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This is a reef channel. It's kind of like asking a bunch of corn farmers if corn is a good food to eat.

I don't understand how anybody could buy animals in general without extensive research, the most extreme case of this was at a local reptile expo were two parents decided to buy a baby chameleon as first ever reptile for their 8 year old son, without any prior research! that's insane! (it is basically the same as buying a Mandarinfish as first saltwater fish without a cycled thank)

It is ethical for fish who establish a small territory such as clownfish, however, for tangs and butterfly fish who like to swim miles and miles daily it is less ethical. My 0.02$

For me, as much as is possible I only choose captive bred species. I also try and provide the single biggest tank I'm able to, and never cram the animals in, I tend to understock. On the screen front, I'm all for them! On your point about people not being willing to do testing etc, why keep them?! As much as they're cheap (freshwater more than marine, I've seen some VERY pricey marine fish!) they're still living animals. If you take on that responsibility you should do everything in your power to keep them happy and healthy

I am fine with it as long as the fish are well cared for and not wild caught when I can help it. Well cared for: Given plenty of room (a betta not stuck in a 3 gal or less tank). Proper diet Proper environment (goldfish tank not tiny, no princess tanks with no hiding spaces...)

There may be a time when it's the reef hobby that might be needed to save the species if the ocean keeps getting attacked from over fishing. Bad fishing techniques etc etc etc. If you'd asked me this 30 years ago I would have said no it's not ethical. Most imported corals were hacked off reefs and it wasn't "how well will this coral do and what's the best way of keeping it" a success was measured in how long you managed to keep it alive. In 30 years people have gone from keeping a fish tank to been very well knowledged to almost professionals in fish husbandry, biology, chemistry and I would say some of the most ethical and ecologically aware people you will find. I don't know any reefer that would buy something knowing that buying it will destroy it's natural environment or that it is destined to die. If all pets and domestic animals in this world were as well looked after by people that are so knowledgeable about that animal as marine aquarists this world would be a better place !!!!

A good tip is to always understock. We're all human, and nobody is going to remember to do every single water change right on schedule. Also, something could come up like a family emergency or personal illness. When you're understocked, your tank is much less likely to have a problem from you being late a few days on a water change.

Great video and arguably one of the most important primers for newcomers to the hobby (and even some vets). Thanks for making this.

Excellent video! I myself only keep 4 small fish as my tank is not very big and have invested more in coral and invertebrates. It's a fantastic hobby and so rewarding if you put in the time to understand as much as you can and money in to decent equipment

Wow. You addressed a great deal of the points that have kept me away from saltwater fish keeping, as well as a lot of general fish keeping topics that apply to any aquarium. I believe that regardless of the water, you should not start keeping fish until you know exactly the time and energy demands involved. A lot of people do think you buy a bowl and stick a fish in it, topping off water over time. I've met them and talked to them in the fish stores. Education, is essential for a person wanting to get into the hobby and it is incumbent upon those of us in the hobby to help the new fish keepers. Your videos are a huge help. Thanks again for what you do.

Great vid man!! Awesome info. “Giant leap for fish kind” lmao 😂

I've been very successful with keeping my one mandarin. Key I think is that there are a lot of small critters for it to eat that are breeding in the refugium and tank live rock crevices.

Captive Bred fish as much as possible Ryan, great vlog as always!

nicely done, great demonstration, thank you

Great video. Guilty of some of those aspects I'm afraid but all inhabitants are happy and thriving.

