Today, let’s talk about negative environmental effects of the aquarium hobby and ways to become an eco-friendly aquarist.
Here’s some useful and actionable advice on caring for your aquatic pets while also preserving a healthy and sustainable environment.
Whether you’re a beginner or experienced aquarist, you have the responsibility of creating a positive impact on our planet while building a stunning aquatic ecosystem.
Major Negative Effects of The Aquarium Hobby
Here are some of the major negative effects of the aquarium hobby:
- Overfishing and Habitat Destruction: Many tropical and marine fish species popular in the aquarium trade are wild-caught, often using destructive methods that damage coral reefs and marine habitats. This can lead to overfishing and a significant reduction in biodiversity.
- Introduction of Invasive Species: When aquarium owners release non-native species into local waterways, either intentionally or accidentally, they can become invasive and disrupt local ecosystems. These invasive species can outcompete native species for resources and drastically alter habitats.
- Animal Welfare Issues: Many fish, corals, and invertebrates in the aquarium trade are not bred in captivity, but are instead collected from the wild, often using methods that are stressful and harmful.
So it’s important for aquarists to be eco-friendly.
What Does It Even Mean to Be an Eco-Friendly Aquarist?
Being an eco-friendly aquarist means caring for your fish in a way that also helps protect the world’s waters.
This is important because our oceans, lakes, and rivers aren’t as full of aquarium fish as we might think. In fact, only a small part of the world’s waters have the kinds of fish that we can put in our tanks.
And if we keep taking fish out from their natural environments, eventually there will be no environment left.
Many fish are in danger today because of overfishing, the aquarium trade, pollution, and human intervention. This is true whether we’re talking about freshwater, brackish, or marine environments.
What Is the Easiest Way to Be an Eco-Friendly Aquarist?
The easiest way to be an eco-friendly aquarist is by buying captive-bred fish. These are fish that have been raised in hatcheries for people to keep in their aquariums.
This is different from fish that are caught in the wild. When you buy captive-bred fish, you help slow down the loss of wild species.
Plus, most freshwater fish are now bred this way, and they usually cost less than wild-caught fish.
What About Marine Fish?
Marine fish are a bit trickier. Few of them are bred in hatcheries because it’s hard to get them to spawn.
But hatcheries have made great strides in recent years. They’ve succeeded in breeding many types of clownfish, wrasses, and other saltwater species.
Right now, these captive-bred marine fish might cost a bit more, but it’s worth it in the long run to help save our natural water resources.
What Are the Other Ways to Become an Eco-Friendly Aquarist?
Collecting live coral has become a big issue. More coral is being collected now than ever before.
Many places are now banning the collection of live coral. This is because the world’s coral reefs are starting to disappear.
The causes of coral loss are global warming, pollution, and repeated harvesting for curio shops and the marine aquarium trade.
If we stop buying live coral, we will eventually discourage the collection of coral from the wild.
What’s the Issue with Illegal Fishing Practices?
Many marine fish are caught using illegal practices and products, like cyanide. This not only harms the fish but also destroys large parts of coral reefs.
When we buy these wild animals, we’re encouraging wholesalers to keep taking fish and invertebrates from their natural homes.
4 Things You Can Do to Be an Eco-Friendly Aquarist
So, what are all the things you can do to become an eco-friendly aquarist?
Here’s what you can do:
- Always try to buy captive-bred species. Ask your dealer if the fish are captive bred.
- Don’t buy fish caught using illegal methods.
- Avoid buying live coral. It’s often collected in ways that harm coral reefs.
- Don’t release non-native fish species into local waterways.
By doing these things, you can help ensure that future generations don’t have to settle for plastic fish in their aquariums.
We can play a part in protecting our precious aquatic resources. So let’s do it.
