Salt Water Fish Hobbyists Understand Impacts of Global Warming

Aug 15, 2011
James Gibson

The Banggai Cardinal Fish is an Excellent Aquarium Species, Strikingly Handsome and Easy to Keep, Even for Beginners - jon hanson

Marine aquarists manage models of the oceans. They, more than most, understand the impact of marine imbalances

People learn best by doing. Salt water fish and reef hobbyists intrinsically understand the principles behind the oceans becoming more acidic from increased carbon dioxide and many coral reefs being close to total failure from global warming.

Salt-water fish and reef hobbyists are also well acquainted with live rocks and live sand. They understand fish compatibility and acclimation. They deal with coral bleaching. And they appreciate the importance of maintaining an appropriate marine environment both locally and globally.

Introduction to the Hobby:

My first exposure to the hobby was while talking to my friend Jesus from the Philippines. And, ironically, it is around his homeland that 95% of the coral reefs are ruined according to Earth Dive. Reef Check, the world’s largest reef conservation organization, further points out that “an unregulated marine aquarium trade has also put pressure on the coral reefs, which are destroyed by blast fishing to catch the most popular aquarium fish species.”

When I talked to Jesus, he was on a layoff from Ford. “Oh well, the layoffs will give me time to look after my fish,” he commented.

“Your fish...?” I asked, puzzled.

“That’s my hobby, salt water fish.”

Jesus explained his hobby. He talked about Yellow Tangs, Cardinals, coral and live rocks. As he described the excitement of the yellow fish lighting up the whole aquarium as they emerged from behind the rocks, all I could think of was the smelly aquariums from my youth.

“Do they take much work?” I asked.

“I have a reverse osmosis water treatment system and a salt water gauge. Twenty percent of the water gets changed every six weeks, then once a year I take everything apart, clean it, and rearrange the rocks. I think the bigger the tank, the less work. Mine’s quite large at five feet wide, two feet high, and twenty two inches deep.”

“I imagine it can be an expensive hobby.”

“I’ve put about thirteen thousand into it so far. I need new lights and they are two hundred and fifty apiece. And I need two of them.”

Oceanic Microcosm

A salt water/reef aquarium needs to be ecologically balanced to keep its beauty. Tropical Fish Magazine agrees with Jesus that it is easier to care for a large aquarium than a small one, The reason given is that ”maintaining a fish tank is in large part a matter of keeping a complex system in balance; the more water there is, the longer it takes for an imbalance to occur.” The oceans, of which the aquarium is a microcosm, are much larger, of course, and take even longer for imbalances to occur. But they do eventually occur, in part because of climate change.

Growing Ocean Threats:

Earth Trends points out coral reefs currently face two major and growing threats, namely:

coral bleaching- temperature increases as slight as 1 degree can cause coral to die
acidification- reefs cannot survive at pH levels less than 7.6

In the discussion, Earth Trends stresses that “coral reefs are home to more than 25% of all marine species,” which accounts for them being referred to as the 'rainforests of the sea'.

In the aquarium business they talk of live rocks. The rocks are made up of the skeletons of, among other organisms, long-dead corals on which marine life live. In the ocean environment coral provides shelter for algae which in turn provide food, oxygen and nutrients for the coral. The algae give coral their color but when coral experiences environmental stress- acidification and increased surface temperatures- it expels the algae which not only removes their color but makes them weaker and more open to disease.

Aquarist suppliers know this and encourage clients to keep their tank temperatures and acid levels the same as the native waters the coral and fish come from. If they don’t the same changes that occur in the ocean happen in the aquarium environment:: They need to know their biogeography.

Geography of Salt Water Fish Choices:

While I’ve since learned that Jesus had beginner and advanced fishes of choice, Aquatic Connection explains that, while it is tempting to purchase the most exotic of fish, a beginner should avoid relatively fragile fish. But where are the origins of these fish. Following are some examples cited by Aquatic Community.

Advanced choices, with their geographic origins include:

Angel fish- Indo Pacific Ocean
Anthias- in the water surrounding Palau, Kosrae in Caroline Islands, Kwajalein in Marshall Islands, Nauru and Fanning Islands in Kiribati, and Tonga
Butterflyfish- Indo west Pacific
Lionfisf- Indo Pacific
Wrasses- Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans
Certain tangs (e.g. surgeon fish); Note: love to eat algae

More suitable species for the beginner, with their geographic origins are:

Cardinals- Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans
Clownfish (captive-bred). Note: Remember film, ‘Finding Nemo’?- Pacific, Red Sea, Indian Ocean
Hawkfish- Indo Pacific

So, is it safe to say that most people know about climate change? They certainly know it makes their golf season longer. Some say we should just adapt: use more renewable resources, stay off hazard lands, and divert water from surplus to deficit areas. Occasionally you hear about the oceans being a factor: doesn’t carbon dioxide get absorbed by the oceans? But rarely do we appreciate how everything is interconnected. The oceans becoming more acidic and the coral reefs being close to total failure disturbs some people. But wait until the majority is impacted because shorelines are no longer buffered by reefs and stocks of fish, shrimp and lobsters are dramatically decreased.

Salt water aquarists understand. They have a model right in front of them. They know what happens if you don't pay attention to temperatures, biomasses, filtration matters, water chemistry and food chains. That’s why there should be more of them.