新年快乐,我们在世界各地的所有咸朋友!克里斯和我的亲人在2014年一切顺利。我们也要对自推出以来给我们的支持表示诚挚的感谢Saltwater Smarts去年春季和赞助商的慷慨捐助使本网站成为可能。
Somewhere around the stroke of 12:00 this morning, many of us resolved to make positive changes or kick some unhealthy habits to the curb so we can live longer, healthier, happier lives. Chris and I have also resolved to strengthen our commitment to promoting a sustainable—and, of course, enjoyable—marine aquarium hobby. We hope you’ll join us in making the following reef-friendly resolutions for 2014:
Buy captive-bred/propagated livestock
With more and more species of marine fish beingbred in captivitynowadays, hobbyists routinely propagating corals of all kinds, and high-quality aquacultured live rock available on the market, it’s now possible to enjoy a thriving, fascinating marine aquarium with little or no impact to natural reefs or wild fish stocks.
Shun impulse livestock purchases
At one time or another, we’ve all been tempted to buy a really gorgeous fish or invertebrate that we know little to nothing about, assuming we’ll get it home first and then figure out what its care requirements are later. Anyone who has “been there and done that” knows the outcome of such impulse purchases is often a deceased specimen and a disheartened hobbyist.
Research all stocking decisions
The best protection against impulse livestock purchases is advance research and planning. Plan your stocking list and stick to your plan! Proper research ensures you’ll never end up with a species that you cannot feed, grows way too large for your system, or is otherwise inappropriate for aquarium life.
在出售不可持续的物种的任何地方说话
下次您进入LFS并看到在业余爱好者坦克(例如这些野蛮人)中没有业务的物种时,请考虑与经理有礼貌地分享您的担忧。如果他/她冷漠地回应,请通过在其他地方购物“用你的脚投票”。
回馈爱好
If you’ve been in the hobby for a while and achieved a decent level of success, perhaps 2014 will be the year to start giving something back to the hobby in the form of coral frags you’ve propagated yourself or, if you’re up to the time commitment and challenge, fish specimens you’ve bred in captivity.
Share what you’ve learned with newcomers
As every experienced salty knows, there’s a steep learning curve to the marine aquarium hobby. Don’t keep all the knowledge you’ve acquired to yourself! Sharing your insights and experiences with others may just help a novice hobbyist sidestep a few common pitfalls, which should translate directly into fewer livestock losses.