When is something considered "captive bred"?

[Newreeflady]

I have been looking for species I can keep that will least impact the reef. I know, i'm just starting a nano, but I want to do my part.

So, I see a lot of "captive bred" corals (such as on liveaquaria.com) that list the parent species. I am just wondering, when is something considered captive bred? If you take from the ocean and propegate rather than selling the whole colony, is that considered captive bred?

Also, what are some of the better stores that sell captive bred livestock (particularly corals)? How can you be sure you aren't supporting a company that is supporting cyanide catching or other reef-distressing catch methods, or one that is making a huge negative impact? I mean, most of these stores seem to sell captive AND wild stock.

And, if you buy from your fellow reefer, i'd assume you can call that captive bred, too, right? I'd guess this is the best way to go about it.

Thoughts?
Thanks,
Angela.

 

[iCam]

That sounds about right. Once something comes off the parent colony, I think it can be called "captive bred [propogated]".

 

[gofish]

You can inquire who the wholesaler is at your LFS, research to figure out how they collect their corals and fish. They cyanide is for catching fish (not corals), but I'm sure you know that. There are a lot of ways to get captive raised fish and propogated corals and anemones. Just check out where you are buying before you buy.

If you buy from another reefer, the origin of the coral is captive bred, but if it is a fish, it depends on where it originally came from.

 

[Newreeflady]

Thanks. Yes, I realized the cyanide was for fish, lol! (Those darn fast running corals)

Looks like I should get away with finding mostly captive corals and such, but fish are another story. It can get costly with fish because you have to get them shipped, whereas with coral it is easy to just get frags from locals. Not that i'd have more than one or two fish in this tiny tank anyhow.


-A

 

[Ti]

IMO
It has to be propogated and raised in a tank.

 

[GreshamH]

Captive bred only is used for fish folks, we don't spawn corals in our tanks, nor do any farms currently

Live Aquarin advertises Aquacultured corals. Aquaculture is anything raised in tanks, marine or fresh. If it were done in the ocean (in situ), the proper term to use would be, maricultured. Many people miss use the term aquacultured when talking about farmed coral from the south pacific. Most farms are doing true mariculture, in situ farming. A few, like IMT in Tonga and LeStari in Bali, are doing true aquacultured corals. CITES puts firm regs on what can be shipped from most countries, regarding what "generation" (f2,f2, etc) can be shipped under mariculture quotas. IIRC, only f3 and beyond is the policy on that one. Other non CITES member nations set their own regs re: size and generation. Stateside, we have no standards to be enforced for the proper use of the term, so it does get abused. All the corals being called Aquacultured on Live Aquaria's site are in fact just that, aquacultured.


NewReefLady, you have MAJOR options in the Bay Area to aquire next caught fish. Stores dealing with ASAP will have net-caught fish. I know their Bali supplier and I can assure you, they don't use a drop of juice. They're leading the anti cyanide movement in NW Bali as we speak.