This question is springing up from my "thread of the day" yesterday:
It seems like there may be an unquantified and unmet need for helping marine fish and invertebrates find new tanks. Casual hobbyists may lack clear guidance and connections to other reefers for finding new homes for the fish they thought would work but turns out don't. I imagine the LFS fills most of this need in the form of returned livestock and store credits. I also found facebook groups dedicated to rehoming fish.
credit @littlefoxx and her beautiful purple tang.
I know in my case, I've gone to local forums to find people to take tank inhabitants that I couldn't care for: my Saron shrimp that I couldn't get to eat, a bleached torch that I couldn't get back in shape, urchins and turbos once I didn't have algae left for them (Ok, I did hand feed them for months, but finally figured they'd be happier in a tank with algae!)...
So how would fostering for marine fish and invertebrates work?
1. Set up a separate foster tank? Or into your DT? If in your DT, how are you getting them out?
2. Is the stress of moving from tank to tank too great? Or is it still a good deed?
3. What happens when your foster fish/invert doesn't get along with the others?
4. Do you put them through QT?
5. Stick to rehoming locally? Or would you ship?
...
Lots of questions on if/how this would work. First and foremost, is there a need? Maybe this has all been covered already. Maybe the experts want to chime in and point us in the right direction! And THANK YOU to those of you out there already doing this.
Take care of your animals and they will thrive and make you happy
Rummaging through old files and found the first pics taken of our Spanish greyhoud (fish pics to follow). This was my boy in 2011 when he was found on the streets outside of Sevilla, Spain emaciated and with a busted up knee. Here he is now on the new rug I bought this week, which promptly...
www.reef2reef.com
It seems like there may be an unquantified and unmet need for helping marine fish and invertebrates find new tanks. Casual hobbyists may lack clear guidance and connections to other reefers for finding new homes for the fish they thought would work but turns out don't. I imagine the LFS fills most of this need in the form of returned livestock and store credits. I also found facebook groups dedicated to rehoming fish.
credit @littlefoxx and her beautiful purple tang.
I know in my case, I've gone to local forums to find people to take tank inhabitants that I couldn't care for: my Saron shrimp that I couldn't get to eat, a bleached torch that I couldn't get back in shape, urchins and turbos once I didn't have algae left for them (Ok, I did hand feed them for months, but finally figured they'd be happier in a tank with algae!)...
So how would fostering for marine fish and invertebrates work?
1. Set up a separate foster tank? Or into your DT? If in your DT, how are you getting them out?
2. Is the stress of moving from tank to tank too great? Or is it still a good deed?
3. What happens when your foster fish/invert doesn't get along with the others?
4. Do you put them through QT?
5. Stick to rehoming locally? Or would you ship?
...
Lots of questions on if/how this would work. First and foremost, is there a need? Maybe this has all been covered already. Maybe the experts want to chime in and point us in the right direction! And THANK YOU to those of you out there already doing this.