthus longirostris.

Mandarinfishes.

This one is difficult for me as, along with many other aquarists, this is one of the fishes that attracted me to the hobby in the first place. There are two concerns about Mandarins the first is a question of nutrition but if carefully considered there’s no reason why these fishes can’t survive their natural lifespan in an aquarium. The second is harder to defend and is concerned with the manner in which these fishes are collected. There is a tendency for the largest males to be targeted for collection, which has been proved to have a deleterious affect on the local population.

Cleaner Wrasses.

Labroides dimidiatus, the familiar blue cleaner wrasse, is a perpetual concern. They’re commonly seen for sale at a moderate price yet the majority of them are doomed to death by malnutrition. They’re obligate cleaners that feed on external parasites, mucus, and fish scales. To survive long-term they need to be kept with a large community of fishes. There is no excuse for an aquarist with an average sized reef to go out and purchase one of these fishes as, even though these fish will be seen to feed, they are unable to properly assimilate aquarium foods and will die prematurely.

Importantly, they cannot be considered a cure for diseases such as white spot - one of the main reasons hobbyists purchase this fish.

Cowfishes & Boxfishes.

Ostracion cubicus, Yellow or Cube Boxfish, Lactoria cornuta, Longhorn Cowfish, etc. are often seen as cute little “croutons” about 2 cms cubed, hovering in dealers’ sales tank, these are not fish to be taken on lightly. With an adult size of around half a metre, and the potential to wipe out a complete system with the toxic slime that they exude when stressed, they certainly represent a species unsuitable for the average marine aquarist.

SAIA

As I said at the beginning of this article, I’m currently compiling a list of unsuitable fishes for SAIA, if you would like to suggest any species that you believe should be included in this list please contact me at: tim@midlandreefs.co.uk

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

©2008 ©2010

The Indian government has effectively banned the reef aquarium hobby with the publication of a 72-page document entitled, Aquarium Fish Breeding and Marketing Rules.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests has drafted new rules pertaining to the breeding, selling and display of fish in aquariums in India. These rules appear to apply to all in the hobby and industry, retailers, aquarium keepers and anyone who keeps fish for public display (presumably meaning public aquariums). None of this applies to fish caught and sold for food.

The ministry stated ‘Breeding and selling of aquarium fish has become big business. In this process coral reefs have been damaged and many fish brought to near extinction. There is a tendency to regard fish as non-beings therefore they are sold as commodities, kept in unsuitable ways and in unsuitable places,’

Under the proposed rules, inspectors can visit anyone with an aquarium for regular checks with the aim of the rules being to ensure that people keeping or selling fish must have knowledge and a good understanding of the species-specific requirements of the animals.

I have no problem with the introduction of regulations aimed at improving the quality of life of the organisms kept in the industry and the hobby, hence my commitment to the Sustainable Aquatic Industry Association (SAIA), but the proposed Indian rules will effectively ban the reef aquarium hobby.

Item 9 states: No establishment may keep or sell corals. That, along with the list of prohibited species makes the outlook for reefkeeping in India very grim.

The regulations that have been suggested appear to be very mixed, some make perfect sense, some make no sense at all, while others may be difficult to comply with in India owing to the costs or technology involved. The prohibited species list is also mixed, many of the fishes listed I would also consider restricting in the EU to all but advanced aquarists, yet other species listed seem to be unnecessarily prohibited.

I would be interested to know the provenance of this list, are there local collection issues being addressed, are species included because they are venomous?

I find it particularly sad that that this is happening in India, a country where the hobby of reef keeping and marine aquariums is in its infancy.

This issues brought up by this document are exactly those that SAIA is trying to address in the EU. With SAIA we are endeavouring to produce a list of Best Practices put together by aquarists with hands on knowledge of the organisms, rather than see the hobby at the mercy of legislators and academics with no practical knowledge of aquatics.

I believe that it is in the best interests of marine aquarists throughout Europe to join in and support SAIA to prevent legislation of this sort being imposed on us by those outside of the industry and the hobby.

Click to see the full extent of the proposed Aquarium Fish Breeding and Marketing Rules.

Appendix A.