Great video. I love watching tv programmes such as the Great Barrier Reef, and seeing the fish freely swimming in the ocean does make me feel like I shouldn’t be keeping them in a glass box. I have two 3ft 180 litres tanks that have a mixture of small marine fish and soft corals. I feed a wide range of foods such as frozen, flake and pellets. I also go to great efforts to try and help my fish settle, like I have added a devils finger coral that my clown fish happily hosts. I’ve had my clown fish and coral beauty angel for nine years and they are still healthy. I have also added a spotted mandarin and to make sure it has a natural diet I am buying 15 packs of copepods a week and also trying to grow them. I do find keeping two tanks a bit of a struggle and I would like to go to one 4ft tank, I also think it would benefit my coral beauty as I don’t think it has enough space in a 3 ft tank. The problem I have is if I change to a 4ft tank I would have to rehome some of my fish as they may not get along in one tank. I have a coral beauty in one tank that’s 9 years old and a flame back angel in the other tank that’s a year old, I also have a Midas blenny in one tank and a dot dash blenny in the other tank. I could quite easily take the flame back angel and the dot dash blenny to my local shop but I don’t want to do this as I don’t feel it is right. I bought the fish and they are settled so why should I stress them out catching them just to take them to a shop where they will just be put up for sale and then caught and stressed out again. If I could find someone with a large established tank that would take them then I would rehome them. So although I want to upgrade to one 4 ft tank as it would give my coral beauty more space I can’t do it, and I won’t do it until I can find a way of Rehoming some of my fish without stressing them too much. As you say too many people just get rid of there fish without thinking of there well being. These are fragile sensitive creatures we are keeping that should really be left in the ocean so if we are going to keep them then we need to do the best we can for them and too many people don’t.

Great question. I think in the long run, were helping as if more stuff before aquactured, were preserving the oceans and also creating a way of safeguarding fish even after the oceans are gone. What is that at 1.35?

Great video bud. I've been following for some time now and have final got around to getting myself a EAreef Pro 900s. Bit of a strange question for you. Do you know if your local shop would get you a fish you were after in for you? I'm not ready for live stock yet but one fish or pair I really want is a goby, pistol shrimp pair. Would they get them in if I asked?

That wise man who said, we don't keep fish, we keep water, he is Mr David Saxby. The managing director of the D D Aquarium solutions Ltd

4:40 this is VERY important! I lost a pair of clownfish that jumped into the all in one filter in my tank and got eaten by the pump, great vid btw Also at 6:00 i find this with my fish too. With my tank i feed twice a day, in the morning and at night, and my fish are extremely friendly. Even my shrimp knows who i am. But with my dads tank he has an auto feeder and his fish arent as personable.

Maintaining a Reef tank has grown my respect for the ocean. Before having a tank I might have touched corals while scuba diving, now I'd rather not see vacationers diving near ocean reefs. Ethical or not it has been essential in learning and teaching about the fragility of the ocean which goes hand and hand with humanities survival on earth. I don't own the fish or coral, I own the responsibility of keeping them alive.

What test kits do you recommend? I feel like mine is crap, and I’d like to improve my water testing. Please include all parameters you test regularly

Well said! Good thought provoking video. Are we doing everything we should for our livestock? Thanks for sharing!

i made myself an oath to never buy wild caught fish as i find it unacceptable to take wild animals from the most pressured environment on earth only to stuff them in a box for my enjoyment. Instead i try to adopt all my fish from other reefers who don't want them anymore. That way i can enjoy all the marine fish i like while also being a 100% sure that i'm also improving their quality of life and having no negative impact on the environment. it's more work and you can't always get what you want but i believe it is cruel to buy wild animals as long as there are those in need of adoption.

Woah, a post where I'm not sleep deprived at 3 am. Woohoo

Great video. P.S Did you every try breeding those fish that were spawning?

Your videos are so much better than before

I think its ethical as long as your tank is up and thriving! Love the question and nice video!

how did u get butterfly fish in there my yellow tang attacked and emperor attacked too

Ive made my share of mistakes. I began keeping saltwater fish in 1975 as a 14 year old kid. 30 gallon tank. It was a total struggle at the expense of the fish I tried to keep. So I stopped-because the technology and systems werent anything like we have today. I didnt realize how selfish I was reveling at the beauty-only to slowly kill off what I was trying to keep-It was my fault. Especially witnessing reefs in the wild while diving. Flash forward to 2017. I went all in, bought the BIGGEST tank I could afford, with the filtration in a sump with UV sterilization etc etc, with very expensive lighting, and able to keep and have all corals and fish THRIVE. Ive learned a lot. Including from both, those that think they know-BUT DONT, and from those who do know. Ethical? Why yes, but it is UNETHICAL to fool ones self at the tanks inhabitants expense. Thats just flat out f*cked up- my .02 cents worth.

