[Trigger Man]

Originally Posted by justinl

true, but let us focus on the ocean inhabitants as a whole. say you "save" (arguably) an anthias. what about the predator that would have eaten this anthias when it got old an tired? you just deprived another fish of a meal which really negates your argument. and then think about how many fish had to die before yours reached your tank and survived (depending on mortality during collection, shipping, handling, and storage in the store). Ive actually wondered... just how many live animals die during transit alone due to incompetence by delivery companies? I ask you to think about it because, in all honesty, i don't want to. I admit this hobby is my guilty vice (or at least one of them) and I have no reason or excuse to justify it. they're just pretty and i like watching them and knowing i am doing my best to care for them.

edit: when buying, I do try to buy livestock from other reefers rather than from a store where i know it just came out of the ocean... for the environment's sake, as well as the peace of mind that livestock from an established system is less likely to die or bring in weird parasites into my tank.

Good points brought up. I did not think about the predator who lost it's meal because it was scooped up by the aquarium trade.
I as well try to buy my corals and fish from fellow reefers where possible, mainly due to my belief that tank bred fish, established fish as well as corals fragged from others tend to have adapted to the aquarium life better and are hardier.
This is always going to be a tough question for all of us in the hobby to answer.