Animals with a poor history

[michaelg]

As the website starts to grow, and the community expands, I see more frequently purchasing descisions being made out of lack of knowledge for the requirements to keep certain animals alive.  While much of this is my own personal opinion it comes from years of "collective" knowledge.  Circumstances will vary for some, and of course there are always exceptions.  If you are new to the hobby- trying to be an exception from the start is a bad philosophy.  I will continue on this for the next couple of days.  Yes, this is going to be a long one.  Hopefully some of the more experienced can put up some additional animals while I work on this, or send me your comments through PM/e-mail.  Please do not turn this into a discussion- feel free to discuss any of the species in an new thread.

 

Here is a list of animals that should not be purchased.  Many online retailers now list them as "extremely difficult" or "expert only".  Many still do not, and even less frequently are signs seen in stores.

 

Gonipora aka "flowerpot"

Cataphyllia aka Elegance

non- photosynthetic gorgonians and sea fans

Carnation/chili corals- any of the dendronepthia or scleronepthia

Stylaster- lace coral

tubipora- pipe organ

 

Most sponges- particularily the "tree" and "ball" sponges.  Many of these are extremely sensative to air exposure.  The best sponges are ones that grow out from live rock.  Many of these are not air sensative and can be propagated by placing small rocks next to the main piece of sponge.

Nudibrachs

Sea-Apples

blue ringed octopus- while small and cute, they can kill you.

All host anenomes except e. quadricolor, and those only after all attempts at finding a captive raised one have been exhausted.  Far too many of these animals are taken from the oceans only to die in a tank.  They do not reproduce rapidly in the wild, and while "cloning" has been observed in a couple species in captivity, it generally is thought not to be a means of reproduction in the wild.  

 

Numerous fish including: seahorses

pipefish

several types of wrasses-Cleaner wrasses in particular- they can be found captive raised now, and fair much better in captivity than wild caught ones.

Boxfish/cowfish

This really takes some research.  A great series of reference books are written by Scott Michael.  

Seahorses can be found captive raised and will fare much better than those taken from the wild.

Bangaii cardinal fish- buy captive breed unless you plan to actively breed them yourself, these fish come from a single location in the whole world.

Moorish Idols

 

 

Here is a list of animals that should not be attempted without several years of experience, a well established stable tank (running a year or more), proper equipement, a full understanding of the animals requirements, a true sence of patience

 

Mandarin dragonettes

Leopard Wrasse

Butterfly fish

wartskins, toadfish, etc.

 

All wild acropora- start with a hearty frag from a local first.  Once it has quadrupled in size and encrusted into the rock, then SLOWLY proceed.

Most montipora, porites, stylophota

Euphyllia's- especially non-branching types

Fox Corals

Clams

tubastrea- sun corals

Christmas tree worms- usually found in porites

The one thing that can shorten the "experience" phase to some degree is a lot of study.

 

Fish that are know "jumpers" and should be kept in tanks with a tight fitting lid-

Jawfish

Most Blennies

Many gobies

Some wrasses

[AquariaUSA]

I support everything Michael just posted! Unless you are an advanced hobbyist, please, please avoid those species. Even those that are advanced cannot keep many of the species above, so it is not worth the life of the animal nor the money lost procuring it. If you are able to get any of the above creatures captive bred, then go for it! If you want to go for one of the harder species, please look into the info regarding them as much as possible, and even seek the help of a fellow reefer on the decision. Goodluck and happy coral farming