That Fish Blog – Aquarium Advice and Information
For all of those who love Banded Coral Shrimp, Peppermint Shrimp, and Arrow Crabs along with all of the other fish and invertebrates found in the Caribbean, we have some great news! Last week we received our first full shipment of livestock since the earthquake in Haiti. Even better news is the availability and prices are about the same as they were before the disaster. There are still a couple of fish such as the Black Cap Basslet that are still unavailable, but they are few and far between.
On another note, Banggai Cardinal fish have been spotted in large numbers in the Lembeh Strait, according to this recent article. A snapshot of a large school of the fish was taken by Tony Wu. Depending on how you look at this, it could either be a good or a bad thing. Once only found in the Banggai Island region, they were released into other regions of the Indonesian Islands for easier collection, thus cheaper prices. Populations seem to be doing well in their new habitats. The effects of a introducing the species to foreign waters have yet to be determined. Though Banggai Cardinals are typically non-aggressive, there may still be competition with other cardinals or smaller fish for territories and food sources. Learning from the past, when species are introduced into new locations, it almost never happens without at least a small ripple.
Banggai Cardinals are still red listed according to the IUCN, a species that is considered to be threatened and on the verge of being illegal to collect. Assuming there are no ill affects to the areas around the Lembeh Strait due to the population increase of these fish, we can hope this is the first sign of a population bouncing back from over harvesting. That Fish Place will continue to not carry the Banggai Cardinal fish unless we can aquire tank bred specimens or they are removed from the IUCN’s red list.
Thanks for reading,
Cory
Arrow crab image referenced from wikipedia and originally posted by Nhobgood
Banggai Cardinal image referenced from wikipedia and originally posted by Jens Petersen
Thanks for the update on the Banggais in the wild. They are really a gentle and beautiful fish and it would be a huge loss if they become extinct due to human carelessness. I love the fact that you aren’t selling any other than the tank-raised ones. Many places cannot say the same.
Thanks!