[Alice]

Totally irresponsible. You just do not ever introduce non-native species into the wild...ever. All of the reasoning you provided was pure BS serene of the highest order. Not to mention, your babies are probably dinner by now, I'm sure their instincts were dulled by tank life and they had no school to hide in for the safety in numbers.

~Alice

[FishKid]

The same thing you did, no one saw you, no one can prove that you ever owned a tang, so dont worry about the laws...

I think its kina cool to intoduce new species, there is a school of KOI in a lake by my house, I mean really big koi!! Remember, the more diverse a system is, the more stable

mark

[scubadude]

Man I wish some ppl wouldnt get so DEFENSIVE!!!!

Ok I have just found out and totally changed my views on this topic.....Why? Cuz it is dangerous now that I have had response with Dr. Ron......Im not one to just follow his coat tail on just anything but his knowledge far exceeds mine and he is VERY stern about this being wrong.....I realize you did not understand Fishme and I do not blame you but for future references I think it will impact our environment more than we realize....here is the thread if you guys want to follow it:

http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin...392#post180392

Please ppl....lets try and educate here and NOT flame ....try to contain your emotions to some point

[Doug1]

FishKid, the diversity has to be specific to the local biotope. Adding predators,grazers,etc from outside sources is like playing Russian Roullette with an auto loading pistol. It might not go off and do harm but dont bet on it.
When we speak of increasing diversity in reef tanks and the benefits, it is with organisms that would normally be there or will adapt and perform a specific funtion in an enclosed environment. And its not with out risk, ask anyone who has had to deal with aptasia,flatworms,mantis, disease outbreaks etc. Worst case scenario is tank suffers an expensive disaster, but it is confined to a captive area, not the same as introducing non native species.
Even if it does no harm to the environment in this particular case it is still ethically wrong and illegal for good reason. Personally if I felt that strongly about the fishes happiness I would quit the hobby and not subject animals to being domesticated

Dear Reefland:

I am absolutely mortified that there is any "discussion" whatsoever about this act. The introduction of non-native species is one of the potentially most dangerous ecological activities imagineable. It is unethical, illegal in most places, and absolutely unforgiveable. History is filled with such examples. There is nothing "neat" about it. Even the thread name, setting them free, is a misnomer. You have done no such thing. It is even unethical to release these animals back into the waters where they came from because of their potential exposure to non-native organisms and potential pathogens while in your tank. The mucus coating of fish is a haven for bacteria. Right now, a single non-native bacteria and a single non-native fungus has eliminated from many areas (and severely impacted in almost every other area throughout the entire Caribbean) the Caribbean sea fans and has affected or killed thousands of stony corals by way of Aspergillosis and White Plague, respectively. A single species introduced to non-native waters can decimate the ecosystem.

The posts that follow in support of this act largely characterize extermely ignorant and immature views; non-thinking aquarists that should never have gotten in the hobby in the first place. This is shameful. Bravo to those of you who actually voiced your opinions of opposition.

Eric Borneman

[FISHme]

Well if they are dinner then I guess I did the right thing .
Others suggests to kill them instead of releasing them . So I guess if they got eatin then we don't have to worry about the introduction of a non native species then do we?
I wonder how many organisms get transported through the oceans on ships and such and are changing things as we speak.
Are things staying the same evolution wise or are they in constant change anyway.
A little larvae here , a lttle larvae there !! oops !!

[scubadude]

WOW Mr. Borneman

Its an Honor to have your presence here at Reefland and WELCOME! I totally appreciate your opinion on this matter.....this IS a very good thread IMO cuz it has educated me on the matter, where I was first somewhat for releasing in ocean, now I have taken the approach to NOT release anything! Again Welcome to Reefland and im sure that others will agree with me that we would love to see your presence here more often.

[FishKid]

yes, Welcome to reefland!

I didnt know that it could do so much damage! But after reading a post on RC, I am shocked.

mark

[FISHme]

OK , I GIVE !!!
You won't see me throwing anything back into the water except my bait !!!
Thanks everyone for their input.
Thanks Scuba for the questionare to Dr. Ron, well I guess we all learned something here today .

