shutting it down...Why???

[tjhjunior]

After 8 years in the reef hobby, I have decided to shut down my 90 gallon reef because of the electricity and water consumption, the harvesting of ocean livestock, and for the simple reason that I feel a sense of guilt that my desire for cultivating something for looks in my home is senseless because it is not productive but rather "indiscriminately" consuming. It is weird but I am not sure why I have come to feel this way. Most likely, I feel it is hard to justify the consumption of natural living things outside of their natural environment that are not beneficial to me beyond an aesthetic selfish appeal. Sorry if this is a bummer, but maybe some others out there have been thinking of this.

[mfp1016]

I use my reef tank to conduct an independent study of marine biology, which is why I only buy aquacultured coral. I do agree though, natural collection of fish and coral is detrimental to reefs.

[treedesign]

Perhaps someday there will be a truly sustainable way to participate in our hobby, and then you can dive back in. I applaud your sense of responsibility. I know living things (even tank raised) as aesthetic objects can be a difficult hurdle to overcome, given we cannot interact with fish the way we would with a dog. Maybe you can focus your newly recovered time to advancing the hobby toward that kind of sustainability. I always hate to have the hobby lose a participant, for any reason, but personal values take precedence any day.

Recently, I've gone to keeping mostly macroalgae, as it is easily cultivated, and have disconnected as much equipment as I can manage from my system. However now I am concerned with the pile of used parts that I cannot easily return to the environment. And I know the issue is bigger than 'how big of a solar panel will run my pumps?'...we still have a long way to go.

I've never considered leaving the hobby for this reason, as I am too hopelessly addicted to trying to mimic mother nature. But once again I applaud your sense of responsibility.

[scarletknight06]

I agree with you totally. But as a materialist it is hard for me to completely give up hope of participating in this hobby.

I actually just started a thread on this topic. Please share your thoughts.

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...readid=1214385

You should also consider that if you shut down your tank, your animals will go to others homes who might not care for them as you do. Personally I find the number of fish we kill and our lack of remorse and inability to learn from the experience disgusting.

[rcypert]

Why dont you focus on trying to make your tank energy efficient? Also focus your spending dollars only supporting aquacultured specimens for your tank. If your uncomfortable supporting wild collection you can have a beautiful tank without taking a single thing from the wild? Having a tank also stimulates people to be more active in there communities, do more to protect natural resources, and stimulates the economy. There is a lot of good in these tanks. You have to be a good person yourself though. I think the problem is people not fish tanks.

[rcypert]

Are you a vegetarian? Cause eating meat is 100 times more damaging to the reefs and environment then collecting a 3 inch fish once a month. The by catch of the commercial fishing industry dwarfs any damage that this industry could cause. All of us have much to be guilty about but I hope you don't think your a better person for not having a fish tank. Try going without meat for a few days. Try bicycling to work. Then think about the damage that we do and try to see how this hobby stacks up to some other things. If you want to make the world a better place for animals think about factory farming and the harvesting of fish for human consumption.

[samtheman]

Stop the logic. Let guilt have its run.

[scotmc]

Looks like you need an excuse to get out of the hobby. You list golf as an interest. what is more "indiscriminately" consuming than a gof course?

[samtheman]

Originally posted by scotmc
Looks like you need an excuse to get out of the hobby. You list golf as an interest. what is more "indiscriminately" consuming than a gof course?

Fertilizer run off is killing the reefs.

[HoopsGuru]

Keep in mind you already have livestock that cannot be returned to the wild. If the animals are the focal point, frag and trade away all of your corals. Then, you can reduce your lighting to simple flourescents for your fish. After all of them have lived their lives, then I would say it is admirable to tear down your tank.

[Aussie_hippie_2]

Thanks rcypert, for that is exactly my reasoning on the subject. Our earth is why I'm vego, among other things. I went through a period where I was thinking about giving up the hobby, but considering the biggest tank I own is a 29g, I decided I could save that much CO2 but cutting down one car trip a week. Honestly though, the golf thing kind of tugs at me. How can you give up this hobby, and yet continue golfing, which is absolutly disastrous for the planet?

[RumLad]

Just how is golf "absolutely disastrous" to the planet?

Oh, and how do you partake in "extreme skiing" without doing any damage to the environment?