It is prohibited to keep or sell the following species:

(Note spelling is as per the draft document)

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

©2010

The 1^st of June saw the first annual conference of the new coral reef aquarium initiative, the Coral Aquarist Research Network (CARN) take place at the Royal Geographical Society in London.

CARN was formed in October 2009 as a network to foster the exchange of knowledge, expertise, and experience between coral reef researchers and those working in the various fields of aquarium related industries such as suppliers, public aquariums, coral growers, and hobbyists. It is hoped that the creation of this network will provide opportunities for the various coral industries to collaborate with the world class coral and reef biology research community in the UK.

This first conference included presentations that were both research and industry orientated, highlighting the status of knowledge, technology and importantly gaps in our understanding of coral physiology, ecology, transport, growth and sustainable harvesting.

A special issue of the JMBA, one of the UK’s leading marine biology centric journals, will be devoted to the proceedings of the conference.

The day started of with an introduction to the conference by Philippa Mansell from the University of Essex, project manager of CARN.

The conference was split into four sessions of talks, each session based around a theme. Although some of the talks were of a scientific nature the bulk of them were easily accessible to the keen hobbyist. Concluding each session there was a period set aside for questions and answers, enabling conference participants to further exchange information or ask questions clarifying aspects of the presentations.

For the purpose of this article, I’m just going to briefly list the presentations with a few comments on their relevance to the hobbyist.

The session on Coral Eco-physiology was fairly technical, looking at: Mechanisms of thermal induced coral bleaching and the implications for reef community structure ( Dr David Smith, University of Essex), effects of trace metals on reef anthozoan pigmentation (Edward Smith, National Oceanography Centre, Southampton) , and the influence of the light climate on colouration of reef corals (Dr Jörg Wiedenmann, National Oceanography Centre, Southampton). The research being carried out here will have a benefit to hobbyists enabling them to keep bright coloured corals and better maintain their colouration.

The second session, Coral Ecology and Biodiversity, included a fascinating talk on Mushroom corals (Fungiidae) and their associated fauna in the Coral Triangle (Dr Bert Hoeksema, Netherlands Centre for Biodiversity), looking at the various animals that live on or in these popular aquarium corals. The Importance of Symbiodinium diversity: implications for the aquarium trade (Patrick Brading, University of Essex), was about the various species of symbiotic dinoflagellates, the zooxanthellae that live within coral tissue. Environmental influences on coral growth – from Indonesia to the Caribbean (Professor James Crabbe, University of Bedfordshire), gave an insight into how the environment affects the way that corals grow in nature and how this might affect their growth in aquaria.

The session looking at the coral industry and conservation examined issues of conservation, sustainability, and management of resources with presentations on the trade in reef corals (Dr Elizabeth Wood, Marine Conservation Society), the UK trade in ornamental polychaetes or Fan-worms (Joanna Murray, University of Portsmouth), and whether the coral industries can play a role in the future conservation of coral reefs (Philippa Mansell, University of Essex). An important issue, greatly affecting the future of the hobby.

The conference finished of on the subject of aquarium based research and workshops and featured a talk on Coralzoo (Dr Ronald Osinga, Wageningen University), an initiative looking at four years of public aquarium research on stony corals, my own presentation discussing Coral Nutrition in the Captive Environment (Tim Hayes, Midland Reefs), and a report on the 5^th SECORE workshop, a program investigating sexual reproduction in stony corals (Jamie Craggs, Aquarium Curator, Horniman Museum).

CARN is an initiative that welcomes you, the hobbyist, to join in and share your experiences of keeping corals in your reef aquarium. You can do this by going to the CARN website, http://carnuk.org/getinvolved.aspx, there you can share information about the corals and other reef organisms that you’ve kept, with top reef scientists who are very interested in looking at how these fascinating animals fare in the captive environment in comparison to how they live in the wild. For advanced hobbyists it could also offer the opportunity to ask questions of reef scientists based on observations of your reef aquarium.

Together we can take the reef aquarium hobby forward through the exchange of information, perhaps in the process improving long term survivability of reef organisms and the sustainability of the hobby.

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

©2010

The Coral Aquarist Research Network (CARN) is holding its 1^st Annual Conference on the 1^st June 2010 at the Royal Geographical Society, London.

