Why is there a Collector's Forum?

[Anonymous]

DAA = death after arrival. I never heard of any cut off date for DAA so I use it for deaths, a month later even But your right, I'm sure there's a bunch of them instachops out there. Glad I don't live in that world

 

[Entacmaea]

I have no evidence to refute people's claims here, many of which make some sense, but I guess I'm skeptical of the assertion that rare fish are collected with more precision, or at lower numbers. If I were a business and had to wrangle the logistics and cost of diving to 300 feet for fish, I surely wouldn't just get one or two fish, I would get as many as I could. And if those fish really are not rare in nature, at 300 feet, why would collectors only take a few specimens when they could take a hundred? It makes sense that these rare fish are better treated in the supply chain, good point. I just hope it is not because so many die along the way.

Len, I did notice the propagation forum but am looking for a more wholistic message- based on the prop forum's lack-luster usage, I wonder if there would be a way for reefs.org to integrate those ethics and techniques into the forums that are seen by more people- especially newbies. How can reefs.org help incentivize hobbyists to buy more captive raised specimens? Can we "rate" retailers in some way, according to reviews AND their sustainabile practices? Can we have a low-impact reef build contest (like the nano build off)? Can we only accept advertising from retailers that sell a certain percentage of aquacultured specimens? These are just a few ideas.

 

[Len]

At 300 feet, hand-netting as many as you can is easier said then done It's like trying to play chess while drunk and in the dark. I think coming up with a dozen is a very good catch for anyone.

Some nice ideas. We have been thinking about a frag contest to see who can grow out a coral the best in their system. Logistics of it is a bit daunting though. We also promote Frags.org in our header and homepage.

 

[Entacmaea]

Good point-

Yes, and to be clear- I don't mean to insinuate that reefs.org hasn't done anything, or enough, in terms promoting captive raised purchasing oraquaculture. Certainly my philosophy in reef keeping over the last five years has been positively influenced by this board. I bought all wild-caught specimens in my first tank! But, we have an opportunity to do more is all. And the collector's forum and what is represents can be countered by additional efforts in the other direction.

Can we have a list of preferred, or reefs.org "approved" vendors for livestock? I imagine with the community we have here, we can effectively leverage traffic to those sites that are using more sustainable practices. We can come up with a matrix for evaluating vendors' livestock lists, percentage of wild-caught vs. aquacultured specimens, reviews as to the the health, price, customer service, etc. Sponsors who are on the list can receive preference for advertising location, etc.

 

[Len]

To be perfectly frank with ya, we don't have approved vendors because it influences our bottom line. We (the RDO staff) clearly aren't in this thing for the money, but there are significant business expenses that have to be covered in order for us to provide a free service in addition to the professional magazine. So we can't favor sponsors over one another with impacting our finances.

I would like to see a good hobbyist vendor rating site though. It would have to be a labor of love though, since accepting vendor advertising revenue would put its credibility into question. And vendors are also unlikely to advertise in these websites.

We are, however, selective about our sponsors. We have turned down sponsors which we do not feel were good for our members or for the hobby. And we let people comment freely on vendors, even sponsors. There are other hobbyist communities that censor this information.

 

[Anonymous]

Certainly my philosophy in reef keeping over the last five years has been positively influenced by this board. I bought all wild-caught specimens in my first tank!

Mine too. How about we encourage the more experienced among us to post a bit more in the NRF :wink: ? That is an ideal place to start educating new people.

 

[Entacmaea]

I agree- the NRF forum is where I always start, and where my aquaculture-nazi rears its ugly head!

Len- I know the dollar rules, which is unfortunate. But I can't complain since I obviously appreciate all the work ya'll do and the service this site provides. I think we could still influence vendors through rating/evaluating them though, if done smartly and transparently. Who wouldn't want to be on our list! :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

I agree- the NRF forum is where I always start, and where my aquaculture-nazi rears its ugly head!

 

[Entacmaea]

Yeah, at least I'm self-aware, right?! :lol:

We need more of them around...