Treat your pests with respect

magranche · 10/04/2014, 08:25 PM

Being an employee at an LFS I hear innumerable accounts of bristle worms being violently slaughtered and the genocide of asterina stars. The customers are often genuinely angry at these creatures for being in their tank and seem to feel extremely triumphant once they have decimated that specific being. This really bothers me and I will tell you why.

As the owner of an aquarium you have taken these critters from their habitat and enclosed them in their new 'world'. A world where you chose whether they deserve to exist or not. This does not seem entirely fair to me for numerous reasons.

I can guarantee you with great certainty that the suspect looking crab you just flushed had absolutely no desire to be in your aquarium! In fact, he is probably more upset than you are about his being there. That piece of live rock he came in on was his home long before you purchased it.

That bristle worm you just put in the freezer has seen parts of the world that you can only dream of seeing! And now it is being sentenced to death because you do not like it how 'creepy and crawly' it is.

The unknown nudi that you just tossed in the trash was probably doing exactly what he was programed to do.

I understand that it is completely unrealistic to expect that people will set up some elaborate hitch hiker tank. I just ask that the next time you want to throw away a living creature because it is not visually pleasing, figure out whether or not it is actually harmful. Remember that this creature is not in any way trying to sabotage your aquarium, but rather just do its job. You are responsible for this beings life now that he resides in your tank.
If it is putting the other inhabitants in immediate danger take a minute to appreciate how awesome that creature is and that you will likely never experience half of the things he/she/it has.

Rant over

share your thoughts as I'm sure many of you think what I have said is ridiculous.

p.s - my degree is in social work so it is only natural that I advocate for those that cannot do so for themselves...right?

rcmania · 10/04/2014, 09:11 PM

Not sure why they would want to get rid of those. Hell I asked my LFS for a bristle worm. Not really for the DT but goes great in the sump. Same for the crab. Well if he isnt bothering corals I would just leave him in the DT. But if its one that is ticking of corals then I would just place him in the sump also. I like looking at the little critters in the sump just as much as I like looking into the DT.

Thats my 2 cents.

cody6766 · 10/04/2014, 10:20 PM

They're inverts, not war vets. I don't kill it unless it's harmful, but flushing a handful of bristleworms is not the same as lighting a sack of kittens on fire. I know you were exaggerating, so am I, but people get a little too serious about this stuff, IMO. At the end of the day, our tanks are expensive decorations. If a cheap/free critter is ruining my decoration, it will go the way of the dinosaurs. I'm not going to be cruel about it and giggle as I pull the legs from a crab, but I'll hit him with a hammer before flushing him if he's a coral eater.

...I guess a crab is a bad example since he'd go into the sump (because they're cool to me). Let's say a bobbit worm instead.

rcmania · 10/04/2014, 10:22 PM

Lol, crabs are pretty cool. Don't think I have ever seen a bobbit worm.....lol

reefermad619 · 10/05/2014, 12:14 AM

There are no bad crabs. Lemon... Salt... Cholula! Mmmmmmm good crab.

rcmania · 10/05/2014, 12:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reefermad619

There are no bad crabs. Lemon... Salt... Cholula! Mmmmmmm good crab.

Pattied up and fried

DEXNC · 10/05/2014, 06:05 AM

and your point/rant was, I was waiting for the punch line

HumbleFish · 10/05/2014, 08:29 AM

I manage "pests" by introducing natural predators. It's no more inhumane than the "war of the ocean" which occurs naturally.

snorvich · 10/05/2014, 10:54 AM

I have 40 gallon refugiums on all tanks. That is where critters go that should not be in my display tanks.

maroun.c · 10/05/2014, 01:01 PM

I once setup a small tank just next to my old tank where I placed all the hitchhickers, even a few mojanos which thrived there till I added a Hairy crab that for some reason munched on them in a couple of days wish that crab didn't die as I could rent it out!!!
The worst part is that visitors were more interested in the "Unwanted Things" tank than they were in the display.

mussel and hate · 10/05/2014, 02:44 PM

If you're really trying to avoid killing anything in your tank then you're going to have to forgo water changes entirely. Every time you dump a bucket down the drain you're killing millions of living creatures. Don't move a rock or you just killed a bunch of critters.