CARN, formed in October of last year, was created to facilitate and initiate the exchange of knowledge, expertise and experience between coral reef researchers, coral growers, national and public aquaria, and reef hobbyists. This network is in place to structure opportunities for coral industries such as suppliers and growers to engage with, utilise and collaborate with the world class coral and reef biology research community in the UK.

This first conference will include a number of presentations that are both research and industry orientated highlighting the current status of knowledge, technology and, importantly, gaps in our understanding of coral physiology, ecology, transport, growth and sustainable harvesting.

Indeed, I will be delivering a presentation looking coral nutrition in the captive environment.

This conference provides substantial networking opportunities and a chance to discuss ideas, address queries or simply take interest, and potentially become involved in, impact-led research initiatives from an economic and sustainability perspective as well as from an enhanced coral growth, coral diversity and improved conservation measures viewpoint.

If you think you might have something to contribute (many hobbyists are ahead of educational organizations and public aquaria when it comes to growing corals) or would just like to come along and learn, please get in touch with me ASAP so that I can communicate with the organizers to ensure that name badges are printed, ready for the event.

Oh, and just because it might sound a bit advanced or scientific, please don’t be afraid to come along. I can promise you that there will be accessible content and that it’ll be a great chance to talk with enthusiastic like-minded individuals.

CARN is a Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) funded project, within the the University of Essex’s Coral Reef Research Unit (CRRU).

www.carnuk.org

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

©2010

The New England Aquarium in Boston, Massachusetts, joined up with Rogers Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island, in a project to raise the world’s first captive-bred Queen Triggerfish.

The New England Aquarium’s Bahamian coral reef exhibit features a pair of Queen Triggerfish, Balistes vertula, which have been seen to spawn since their early days in the aquarium. Although these fish regularly lay tens of thousands of eggs every 18 to 20 days, the resulting larvae need live food of a small size, making them difficult to feed and keep alive.

Most marine fish larvae are very small and need live food of a correspondingly smaller size. Whereas some species, such as clownfishes, can be successfully raised using rotifers, organisms that grow and reproduce at a fast rate and in high densities, these are too large for many other species or don’t have the correct nutritional profile needed.

In the wild larval marine fish eat copepods, micro-crustaceans found virtually everywhere in the oceans, but raising copepods in large enough quantities is currently difficult. This is one of the reasons why far fewer species of marine aquarium fish are captive bred than are wild caught.

Eggs were collected from the aquarium and taken to the university’s marine laboratory where, at the first attempt, there was a successful hatching.

Although thousands of larvae hatched, work was concentrated on a relatively small number, which were initially fed with a local species of copepod grown by the lab.

Although the majority of the larvae died, four were successfully raised to the point where they could eat dry food and now, at more than four months old, remain alive, three at the university and one at the aquarium, the first triggerfishes to have been successfully bred in captivity.

The success of this project was largely due to Dr. Rhyne’s research into copepods, the critical live food for marine fish larvae.

Dr Andy Rhyne, assistant professor of biology at Roger Williams and a research scientist at New England, was hired in August 2009 in a collaboration between the aquarium and the university to study larval fish production at the aquarium and to start a program in aquarium science and aquaculture at the university.

Today many species of fish are threatened by a combination of overfishing, climate change, and environmental degradation, indeed the Queen Triggerfish is listed on the IUCN red list as being vulnerable. The species is important both as a food fish and for public aquarium displays. It’s a large species; reaching up to 60 cms total length and its bright colours make them a favourite of public aquariums although too large for the majority of home aquaria.

This is an important step in the cultivation of marine species, as researchers such as Andy Rhyne develop new feeding strategies, it increase the chances of being able to raise further species of marine aquarium and food fish in captivity, rather than continuing to take them from the increasingly vulnerable and deteriorating oceans.

To find out more about this wonderful achievement go to MOFIB to see Andy Rhyne’s diary recording the day-by-day progress of the project.

Congratulations, Andy!

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

©2010

U.S. Considers Endangered Species Protection for 82 Stony Coral Species.

