brion0

I think collecting rock, wood, an plants makes a tank better. If things are just bought at your LFS its not the same. I dont see a problem if you just pick up a few things for your own tank. Non native plants and fish sould never be released.

elMichael

Haven't been here in a long while, but your views remind me of a debate raging at another forum about whale sharks, which are said to be endangered... whether a certain integrated resort company should proceed with its plan of catching one or two whale sharks and putting them in a show tank...for education and research or as cash cows... depending on which side of the fence you're on.

spstimie

I was up in the mountains here in Colorado for the weekend. I started thinking about a rocky mountain tank. Very cold water so I thought I would see if any one had a similar tank anywhere, but then I read this thread. After doing some research, I am pretty sure any and all collection here in this state would have to be on private land.

BryceM

I often thought the same thing. I think a high desert scape with red sandstone similar to the canyons of southern Utah (Zions, Bryce's Canyon) would be phenomenal.

Gridspider

New to this forum but very interested in both conservation and making a few bucks.

I think it's very simple. KNOW WHAT YOU ARE COLLECTING! and do NOT use heavy machinery. I collect driftwood and other beach finds up and down the coastal areas and inter-coastal areas that surround me. I feel that as long as you are aware of what you are collecting and what impact you may be having you are far ahead of the game. Industrial levels are the cause of deforestation and destruction of natural habitat. Heavy machinery destroys more of an ecosystem in just making a road or using heavy machinery to get to the resource than any individual with a shovel or bare hands could ever cause in their lifetime. For example I collected a large piece of driftwood about 100lbs or more using my hands and my canoe. It took a better part of four hours given the location and a heavy toll on my muscles just getting it in the canoe. One bulldozer could have built a road and taken down half the island in that time. a hobbyist even if he sells his finds has a limited impact simply by using limited means to collect in the first place. With living collections it's bit more tricky but with a simple field guide you can be aware of what species need help and what species are proliferating and even possibly becoming a problem. and as noted in a previous post if you collect breed and reintroduce an endangered species you are doing more good than harm.
Truth is buying from a local nursery could be more dangerous than getting it yourself, Unless there are regulations( and there are). Conservation is something we must do on an individual level. Be aware be kind and our world will be a better place for it.

catherine carney

Great topic and responses.

The aquarium hobby is not the problem in most cases--look to "development" for loss of species and habitat--in many cases aquarists are the ones keeping species and developing the captive maintenance/breeding/propogation methods that allow re-introduction at a later time.

I think that collecting "wild" materials, whether it be rocks, wood, plants, or livestock can be done safely/sustainably as long as we are not greedy.

Case in point: August 2011 I was on a collecting trip with the rest of the "fish nuts" in my local club, and we found more brindled madtoms in one stretch of river than any of us had ever seen (personable little fish and great for riverine aquariums). All told, we caught about 2 dozen of them. Did we take them all?? NO! We documented (photographed/counted) what we caught (which we forwarded to our state natural resources department), and at least 18 of them were returned to the river. The rest (one or two per person) went home with aquarists who will raise them and possibly breed them. Did we put a dent in this population by our actions? Highly unlikely, and any impact we had is considerably less than the impact of field (silt/fertilizer) and urban (pollutants of all sorts) runoff from upstream on this river every year.

Many of us also collected rocks/driftwood/plant samples on the same trip, but again, in moderation.