How to tell my GSM is wild caught or tank bred?

[cooltankmate]

just bought a 2" gold stripe maroon clown. dunno it's wild or not............

 

[brighteyes]

if it looks cheesy= very thin stripes, then it is captive bred. I have personally ordered from *maybe* all of the major aqua-culture companies producing gsm and they all have very thin bars and not vibrant gold- not sure why this is. If your clown has nice thick gold bars then it was taken from the wild.

 

[NaClH20NMYVEIN]

Ask him!

 

[Wolverine]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6869713#post6869713 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by brighteyes
if it looks cheesy= very thin stripes, then it is captive bred. I have personally ordered from *maybe* all of the major aqua-culture companies producing gsm and they all have very thin bars and not vibrant gold- not sure why this is. If your clown has nice thick gold bars then it was taken from the wild.

I've seen both WC and TR with nice bars, and if they're done well, you really can't tell the difference. The only way is to ask the store where you got the fish and hope they tell you the truth.

Dave

 

[tkeracer619]

im with evolust on this one, ask him. Might take a bit of work but you should have plenty of time with that little guy.

Captive fish often have irregular bands of color but can also be the exact same as ocean caught.

Has anyone noticed an attitude difference for the captive bred fish compared to the wild caught?

 

[Live_Rock'r]

I have and will never buy tank bred again. I had a Mac angel for a year and a half that just wasn't right as far as coloration is concerned. I fed it all kinds of food and my water was perfect but he just wasn't right. Wild caught are always more colorful IMHO and full of life. I don't care how many people argue to conserve, wild is the way to go.

 

[El Langostino]

My tank raised GSM Clown looks just like one caught from the wild. It has nice thick, vibrantly colored golden bands and it is a lot less territorial than the wild caught variety as mine even tolerates a false percula in the tank.

 

[Wolverine]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6879669#post6879669 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Live_Rock'r
I have and will never buy tank bred again. I had a Mac angel for a year and a half that just wasn't right as far as coloration is concerned. I fed it all kinds of food and my water was perfect but he just wasn't right. Wild caught are always more colorful IMHO and full of life. I don't care how many people argue to conserve, wild is the way to go.

It's entirely within the realm of possibility that in the near future you won't have any option in the matter. We are in a very politically unpopular hobby, and there are plenty of groups lobbying to put an end to it. That's why I think it's important to support aquaculture efforts now, so they are already viable when the hammer comes.

That said, I disagree with your N=1 study. I've seen plenty of TR angels that were indistinguishable from WC (and I've seen some WC that look like crap).

Dave

 

[tkeracer619]

What stupid activist group is going to shut down 3 third largest pet market in the us. Thats like the vietnames telling us to stop getting puppy's as pets b/c they use puppys as food.

There are FAR more damage causeing operations to our reefs than us.

I do agree that we are politically unpopular to an extent and that TR and WC fish can be the same. It all just depends. One beeing better than the other is hard to say. My clowns will come from the ocean regardless of what the activists think.

I would say activities such as dredging, fishing for consumption, construction, mineral mining, oil drilling, and pollution serve a bigger problem in the sceme of things. The day the man tells me I can't go fishing is the day this country will fail.

jmo

 

[Wolverine]

I agree with everything you said. However, what's an easier target to deal with from a political and governmental point of view, shutting down the important of reef animals, or changing the entire culture and economic structure of indonesia?

The hobby has come close to being severely restricted several times, and I think it's going to get harder each time. Remember, animal rights activist groups and environmental protection groups both have us directly in their sites; those are two not-insignificant lobbying groups.

Dave