I’ve included the full NMFS document at the beginning of the article so that you can see the extent of the proposal. This is followed by a discussion about what the proposal may mean for the aquarium industry.

National Marine Fisheries Service Sets Deadline for Public and Expert Input on Petition to List 82 Stony Coral Species Under the Endangered Species Act.

From the Federal Register (Vol. 75, No. 27 / Wednesday, February 10, 2010)

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife; Notice of 90-Day Finding on a Petition to List 83 Species of Corals as Threatened or Endangered Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.

ACTION: 90-day petition finding; request for information.

SUMMARY: We (NMFS) announce a 90- day finding on a petition to list 83 species of corals as threatened or endangered under the ESA. We find that the petition presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned actions may be warranted for 82 species; we find that the petition fails to present substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted for Oculina varicosa. Therefore, we initiate status reviews of 82 species of corals to determine if listing under the ESA is warranted. To ensure these status reviews are comprehensive, we solicit scientific and commercial information regarding these coral species.

DATES: Information and comments must be submitted to NMFS by April 12, 2010.

The 83 species included in the petition are: Acanthastrea brevis, Acanthastrea hemprichii, Acanthastrea ishigakiensis, Acanthastrea regularis, Acropora aculeus, Acropora acuminate, Acropora aspera, Acropora dendrum, Acropora donei, Acropora globiceps, Acropora horrida, Acropora jacquelineae, Acropora listeri, Acropora lokani, Acropora microclados, Acropora palmerae, Acropora paniculata, Acropora pharaonis, Acropora polystoma, Acropora retusa, Acropora rudis, Acropora speciosa, Acropora striata, Acropora tenella, Acropora vaughani, Acropora verweyi, Agaricia lamarcki, Alveopora allingi, Alveopora fenestrate, Alveopora verrilliana, Anacropora puertogalerae, Anacropora spinosa, Astreopora cucullata, Barabattoia laddi, Caulastrea echinulata, Cyphastrea agassizi, Cyphastrea ocellina, Dendrogyra cylindrus, Dichocoenia stokesii, Euphyllia cristata, Euphyllia paraancora (ed: sic), Euphyllia paradivisa, Galaxea astreata, Heliopora coerulea, Isopora crateriformis, Isopora cuneata, Leptoseris incrustans, Leptoseris yabei, Millepora foveolata, Millepora tuberosa, Montastraea annularis, Montastraea faveolata, Montastraea franksi, Montipora angulata, Montipora australiensis, Montipora calcarea, Montipora caliculata, Montipora dilatata, Montipora flabellata, Montipora lobulata, Montipora patula, Mycetophyllia ferox, Oculina varicosa, Pachyseris rugosa, Pavona bipartite, Pavona cactus, Pavona decussate, Pavona diffluens, Pavona venosa, Pectinia alcicornis, Physogyra lichtensteini, Pocillopora danae, Pocillopora elegans, Porites horizontalata, Porites napopora, Porites nigrescens, Porites pukoensis, Psammocora stellata, Seriatopora aculeata, Turbinaria mesenterina, Turbinaria peltata, Turbinaria reniformis, and Turbinaria stellula.

Eight of the petitioned species are in the Caribbean and belong to the following families: Agaricidae (1); Faviidae (3); Meandrinidae (2); Mussidae (1); Oculinidae (1).

The petition states that all of these species are classified as vulnerable (76 species), endangered (six species: Acropora rudis, Anacropora spinosa, Montipora dilatata, Montastraea annularis, M. faveolata, Millepora tuberosa), or critically endangered (one species: Porites pukoensis) by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Montipora dilatata and Oculina varicosa are also on our Species of Concern list.

So what does this mean for the aquarium industry?

This petition came about as result of move by the Center for Biological Diversity, Tucson, Arizona, a not for profit conservation organisation.

The move to include these species on the Endangered Species list may well endanger the aquarium usage of stony corals. Amongst the corals listed are a number of common aquarium species, including the currently popular Acanthastrea species along with Euphyllia species, Galaxea, multiple Pavona and Turbinaria species, plus many Acropora species. Although there are corals listed that are undoubtedly endangered there are also other resilient species mentioned that I wouldn’t have expected to see on such a list. It’s worth noting that Caribbean stony corals are already restricted, hence unavailable to the aquarium trade.

