Wild Caught vs. Tank Raised
- Thread starter Calihawk
- Start date
I go by the motto: If it tickles my fancy, and the price is right.. I'll buy it.
I have WC, F1, and LFS fish, and I like them all equally. In fact, my favorite fish probably came from a LFS.
I have found they both can have the same issues.
I have WC, F1, and LFS fish, and I like them all equally. In fact, my favorite fish probably came from a LFS.
I have found they both can have the same issues.
a minor note.. Tank Raised doesn't neccisarily mean it was Tank breed.... generally it does but not always. I really think it depends on the species concerned for which I think is best... some species are rare enough that getting captive bred specimins( particualrly if you have no intention of attempting breeding) is a much better option then buying a WC specimin that could be put to better use in a breeding program.
I've seen high quality captive specimins that equal or surpass WC.. but I've also seen captive that I would hesitate to use as feeders. imo way to many variables to make a diffinitive choice one way or the other. be it WC or captive bred my fish all undergo the same QT process ect.... WC is more liekly ime to have health issues to deal with.. but I've seen some nasty diseases come from captive propigated species.
I tend to like species that aren't captively propigatd in sufficent amounts, but aren't rare in the wild. I look at it as a challenge to attempt to breed these species.
I've seen high quality captive specimins that equal or surpass WC.. but I've also seen captive that I would hesitate to use as feeders. imo way to many variables to make a diffinitive choice one way or the other. be it WC or captive bred my fish all undergo the same QT process ect.... WC is more liekly ime to have health issues to deal with.. but I've seen some nasty diseases come from captive propigated species.
I tend to like species that aren't captively propigatd in sufficent amounts, but aren't rare in the wild. I look at it as a challenge to attempt to breed these species.
While my personal preference is a healthy and colorful fish over where it originated, There is a need for WC fish in the hobby. A vendor who refuses to bring in WC fish is denying his/her customers of a large selection of fish which are otherwise unobtainable. Without WC, no newly discovered fish would be in the hobby. Not only do WC fish increase jobs where the fish are native to, but they increase knowledge of the waterways and the likelihood that conservation efforts will be addressed. Remember the La Ceiba Freddy was happened upon by accident and is now extinct at least within the waterway in which it was collected. All f1, 2, etc had to originate from a WC fish.
People think they have something special since it has that wild caught label. I do think that sometime they have better color but other than that there is no clear advantage to getting wild caught. Especially considering the cost associated with that label.
probably no advantage in wilds or tank raised, but in some cases there is no other choice. I have wild discus and there are no other discus that look like them. and you wont find any wilds that are colored like the domestics. I do think that after acclimation, wilds are a hardier fish. I think the many generations of inbreeding can weaken domestics.
I have experience with w/c, f1, t/r. To be completely honest I havent ever really had any issues with smaller w/c fish, IMO you only realistically run into problems with the bigger specimens. The reason being that the bigger fish are usually sedated at some point to make shipping easier, this stresses the fish and causes a multitude of other problems. Smaller ones though; like you said, love to hide.. It is however a small price to pay, I find most of the wild imports; especially africans look absolutely stunning once conditioned.
