Captive Bred Blue / Hippo Tangs!!! YES!

[Myka]

Fort Plain, NY, July 20, 2016—Rising Tide Conservation, in partnership with the University of Florida, announces the successful culture of Pacific Blue Tang surgeonfish, the species known as the character “Dory.” This major breakthrough is a major step forward in aquaculture of marine ornamental fish. Until today, all Pacific Blue Tangs were collected from reefs, primarily in Indonesia or the Philippines.

Dr. Judy St. Leger, president of Rising Tide Conservation, announced the much-anticipated breakthough:

“This is a new chapter in ornamental fish aquaculture. Both display aquariums and marine fish hobbyists can now choose where many of their fish come from. Collecting reef fish is a complex issue with both positives and negatives. When there are concerns of destructive practices. Having an alternative source can benefit fish, people, and reefs.”

The advance was made possible by the efforts of a committed team of biologists, including Eric Cassiano and Kevin Barden at the Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory of the University of Florida in Ruskin, Florida. The laboratory is directed by Craig Watson, and the Rising Tide Conservation program is overseen by Dr. Matt DiMaggio. Rising Tide Conservation identified this species as one of conservation interest for aquaculture in 2010.

Read the rest of it here: http://www.reef2rainforest.com/2016/07/20/captive-bred-blue-hepatus-tangs-a-breakthrough-success-in-fl/ (http://www.reef2rainforest.com/2016/07/20/captive-bred-blue-hepatus-tangs-a-breakthrough-success-in-fl/)

Learn more here: www.facebook.com/risingtideconservation

http://www.reef2rainforest.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/CB-Blue-tangs-at-55-dph.jpg

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

It says in the article that they actually have bred Yellow tangs as well in 2015. If they can breed both YTs and BTs in sufficient numbers, they can really help push this hobby towards a more sustainable future. Good for them to be working on something most people probably considered nearly impossible or at least economically unfeasible. I wonder how much these captive breds will go for at the LFS?

[Myka]

It says in the article that they actually have bred Yellow tangs as well in 2015. If they can breed both YTs and BTs in sufficient numbers, they can really help push this hobby towards a more sustainable future. Good for them to be working on something most people probably considered nearly impossible or at least economically unfeasible. I wonder how much these captive breds will go for at the LFS?

You hit the nail on the head there. They go through a fairly long larval stage which is a high-maintenance stage and costs time and money. I just edited in a photo to the first post which shows fish on the cusp of metamorphosis where they change from larvae to fish and is considered "success". The photo is labeled 55 dph which is "days post hatch", so that's almost 2 months from egg to fish. Hopefully they can streamline it and actually offer them into the wholesale market. So far, the numerous species of captive bred fish from Rising Tide Conservation haven't really hit the market much at all even though they've bred and raised many species most people probably haven't even heard about - like the Yellow Tang. I'm not sure what their ultimate goal is, since it seems like every time they gain success with a species they just move on to another, so I'm not sure if they really are aiming for a wholesale market or not.

[saltcreep]

I'm not sure what their ultimate goal is, since it seems like every time they gain success with a species they just move on to another, so I'm not sure if they really are aiming for a wholesale market or not.

With both the blue and yellow tangs, there is considerable interest and pressure from industry to make these two fish commercially available.