To see the position of the Center for Biological Diversity on this issue:

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/coral_conservation/index.html

If the petition succeeds it would mean the banning of the collection of the listed species of stony coral from U.S. waters along with a ban on the import of these species into the United States. Obviously this would have an enormous affect on the US aquarium hobby.

There would most likely be a knock on affect to the UK and European market as some of our corals are collected from US waters around the world.

I would expect to see opposition to this petition from exporters,  particularly from non-US waters, on economic grounds i.e. the income that the coral trade brings into the local economy, and from the aquarium trade. So far the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC), a US, not for profit organisation promoting responsible pet ownership and animal welfare, has raised concerns about this issue. In Europe the Sustainable Aquarium Industry Association (SAIA) is also looking at this petition.

It’s interesting to note that some coral reef scientists have also raised concerns about how this would affect their work.

Reef scientist John Bruno, of the University of North Carolina, has started to take a close look at the petition, and, finds some of the assertions made in the petition to be questionable.

To see the views of a respected reef scientist go to: Climate Shifts.org

The NMFS, the NOAA, and the Department of Commerce have opened a 90-day finding period seeking to hear “scientific and commercial information” on whether the list of stony coral species should be given protection under the Endangered Species Act. The consultation process closes 12 April 2010.

To see more go to the NOAA website: http://www.noaa.gov/

Afterword.

Is this the beginning of the end for stony corals in the reef aquarium hobby?

It’s too early to tell how this will turn out but I’ve been predicting this sort of thing happening for a number of years now. As the oceans continue to deteriorate from the effect of climate change and other anthropogenic pressures, the number of Marine Protected Areas and no-take areas will increase in an effort to preserve what’s left; it seems inevitable that this will result in increasing restrictions on collection for the aquarium industry.

Most likely there enough specimens of stony coral in captivity to provide a sustainable captive trade, it’s when it comes to fishes that the hobby will be in real trouble.

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

©2010

The United Nations has declared 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity. It is a celebration of life on earth and of the value of biodiversity to our lives. The world is invited to take action in 2010 to safeguard the variety of life on earth: biodiversity

As part of the International Year of Biodiversity (IYOB) the IUCN has published a report presenting 10 new climate change flagship species to demonstrate that it’s not just the Polar Bear that’s in trouble.

These 10 species are as follows:

Staghorn corals

Ringed Seal

Leatherback Turtle

Emperor Penguins

Quiver Trees

Clownfish

Arctic Foxes

Salmon

Koalas

Beluga Whales

One thing that is immediately obvious from the list is that 7 of the species are marine animals. The second thing to strike me about this list is that 2 common aquarium animals are included, most worrying of all is the inclusion of the poster animal of the marine aquarium hobby, the clownfish

In this first of two articles I’m going to look at clownfish, the second article will be concerned with Staghorn corals.

Clownfish and Climate Change

Clownfish, or Anemonefish, belong to the Family Pomacentridae, with their vivid orange and white colouration are one of the most familiar species of tropical marine fishes. This familiarity was boosted by the film ‘Finding Nemo’, which featured the Common Clownfish, Amphiprion ocellaris, a mainstay of the marine aquarium hobby.

Clownfish are found in tropical and subtropical areas of the Pacific and Indian Oceans where they are restricted to shallow waters owing to their mutualistic relationship with a small number of specific anemone species. A host anemone can support a colony of several clownfish consisting of one female, one functional male, and a number of subordinate fishes, all non-functional males.

When the female dies the male turns into a female whilst the largest subordinate fish becomes male. Clownfish lay their eggs close by their host anemone, guarding them until they hatch. On hatching the larvae disperse into the water column where they remain for around 8 to 12 days before settling out as juveniles and seeking a host anemone of their own. As larvae develop, chemical signals allow them to detect suitable host anemone.

Research has shown that the larvae that survive to settle out as juveniles tend to return to the reef where they originated so the majority of the survivors do not disperse very far from their parents’ anemone.

There are 28 species of clownfish described to science; all behave in a similar manner, exhibiting reliance on their obligate association with host anemones for survival.

