PFK Fishnews: Galaxy rasbora under threat

[XnSdVd]

Actually from the looks of it, only the surrounding areas were trampled flat. Habitat destruction would apply to only the amphibians around the pond. Not so much the fish in it.

All they need to do i throw in some plants, leave the fish alone and make sure nothing toxic gets dumped into the pond and within about a year, we should see the rasboras back at their original numbers.

[oblivion]

seems like supply has dwindled as well
have not seem them on sale at the few lfs i visited the past mth or so.

but its true prices for it have gone way low.
when it 1st popped up they were selling for like 6-7 bucks apiece

last time i saw they were retailing for 1.5 to 2 bucks

i bought mine for only 1 buck per piece (due to bargaining n gd relations with lfs boss)

glad to say that all 16 of them are thriving n doing well
abit shy n tend to hide when i stick my face in front of the tank
but feeding well even with a diet of only sera bits and spirulina tabs
tho supposedly they prefer live food

no spawining seen so far tho

[Shaihulud]

This is abit irresponsible, the fishes were just introduced to the aquarium trade! i thought that the discoverers were trying to dole it out in small quantities so that it would remain a valued commodity. I supposed that it would be quite a hard thing to do because they breed easily so far as i know, various fish farms must be breeding them already and the original discoverers must be squeezing it for all its worth.

[gills]

I am so so surpised and sad to know that 'galaxies' have been threatened because i only saw them in the LFS a few months back and thought that they were really beautiful. but alas, now they are like going extinct?! My goodness. Was actually planning to buy some, but not anymore.

I think what we can do now will be to find ways to breed them fast so that we can hopefully replenish them in the wild. I understand that their habitat has been destroyed so no use putting them back for poaching. However if we can breed them in large amount commercially, won't that discourage the poachers from destroying their habitat just to get to them? Then we will be able to introduce them back into the wild. Is that feasible?

I don't really know as I am really not a very good analyser.

[Quixotic]

I think what we can do now will be to find ways to breed them fast so that we can hopefully replenish them in the wild. I understand that their habitat has been destroyed so no use putting them back for poaching. However if we can breed them in large amount commercially, won't that discourage the poachers from destroying their habitat just to get to them? Then we will be able to introduce them back into the wild. Is that feasible?

Yes, having them farm bred will help drive down the demand for wild stocks. This hopefully will discourage collectors from the collection site.

However, it's a double edge sword, as aquarists often covet wild fishes and are willing to pay higher prices for them. Things are not as simple as it seems...

The main concern right now is how to possibly allow the habitat to recover. Stop buying the fishes may help as it will buy some time for the fishes.

But it also depends on how much of the habitat is destroyed, if there is a hope for recovery.

Re-introducing them in the wild is feasible as long as the habitat is in tact. The problem is that there is only one known habitat.

If they are to be introduced in habitats other than the original one, I would say scientific studies may be necessary to look at the impacts of the changes.

[gills]

i see.thanks for enlighting me.

[XnSdVd]

Actually... as someone who's constantly looking for "wild" fish. I must say it's more a matter of wanting genetically unique specimens than anything. If there was a farm that would cater to such tastes i'd be happy to buy from them.

By this i mean a Harlequin from sarawak isn't the same as a harlequin from johor. And the harlequin at the shop is probably a mix of both localities

[ahaetulla]

my goodness, i did not realise the impact of our purchase habits. I myself just bought a group of these beauties a few days back, and as much as i would like to increase the size of my collection, i think i would refrain from that after reading this thread. there is often a conflict between the desire to own a piece of nature and the destructions that follow these desires. I do hope awareness on species preservation can be spread to ensure a more harmonious balance between our hobbies and the natural environment, especially since its our love for nature that has made us pick up this hobby.

Agreed, it's difficult to reconcile the two! Ultimately though as consumers we can choose not to buy them and hopefully those who choose to will think carefully before doing so (will they be able to care for the fish? And perhaps even breed them?) Just my 2cents' worth here but I think this responsibility applies to all fishkeepers.

Hobbyist demands can kill off rare species, but captive breeding efforts can also save them from extinction. Hopefully it will be experienced keepers who buy, treasure and eventually breed these rare wildcaught fish, and not impulse or irresponsible buyers.

[shadowfax23]

Sigh! Yesterday, I was at this local fish shop and I saw at least 8 pieces of this fish being cramped into betta tanks. Today, I visited the same shop and there's only 2 left. Then a guy came and bought the last 2.

If only there's low demand, then the supply will be more sustainable.

[Quixotic]

I think the demand is considerably less right now. There are more aquarists around the world who reported spawnings, so I think the farms are possibly doing so as well.

[XnSdVd]

Excellent news! And seeing as how they all come from one location, people like me won't have a problem with farm bred specimens since they're exactly the same as wild caught ones

[StanChung]

My friend has had success! He showed me about ten very small ~1/2cm specimens-still pale and juvies. Said he had 50pc spawn. Clap clap!

[inimicus]

So the Galaxies sold in the shops now are still wild specimens?

[Quixotic]

Since the discovery of the fish, several new populations have been found in other locations. That has somewhat eased the immediate threat faced by the fish found in the original location. The government of Myanmar has banned exports of the fish in February 2007 but it is unclear to what degree the ban was enforced.

See Wikipedia, Celestichthys margaritatus, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celestichthys_margaritatus (as of Feb. 4, 2008, 17:38 GMT).

We still see them in the LFS from time to time, they don't seem to be tank bred, and existing tank bred stocks have not been known, so presumably they are still wild fish.

As the threat is still very real, it would be great if anyone owning them can carry on breeding them.

[inimicus]

Was thinking of buying some when i saw them in the lfs few days back....i think i won't now.

(Edit: I have split your post here http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...ad.php?t=37121 to faciliate better response and management of thread content.)

[lampeye]

According to the large galaxy rasbora thread on Petfrd.com, they are being bred commercially in Germany, so I can't imagine they wouldn't be elsewhere.

[ahaetulla]

Yes, but cost-wise it might be more profitable to continue importing wild-caught specimens rather than captive-breed. Unless Singaporean fishkeepers begin to demand fish from sustainable and/or captive-bred sources, the origin of many fish species sold in local LFS will remain unclear and unstated.

[k3nlim]

Just saw some of the fishes in C328 this week, if i am not mistaken. Are they still on the endangered list?

[Quixotic]

Actually it's their original habitat locality that is under threat of destruction, but seeing how it isn't too difficult to breed them, I wouldn't be surprised that stocks in LFS will be aquarium bred eventually (who knows, perhaps even now, as we speak).

Not sure how the original habitat locality is recovering, and as I understood it, the distribution of these fishes thankfully isn't restricted to the original habitat locality.

[freshfish]

so sad that such beautiful fishes are in danger of becoming extinct in the wild .