[ActinopteryGuy]

Originally posted by Aussie_hippie_2
Honestly though, the golf thing kind of tugs at me. How can you give up this hobby, and yet continue golfing, which is absolutly disastrous for the planet?

I understand your logic on the golf thing, but it seems hypocritical to condemn someone for their behavior while your own life may be less then green. While I agree lawns in general are a complete waste I don't think this is the forum for responsible landscaping or responsible activities.

With that said, tjhjunior it is becoming more and more possible to have a completely aqua-cultured tank keep what you have and only buy what you know is tank raised.
It seems though that your mind is made up, and continue to expand your new zero impact policy throughout your life.

[RumLad]

Originally posted by rcypert
Are you a vegetarian? Cause eating meat is 100 times more damaging to the reefs and environment then collecting a 3 inch fish once a month. The by catch of the commercial fishing industry dwarfs any damage that this industry could cause. All of us have much to be guilty about but I hope you don't think your a better person for not having a fish tank. Try going without meat for a few days. Try bicycling to work. Then think about the damage that we do and try to see how this hobby stacks up to some other things. If you want to make the world a better place for animals think about factory farming and the harvesting of fish for human consumption.

Wow, that is mighty presumptuous of you to assume any of those things about the OP.

Perhaps, just perhaps, he/she cannot justify the large amounts of resources that a marine tank consumes, no matter the origination. Oh, and btw, I don't think that commercial fishermen routinely kill off entire reef structures in order to capture a variety of fish that only end up in the aquarium trade. That, my friend, is the sole proprietarship of the aquarium fish trade, not to mention their quset for "decorative" rock, corals, crustaceans etc..

It's the OP perogative to remove themselves from the vicious cycle of supply and demand that drives the industry to greater and greater depths.

And don't even get me started on the RO/DI by-pass water consumption stuff. What do you do with yours, if I may ask?

[tjhjunior]

Actually, good point about the golf courses. I got bored with golf and don't play anymore. I recently realized how the turf treatments bring up other environmental issues. However, I am not qualified to comment on the impact. Good comments though.

[RumLad]

Most golf courses these days practice environmentally sound turf management practices. The old days of wonton fertilizer use are just that, the old days. In a lot of suburban settings, the golf courses are the last vestiges of greenery. The CO2 exchange rates in these areas are a great benefit, environmentally speaking. So please, lets not tar a whole industry based on misplaced beliefs and antiquated thinking. Much like some folks do with the marine hobby, and we know how much we hate that, don't we?

[Aussie_hippie_2]

Sorry, forgot to mention how much I admire you for giving it up. God knows I couldn't if I were in your position.

[IndigoSea]

OP: I do admire you for giving up the hobby due to the reasons you provided. Doing something you do not want to do but are doing because it's what you believe is right is a very admirable thing.

Originally posted by rcypert
Are you a vegetarian? Cause eating meat is 100 times more damaging to the reefs and environment then collecting a 3 inch fish once a month. The by catch of the commercial fishing industry dwarfs any damage that this industry could cause. All of us have much to be guilty about but I hope you don't think your a better person for not having a fish tank. Try going without meat for a few days. Try bicycling to work. Then think about the damage that we do and try to see how this hobby stacks up to some other things. If you want to make the world a better place for animals think about factory farming and the harvesting of fish for human consumption.

Good points! Factory farming and overfishing are environmentally detrimental practices, and going vegetarian or vegan is a huge thing one can do in order to downgrade their individual carbon/pollution footprint. Here are a few comments on how many resources are consumed by livestock:

"Farmed animals consume 70 percent of the corn, wheat, and other grains that we grow, and one-third of all the raw materials and fossil fuels used in the U.S. go to raising animals for food. "

"To date, probably the most reliable and widely-accepted water estimate to produce a pound of beef is the figure of 2,500 gallons/pound . Newsweek once put it another way: "the water that goes into a 1,000 pound steer would float a destroyer." "

"In her 1971 classic Diet for a Small Planet, she calculated that it took 21 pounds of grain to produce one pound of beef, and that an acre of land devoted to cereals could produce five times as much protein as an acre devoted to meat production. Since then, beef producers have improved their efficiency, but when we take into account the fact that only about half the weight of a steer is boneless beef, 13 pounds of grain are required to produce that single pound of beef. With pigs, it takes about six pounds of grain to produce one pound of boneless pork. But even these figures are flattering to meat production, because a pound of meat contains much more water than a pound of grain does."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programme...ht/5313424.stm

