Wild Caught

[Randy]

During my trip last weekend to Big Al,s. I noticed on some of their tanks that they had stickers that said "WILD CAUGHT". Now I,m thinking to myself - - - - -yea right , is this some kind of selling gimmick or what? So my questions are - - - - how do I know that they are wild caught , it,s just their word against mine. If they are , who catches them anyway? Wouldn,t they be more stressed out during being caught and then bagged and then shipped out from wherever? If they are wild caught wouldn,t it be a benefit to have as much info on them as possible before buying them? Shouldn,t Big Al,s provide this info to their customers? :evil:

[jonah]

[quote:4362bb029f="Randy"]If they are wild caught wouldn,t it be a benefit to have as much info on them as possible before buying them? Shouldn,t Big Al,s provide this info to their customers? :evil:[/quote:4362bb029f]

If they're wild caught or not, the buyer will benefit from researching the fish before buying them. The only thing Big Al's owes the customer is the proper name attached to the fish, healthy stock and a clearly marked price.

The benefit of wild caught is that the fish aren't as likely to be inbred. If you plan on breeding the fish you might be better off with wild caught. You also can get older fish that are ready to breed. That's important if you want to breed a slow grower like Alto. calvus or Frontosa. There are some fish that won't breed in an artificial setting as well, like clown loaches, so they have to be wild caught.

[Randy]

Can you get "wild caught" Apisto Borelli/??

[Howie]

There are many retailers both online or otherwise that offer 'wild caught' fish at a premium. From my perspective it all boils down to trust and reputation. I would speak to your local aquarium society and find out the reputation of your merchant. People in this business model do not last very long if they do not deliver what they promise. Word of mouth spreads fast, especially dissatisfaction!

Howie

[Randy]

thanxxx for the great info