Hi I am quite new to the hobby I have just lost my two clowns / lemon peel and one blue chromis to ich (white spot) to try and save the rest, ihave quarantined them in a nano 35 liter and stated treating with cupramime but had to take out all the filter media. Please please can you advise or guide me how to keep water as best as I can for the next 30 days of treatment if they survive? only thing is a 25% or 50% water change ???? Fish been in my main tanks over 8 weeks Paul

I dig your video man!

Very good video and lots to think about

As long as they have a good sized tank and are fed well, then I think it actually allows the fish to live longer than the wild.

I know I’m late to the party but I did some research before coming across this and it reminds us of a crucial fact. Most animals if not all animals we keep in our reef tanks do not have the level of intelligence to think beyond this : 1. Do I have enough food 2. Can I breed 3. Can I live in this area (tank size not restricting movement etc) So imho if you can 1. Feed the fish well 2. If your keeping community fish having friends for them (eg dwarf angels is a grey area as if they don’t get along they will fight to the death) 3. If the fish will be healthy in the tank they won’t care otherwise Essentially if you can look after the fish well they would rather be in your tank than the ocean, as in. The ocean 1. They don’t know when their next meal is or if there is a next meal 2. They have to fight for a mate 3. They have to fend off predators and overfishing So yea TLDR if you can look after the fish well it’s ethical

Great video

What is the Green spiky critter (coral/anemone?) @ 0:48 What is the translucent critter (coral/anemone?) @ 2:53

Best fish channel, you are dreamy 😍😍😍

What about all the plastic bags that are used in the hobby? Kind of ironic that fish are taken from the ocean, put in a bag, moved to wholesaler, put in another bag to retail store, the from retail store to home in most probably two more plastic bags, some of which end up in the ocean

Most fish we keep at cultured fish bred in captivity we are no doubt providing these fish a better home 99% of the time. I’ve never had a wild fish nor would I. Mostly tbh cause I’d never pay the price fire one..

It's a first world question, IME. Third world countries (where most of the livestock we keep come from) have never thought to ask themselves this question. There's no concept of conservation or sustainability. Those words don't exist in their vocabulary. Just something to think about.....

Great video! Interesting question. As with any pet, if they are well cared for then it's fine. I hate to see any animal being abused.

It's ethical if you provide a happy life and get fish that are captive bred.

Same as keeping a dog or cat. I take better care of my fish than I do me.

I agree with you. I love the content on this channel man keep posting videos

Really good points.

2:55 what is that? Aptasia or a type of anemone?

If a fish dies 1 clownfish did i cried for 2h i just got them and he died in the first few weeks i was also constantly moving them so that is what killed it.

What fish is that at the 5:20min mark ?

I think it’s ethical a great example is the bangi cordial they would’ve gone extinct without us and now there one of the most common fish and if there in a big enough tank they get good plopped in front of them and I they get ick or something we have medication which otherwise would be a death sentence

Great video! Personally I don’t think keeping fish is ethical or could be justified, it’s simply not necessary unless raising for food. I’ve accepted that I’m a selfish individual and like you said, just try to provide the best possible environment for all the critters that I selfishly plucked from the ocean and steer clear of the ones that have a very poor record. Thanks for another great video for thought! 🤓👍

great vid

Yes but lights, chillers, pumps etc running all the time maybe contributing to carbon footprint and this hastening the temperature rise of the sea and coral bleaching (if this is in fact the reason and not some disease). If it is, seems like we’ve surpassed the tipping point with reefs and these animals maybe only exist in aquariums soon.