Captive breeding.

Clownfish have been bred in captivity since the early eighties so we have a lot of information about how different environmental conditions such as temperature and pH affect this species. Although it’s interesting to note that the recent studies from the reef, revealing that reduction in ocean pH levels have an affect on clownfish’s ability to detect the chemical signals necessary for locating an anemone host, answer the question of why captive bred clowns are often slow to adopt an anemone in a reef aquarium.

Why are Clownfish vulnerable to the effects of climate change?

Habitat loss: Coral reefs are in decline owing to increased levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. The current level stands at 387 ppm CO2, higher than 350 ppm that many leading scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, and the level we need to get back to as early as possible to avoid runaway climate change. If CO2 levels reach 450 ppm, predicted to occur by 2030-2040 at the current rates of increase, reefs will be in terminal decline worldwide from mass bleaching, ocean acidification, and other environmental impacts. Clownfish are dependent on anemones for their survival, which most frequently occur on coral reefs.

A couple of examples: the global coral bleaching event of 1998, led to the complete disappearance of several sea-anemone species used by clownfish in the corals reefs around Sesoko Island, Japan, causing local population declines; and take a look at: Reef Ramblings June/July 2008 to see an earlier article about reduction in clownfish numbers on the Great Barrier Reef.

Disruption of navigation: Decrease in ocean pH levels have been shown to affect a clownfish’s ability to detect the chemical signals that allow them to locate a host anemone. This is known to be a particular problem for juveniles as, if they’re unable to locate a host, they’re at greater risk of predation. Juveniles unable to locate a new anemone face the chance of returning to their parental anemone, increasing the likelihood of inbreeding.

Larval development: As ocean temperatures increase we’d expect to see faster development of larval and juvenile clownfishes. This may bring a reduction in dispersal distance with the result of settlement closer to the parental anemone increasing local competition for recruitment to neighboring host anemones. Again increasing the possibility of inbreeding.

Reproductive behavior: Clownfish, along with many other fish species, only reproduce within a narrow temperature range. This presents the possibility that as temperatures increase that there may be a reduction in breeding activity. A secondary problem that we’re familiar with from captive breeding is that high temperatures can have a deleterious affect on egg development.

It’s also worth noting that in the IUCN report, under the heading of “Other threats”, that the marine aquarium industry is singled out for mention, although it does go on to add that the greatest threat is down to human activities, presumably the usual

Can clownfish adapt to climate change?

Currently this is unknown, most species can usually adapt to changes in environmental conditions as long as these change occur slowly over time. As ocean temperatures continue to increase, clownfish and their associated host anemones may be able to shift their ranges southwards to cooler water. However, neither clownfishes, nor their anemones, are particularly mobile so it’s likely that successful relocation to new, more suitable habitats will be limited.

The concern about more rapid larval development, with its resultant limitation on dispersal, raises the question of inbreeding, the consequences of which are unknown.

A further possibility, but one that seems to me unlikely, is whether clownfishes could adapt to seasonal breeding pattern taking advantage of the cooler seasons.

Interestingly, the IUCN report states the one species of clownfish has recently been shown to use soft corals as an alternative habitat, something previously only seen in captivity. This is referenced to Arvedlund, M., and Takemura, A. (2005) Long-term observation in situ of the anemonefish Amphiprion clarkii (Bennett) in association
with a soft coral. Coral Reefs 24, 698-698.

It’s not known if other species of clownfish could adopt other host species, nor whether such associations would have the same value as the present association with anemones.

What can we do?

Whilst climate change does not mean extinction, some species will be able to adapt whilst others will perish. The question is which species will survive and which will perish? Worsening climate change effects are inevitable, even if all CO2 emissions ceased today, because of the lag-effects of the greenhouse gasses already emitted.

It’s up to all of us, along with our governments, to commit to targets to reduce emissions at the earliest opportunity if, we want to slow the pace of climate change and give clownfishes and other species a chance to survive.

If you are a reefkeeper, try to raise awareness of the destructive affects of climate change to the marine environment by using the familiar clownfish as an example of what may be lost.

You can download the IUCN report here: Species and Climate Change

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

©2010