[doHTML]<br><center><h1>'Captive Bred Fish'</h1>written in part by Mazza_402</center>
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Captive bred. I'm sure that many of you have heard this term before. This refers to fish, corals, or other living creatures that have been bred in captivity and tank raised. Captive bred and tank raised fish, corals, and other living creatures are extremely important for many reasons. The other method of bringing new life to our hobby is through wild capture, which is the transplantation of native fish into the aquarium. In this article, we are going to take a hard look at the differences between the two.
<br><br> When making a new purchase, it's important to know a little bit about the differences. Wild fish, corals or other creatures can be more difficult to keep than those that are captive bred and tank raised. The reason for this is that the captive bred fish, corals, or other living creatures have already adapted to a fish tank environment. Which includes the temperature, water quality and other conditions. In addition, you are less likely to suffer a fatality if you experience rapid changes in water quality with captive bred fish, which can save you money because many fish, corals, or other living creatures are very expensive. As a secondary benefit, by making a consciences decision to choose captive bred over wild caught, you are supporting other hobbyists; which often results in lower prices overall as more hobbyists become breeders.
<br><br> As we have already established, captive bred fish, corals, and other living creatures are well adjusted to the typical conditions in home aquariums, and are quick to adjust when they get to your aquarium. This may be in part, due to the likelihood that captive bred fish are less likely to suffer from depression. There is increasing evidence that all animal life has the same set of emotions and feelings as we do, and fish are no exception. If that is true, then there are likely to be differences between captive bred and wild caught fish. Just like wild caught gorillas suffer from depression, so also might wild caught fish. This could often lead to them to suffer from more illnesses and die earlier than normal as a result.
<br><br> By breeding fish and corals in captivity, you are not manipulating wild fish populations, or driving them to extinction. By purchasing captive bred and tank raised fish, corals, and other living creature 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. This is not to say however, that wild caught fish, corals, and other living creatures does not have it's place in our hobby.
<br><br> There will always be a place for wild caught fish, corals, and other living creatures in the aquarium hobby. Each species being bred in captivity today, started out as wild caught (with the exception of certain "mule" breeds such as the parrot fish). In addition, there are some species that are simply not breedable in home aquariums, or too little is known about their breeding habits. In these cases, wild caught fish, corals, and other living creatures, is a necessity. In addition, captive breeders need to bring in new genetic material from time to time to avoid inbreeding resulting in mutations. The best source for breeders to get new genes is from wild-caught fish, as they are guaranteed not to be related to the rest of the fish.
<br><br> So in conclusion, when deciding on what to buy for your aquarium, be sure to consider captive bred when they are available. Not only are you supporting other hobbists, you are often getting higher quality.
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