Hi great video 👍

The way I see it is, as long as we give them a good environment and do our very best to treat them as the living creatures they are, there is nothing wrong with keeping the species we enjoy. If there’s anything that gives me comfort, it’s the fact that these same fish mostly die prematurely in the ocean due to predators and what not, whereas if given good husbandry some of them can live for a decade or even a lot more than that in our aquariums. You have very active, open water fish like Tangs, Angels, Butterflies etc. but then when it comes to less active fish like Clownfish, Gobies, Basslets, Hawkfish etc. the area of our tanks may not be that much less or may be even more than the space they use in the ocean. I also believe that every single living creature is of God’s creation, and although we are the only ones created in his image, it does not mean that other creatures such as the fish and corals we keep are any less short of the way He intended for things be to be. So, by taking good care of these creatures of the sea, from a Christian perspective it is a way to glorify God and admire His abilities when it comes to creation. Now; having said this, I am 100% supportive of mass captive breeding efforts and if I had a good selection of captive bred species to choose from, if one day most species being captive bred becomes the norm, I would see no reason to buy anything wild caught. Unfortunately, we haven’t reached that point yet so we have to make do for the meantime. I really hope that one day this changes. For me it all comes down to being a devoted and loving hobbyist and treating these creatures with the care, love, and respect they deserve whether it’s a common species or a rarer species. That, to me, gives me a lot of satisfaction knowing that I am doing my best to help them thrive. As long as that’s fulfilled, it makes me feel better about it. I mean, many species of pet birds and other pets are still being collected from the wild, but under good conditions and be with good care they still thrive.

I imagine before watching the video that the answer is going to be "yes, keeping fish in a little tank for my pleasure is ethical"

Fish aren’t (just) fish there pets and have to be respected / great video your awesome

thought provoking and interesting

I personally only buy aquacultured corals & fish... I have raised my DaVinci clownfish offspring and now I have a beautiful tank full of acropora and DaVinci clowns 😍

Such a great topic

Good to have you back! Hope you are feeling better

I have 3 saltwater aquariums I love fish had fish tanks my whole life and my family before me but as much as I love keeping fish I really think it’s not natural to keep them but it works but we will never give them what they truly need in the wild for example Constant clean water and natural sunlight we will never be able to match Nature but we can get close, we’re in gods aquarium 😉

What in the world was that thing you showed on screen when you said it was the wrong choice

This question really applys to any pets, or just about anything we as humans do. Controling and manipulating just about everything around us, playing God with our environment and everything in it. We are all guilty. There are a lot of factors to consider, as was stated, harvesting or captive breed, conditions at the breeders facility, conditions in our tanks, sustainability of those harvested, the list goes on, there are a lot of unseen, (and therefore, mostly unthought of) back-end factors contributing to the end result of keeping a fish. I belive it all boils down to attitude (again, as mentioned) and intentions. For even dogs and cats can be neglected, so is also for our finned freinds. If you dont have the time and intent to be a friend for your pet, and have it as "just something to have", it will eventually become neglected, ignored, or just another chore to take care of. I would like to believe the majority of us in this hobby,(or any pets for thst matter) truely love, and take care of our pets, but we all know this is not the case. Is how i ended up inheriting, multiple fish, a dog, and a cat, owners without the time or intent to care for them anymore. The best we can do is give them a good life. Clean, safe, healthy, stress free environment, and lots of care and attention. Attention, and affection, goes a long way, (my fish watch me as much as i watch them, i often wonder whats going on in their tiny little minds when they do). Just as a dog needs the affection, a fish also needs that attention to remain happy. Hard to explain what i mean by that, but in the wild, they have much to pay attention to, in our tanks we are the center of their universe, their God figure, so to speak (as i type this, my comet is looking over my shoulder wondering what i am doing with this glowing device.) on the other side of this arguement, it is a safer life for them, providing water quality is good, no parasites or diseases, and there are no behavioral disputes. they are not fighting for survival, as they would in the wild. Free to enjoy a leisurely, stress free, life. one more thing, i totally agree, covers, while often overlooked, are so important. a screen, or glass lids with tight fitting backsplashes. A lesson i learned the hard way as i had glass tops, but still lost a fish and an eel without the backsplash. As always, your questions are thought provoking, and tough to answer simply, And as always, great video, with absolutly beatiful images.

If they are harmed and won't survive in wild yes. Also thriving. But I still love my thriving reef👌👌👌

Such a good video!! Thank you for this, everything you said was spot on in my opinion!

you said it all😁😁😁👏👏👏👏👏

1:39 nemo exists

I know this is a older video, but I am in the middle, I feel like if the fish is captive bred perfectly fine! If it is wild caught with cyanide NO! If it was caught by net without chemicals it’s not good, but not horrible! If you can get it captive bred always go that route

Well its ethical if you give them good care they need if you fail to give them poor to little care then its unethical .

