Captive bred. I'm sure that many of you have heard this term before. This refers to fish or corals that have been bred in captivity and tank raised. The other method of bringing fish to our hobby is through capture in the wild.

Wild fish and corals are often more difficult to keep than those that are captive bred and tank raised. The reason for this is the fish or corals have adapted to their environments. They have adapted to the temperature, water quality and other conditions. When you purchase one of these, it is very hard to get them adjusted to the conditions in your aquarium. If you experience rapid changes in your water quality, you are more likely to suffer a fatality.

Captive bred and tank raised fish and corals are extremely important for many reasons. They have adjusted to the typical conditions in home aquariums, and are quick to adjust when they get to your aquarium. They are more forgiving, which is important, because most fish or corals are very expensive.

By breeding fish and corals in captivity, you are not minipulating the fish populations, or driving them to extinction. It preserves jobs, as you can always breed fish, but there are only a limited number of fish or coral species in the wild. We cannot enjoy a species if it is extinct. By purchasing captive bred and tank raised fish and corals, we are able to enjoy the species as they will always be readily available. Fish can be bred to demand, rather than catching all that are available in the wild.

So, when deciding on what fish you want for your aquarium, be sure to consider captive bred fish. Not only are you preserving the species, you are getting the same high quality fish. Captive bred fish are usually cheaper, which is a big plus when you are purchasing them.