I don't feel too much guilt about the water my 75 gallon consumes (as from the above it looks like eating less than half an ounce of beef uses about 75 gallons- and I'm vegan) I'm otherwise very environmentally conscious, especially where water is concerned. My main concerns are the ethics of taking wild creatures into captivity, although I have very few fish, and have done my best to only get tank-bred specimens. I am getting a lighting upgrade because I wish to start a reef, and I am adamant that my reef will be seeded by aquacultured frags.
Though that being said, the impact on wild reefs made my our hobby is next to NOTHING compared to oceanic pollution, speed boats, seaside development, hyper-tourism, etc.

I do believe that it's very hard for humans to care about what they do not know. To save something you have to love it; to love something you have to know it. This hobby has given me an appreciation of the delicacy and wonder of wild reefs I don't think I would have had without it, and it's my mission to show everyone I know my aquarium, let them play with my cleaner shrimp, and have my yellow goby sit on their hands. I know if nothing else I've put a few people off of ever eating shrimp again! And hopefully they will also know a bit more about the ocean, and love it a little more.
It's a tall order I know! But I believe it's a very powerful justification.

[samtheman]

WOW!

[davidryder]

Shutting down an aquarium is hardly an inconvenient sacrifice. Make a real difference and sell your car(s) or stop having kids. The impact of one human being will do more damage during their life (vegan or not) than you can possibly hope to save by shutting down your aquarium. The planet can only handle so many humans - you're talking about one drop (aquarium) vs 1,000,000 gallons (human).

And while it may not conserve energy, having a saltwater aquarium can raise awareness to future generations and inspire a sympathetic attitude towards the destruction of our oceans.

[Prodd]

I would applaud anyone for there thinking that they can make a difference. Ok, your only 1 person however it only takes 1 million people to think the same and we start getting somewhere. I am by no means 'green' although i am open to new experiences and ideas. I ask you a question. 'How much did you learn from having your aquarium before you came to this decision?' Did you realize the damage done by having an aquarium has caused you to rectify your mistake and more? We are animals ourself s, our amazing ability to learn has propelled us to the top of the food chain and allowed us to proliferate the earth and even space. An electric car with batteries powered by wind or solar renewable sources (which can now be done) has only been developed because of intelligence. This intelligence that drove the industrial age, the invention of plastics etc. would not have come about without going through these periods. We are animals and our craving for power has come from natural selection (a completely natural act). We cant suddenly drop everything and start living the good life in a mud hut on an allotment living off the vegetables we grow ourself s. The decision and need to begin channeling our energies into creating a better environment start by the realization of the destruction we have done.
My point is don't just stop. Learn what you can and pick paper over plastic next time, slowly the world will follow and supply and demand will have to get greener or go bust. Development is the key.

[RumLad]

Why not just bring your own string bag next time and bypass the whole paper / plastic debate?
It's basic tasks such as this that will contribute much to the conservation of our rersources.

[waitnuwillc]

Following this line of thought to its logical end leads to an inescapable conclusion.All human activity is detrimental to the environment as it is.We change any place we touch.If you don't want to participate in this change there is only one solution.Don't touch anything.Good luck with that!Or accept that your own happiness is the most important thing to you,and act accordingly.

[liveforphysics]

In my own life, my experiences gained through reefkeeping has changed my outlook on the enviroment. I can now see how my actions are able to impact an ecosystem.

This sort of thinking I gained from my reef inspired my to buy a Honda Insight which gets around 70mpg (if I drive nice, 60mpg if I drive more spirited). I also focus on a more veggy intensive diet now, and never buy wild caught salmon.

Reef lighting inspired me to buy new energy efficient lighting for my home.

I also let my lawn die every summer, and ride my bike to work or light shopping on sunny days.

I didn't do these things prior to a reef opening my eyes.

My reef has definately lowered my enviromental impact.

[A.T.T.R]

try donating your reef to a school maybe even still take care of it there.
at the school the education it provides will do alot more good then the energy wasted.. show some one a nice coral reef and they will want to save it.. tell some one and they cant care less