You've bred yellow and scopas tangs, in a domestic tank? Hmm sounds highly improbable.

When are you going to do your next live stream?

is it ethical to eat fish? or other animals?

Great video!

well no one can denied reef hobby is tuff when people think of it look simple but its not but you also need a bit luck

I love that your videos always make me think

Fish bred in captivity yeah I think we’re okay

I do feel certain fish probably should not be kept by hobbyist due to very poor survival rate. Some of those are even best kept in an appropriate tank. Kept the mandarin in a smaller cube tank that is easily stocked with copepods and limited big fast fish, just giving him a chance to get to the food is half the battle.

It’s about time the new generation asks the question.

for us to enjoy them, unfortunately they have to be shipped all over the world. I have one in my tank. Most fish live a very short time in the wild. they have to constantly look out for predators and find food every day. That being said, some of us hobbyists, we do not take care of things. So is it ethical? Well if you try to give the best life possible, it is your choice. You have good points though in your video.

Keep them coming :)

I feel it’s relatively ethical if the animals appear to be thriving. Nice video 👍🏻

Some really interesting points

100% ethical. The same goes for people who keep certain animals like ball pythons or tarantulas . Certain animals naturally do not need more that what they are given in peoples home. With that said, we need to make sure we give them “more” than what they need. That’s why I never put fish in a “minimum sized” aquarium. I think if we do that, we can provide these animals with long,healthy, and happy lives.

It’s not ethical at all. We can try to give these fish the best possible life by practicing good husbandry, but these animals were better off in the ocean. The only ethical reef tank is a 100% captive bred one and that’s basically a unicorn.

beta fish, red clawed crabs, neon tetras, guppies, ghost shrimp, seas snails, gold fish, glo-fish, algae-sucking catfish, blue gourami fish all multiple copies dead thanks to me they had long, poor breathing condition , over polluted, underfed, deaths. Because I wanted free entertainment and didn't feel like changing 2.5 gallons every 2 months, or even add food to a battery powered feeder because I just "forgot". 8 years of on/off keeping other beings and realizing the world owes me a bad time for me imposing a bad time on what I ignorantly assumed was my right to assume over others because I'm bigger and have the room. Now I make sure what gets recreated in the exospheres of projected, duplicate realities, NEVER includes someone who doesn't want to be there because that's the 1 thing I might have contributed to, and the 1 thing that justifies their broken attitude in another form.

Not reptiles not snakes not fish there is no such thing as enough space.

All we can do is try our best, whether it be salt or fresh water, wild or captive. I believe it is something that morals will take over, whether you research to give your finned children the best life they can or you just get the basics and go with your gut, sometimes just going with your gut feeling when it comes to fish is more effective than research. A fish tank can become a science experiment when you think about it from this aspect, because you may think you have the secret for a certain breed to thrive, well that is my opinion anyway.

point blank nope

It's a tricky subject, but i think fish keepers can keep their tanks and not feel guilty, as we're helping to fund big aquaculturing projects, which aren't just for the public,they're being used to save reefs etc. But things like keeping betta fish in unfiltered tanks should be banned asap.

I dunno, I was taught God made these fish, and other animals in general, to be enjoyed by mankind, so as long as you treat them with dignity and know what your doing, why not?

I scolded my LFS for brining in moorish idol's.

Fish keeping is as ethical as eating fish sticks.

All we can do is try our best

A good question... if these were the only species and specimens on earth and we were breeding to save the species then it would be ethical. If we mistreat or are cruel then no not ethical. Wild fish... ethical. Yes if they are sustainable and or a pest

I have a 10 gallon tank with one baby clownfish named nemo

Removing fish from the wild is never good people just need to learn to be better at breeding fish

Great questions. Its tuff question. I subbed thanks consider checking out my channel I support wildlife conservation could use your inpur. Thanks

How about leaving them alone in the open waters where they're evolved to be and realize that it's not okay to imprison these beautiful creatures just because they look Gorgeous.