[\[\ark

[landescaper]

Originally posted by EricHugo
Right now, a single non-native bacteria and a single non-native fungus has eliminated from many areas (and severely impacted in almost every other area throughout the entire Caribbean) the Caribbean sea fans and has affected or killed thousands of stony corals by way of Aspergillosis and White Plague, respectively.

African Dust, btw the long spines are going to be hurt that they weren't mentioned too.

[asmith]

I am in agreement with all of those against releasing the fish into the wild. I was amazed that there were people supporting it. Even though you made a mistake I am glad you posted about it. Hopefully a lot of others will learn of the many problems that such an act can do. If your mistake prevents even a couple of others from releasing fish back into the wild then we will have accomplished something. Please don't feel like we were flaming you. We just want to make sure we protect the natural reefs as well as the ones we have in our homes.

It is time for us to stop worrying about what has already been done and consider it a lesson learned.

JMO,
Andrew

[FISHme]

I was thinking in terms of lowering the bio load in my system and getting those tangs out of the 95 tank (200 gal setup) but in fact I was creatiNg a bigger MONSTER in the doing so.
Well I feel about this big now (.) .

[scubadude]

Fishme:

Dont worry about it!!! You didnt realize!!....Now you know...thats all that matters dont let what others are saying embarass you.....I Backed you up....so im just as guilty!!! The important thing is that we understand now

[asmith]

FISHme,

My above post may not have sounded like I meant it to. You made a mistake. All of us have made mistakes. The fact that you, as well as others, have learned something from your mistake and will not do it again is a good thing. My father-in-law always says "it is best not to worry about things you can't control." You already released the fish and there is little to no chance of getting them back, so don't worry about it. It is too late. As long as you, and several others learned something from it we are all better off. As I said above, if you released a couple of fish into the wild and prevented the release of several others, then we have accomplished something. Don't be too hard on yourself. At least you showed some concern for the welfare of your fish while many others would have simply let them waste away in a tank that was unsuitable for them. I don't hate you, and I doubt that anyone else does. You learned a valuable lesson today and I am sure you won't forget what you learned. That is what these boards are all about.

Regards,
Andrew

[Alice]

I certainly don't hate anyone, I was upset over means and methods. I learned at a very early age not to introduce non-native species, but that's the climate in which I grew up. I scrambled for expert back-up because I thought the issue was very important and urgent and I knew I couldn't cite specific examples at my fingertips.

This thread addressed a very important issue and is, IMO, worthy of being tagged for the archives. We all learned something here and it should be kept for review so that others may learn as well.

~Alice

[Doug1]

Believe me my intention was to educate, not create disharmony. Actually I want to thank everyone for maintaining a proffessional attitude in dealing with this thread. Believe me I have been the the object of alot of heat for far less and its not productive. Everyone learned and thats the point.
Thanks again and enjoy

[tlc]

this is exactly why i think it is so important to make wise decisions before obtaining any species. i believe once you obtain a certain organism it is your responsibilty to care for it for the rest of its life and provide the proper environment for them. i resist so many things cause i know that i cant provide the right environment for them. when will we humans quite being so selfish. how many times have you heard "i will get a bigger tank when he gets bigger". i guess the ocean is bigger but is it the right environment. perhaps you have just put a domesticated dog back into the wilderness. put there needs before our wants and we wont have these problems.

[Reinhold]

scubadude:

I think you deserve alot of credit for getting thrashed by Dr. Ron and the other experts over at Reef Central, and it wasn't even your action. This has been most interesting.

Up north, lakes are being devastated by Eurasian Milfoil, a weed which choke entire lakes. One inch of the weed on a boat trailer is all it takes to start the destruction in an entire 3000 acre lake!

I firmly oppose introducing non-native species into other environments, including snowbirds into Florida.

[Reefland]

I don't think there is anymore to add to this except for a thanks to all involved for keeping it civil. This is a perfect instance where many can learn from one's actions on the Bulletin Boards.

Thread Closed.