Marine Fish That Do Not Belong in Aquaria
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We wish that we could say that all marine fish sold in the aquarium industry were great specimens that if properly cared for, would live a long time. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Some saltwater fish simply should not be kept in home aquariums.

Our philosophy: 
If it won't live in a hobbyist's aquarium, it should not even be offered for sale. This is a position we have maintained publicly for some time now. Although the sale of these species has declined, at least in larger aquarium stores, many fish that will rarely survive in aquaria, including the Blue Ribbon Eel, Rhinomuraena quaesita, pictured above,  are still being sold in aquarium stores. Based on our experience, some of these species should not even be kept by public aquaria. Yet we have observed them wasting away, under so-called "expert" care, in public aquariums across the United States. 

If a public aquarium, with all its knowledge and vast resources, cannot maintain a particular species, what is it doing for sale in an aquarium store? Retail stores that carry these species should realize that they are contributing to the eventual doom of the trade, at least as we know it. You should either boycott these stores, or inform the owners that you do not approve of them selling these fish. Accept no excuses. Store owners or personnel that try to reason with you on the subject, are either in denial, unknowledgeable, or plain-old irresponsible. There are many hundreds of beautiful and fascinating species that will not only survive, but will thrive in aquaria, often longer than they would in the wild, due to a lack of predation and parasites. There is simply no reason to trade in, or display, species that do not have a good record of survival in aquariums.

Why won't these fish survive in an aquarium?
Some species may have special requirements that we cannot provide, such as a special diet. The Moorish Idol and almost all Parrotfish, for instance, feed almost exclusively on live coral, a resource too precious to be used as fish food. Other species may only survive under certain conditions, or may not be kept in close quarters with many of the other available species, such as Seahorses or Pipefish. Some fish that shoal (school) together in the wild, will not live for a long time if they are not kept with large numbers of the same species (There are however, a large number of shoaling fish that will do well if kept by themselves). Some species we’ve listed may be particularly sensitive to certain disease vectors. Achilles and Powder Blue Tangs for example, do not handle stress well, and are particularly susceptible to lateral line diseases and Oodinium.

Some so-called "experts" would strongly disagree with us on certain species we’ve named in our list. There are always going to be exceptions to any rule. Some hobbyists may be willing to slave over their sensitive specimens. Others may be willing to set up special habitats for certain species, such as Seahorses. Then there will always be the one hobbyist who has kept a fish we've listed for years with little or no problems.

We admit that this list includes species that are sometimes kept successfully, under the right conditions. Our list is based on many criteria, and we've tried to qualify those species that may be considered borderline, adding comments to that effect when necessary. Our point in compiling this list, is that there are hundreds of species that will do well in aquaria, and have been proven to survive even longer, in some cases, than they would in the wild. We feel there is no reason to sell species that have a history of being difficult. 

This practice is irresponsible and ignorant. It isn’t fair to new aquarium hobbyists, who rely on the collective knowledge of an aquarium store to sell fish that will do well. It is especially unfair to these fish, who eventually join the ranks of millions that have died needlessly, their bodies decomposing in our dumps and landfills, when just a few short weeks or months before, they had been thriving in the ocean. Are we trying to make you feel bad? No! We are simply trying to open your eyes to one of the darker sides of the hobby we all enjoy.

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