Seriously, when we set up captive reef systems we assume the role of god. Things live and die by our action/inaction.

I feel no remorse for the xanthid crab I crushed with my hemostat. It was dining on animals I prefer to the crab. I'll continue to kill as I see fit. I eliminated asterina stars in my tank also(only found one on a new piece). I slaughtered monitpora eating nudibranchs with abandon. I periodically go on vermetid snail killing sprees yet I am remorseless.

Morality is subjective. The respect with which I treat my pests is in accordance with the harm they might cause to me or my chosen inhabitants, no more no less.

BioCubeGuy · 10/05/2014, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mussel and hate

If you're really trying to avoid killing anything in your tank then you're going to have to forgo water changes entirely. Every time you dump a bucket down the drain you're killing millions of living creatures. Don't move a rock or you just killed a bunch of critters.

Seriously, when we set up captive reef systems we assume the role of god. Things live and die by our action/inaction.

I feel no remorse for the xanthid crab I crushed with my hemostat. It was dining on animals I prefer to the crab. I'll continue to kill as I see fit. I eliminated asterina stars in my tank also(only found one on a new piece). I slaughtered monitpora eating nudibranchs with abandon. I periodically go on vermetid snail killing sprees yet I am remorseless.

Morality is subjective. The respect with which I treat my pests is in accordance with the harm they might cause to me or my chosen inhabitants, no more no less.

apstreck · 10/05/2014, 04:27 PM

I've heard this argument before, and it always goes down the same path... If there are mice in your house are you going to let them live there? If bedbugs decide to take up residence in your mattress, do you let them stay because "that's what they are programmed to do?" Don't swat that mosquito you see on your arm, he's just doing his job. Us humans have been exterminating pests for thousands of years. Why get up in arms about it in relation to fish tanks?

10/04/2014, 08:25 PM	#1
magranche Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 12	Treat your pests with respect Being an employee at an LFS I hear innumerable accounts of bristle worms being violently slaughtered and the genocide of asterina stars. The customers are often genuinely angry at these creatures for being in their tank and seem to feel extremely triumphant once they have decimated that specific being. This really bothers me and I will tell you why. As the owner of an aquarium you have taken these critters from their habitat and enclosed them in their new 'world'. A world where you chose whether they deserve to exist or not. This does not seem entirely fair to me for numerous reasons. I can guarantee you with great certainty that the suspect looking crab you just flushed had absolutely no desire to be in your aquarium! In fact, he is probably more upset than you are about his being there. That piece of live rock he came in on was his home long before you purchased it. That bristle worm you just put in the freezer has seen parts of the world that you can only dream of seeing! And now it is being sentenced to death because you do not like it how 'creepy and crawly' it is. The unknown nudi that you just tossed in the trash was probably doing exactly what he was programed to do. I understand that it is completely unrealistic to expect that people will set up some elaborate hitch hiker tank. I just ask that the next time you want to throw away a living creature because it is not visually pleasing, figure out whether or not it is actually harmful. Remember that this creature is not in any way trying to sabotage your aquarium, but rather just do its job. You are responsible for this beings life now that he resides in your tank. If it is putting the other inhabitants in immediate danger take a minute to appreciate how awesome that creature is and that you will likely never experience half of the things he/she/it has. Rant over share your thoughts as I'm sure many of you think what I have said is ridiculous. p.s - my degree is in social work so it is only natural that I advocate for those that cannot do so for themselves...right?

10/04/2014, 09:11 PM	#2
rcmania Im So Confused! Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Asheville, NC Posts: 439	Not sure why they would want to get rid of those. Hell I asked my LFS for a bristle worm. Not really for the DT but goes great in the sump. Same for the crab. Well if he isnt bothering corals I would just leave him in the DT. But if its one that is ticking of corals then I would just place him in the sump also. I like looking at the little critters in the sump just as much as I like looking into the DT. Thats my 2 cents. __________________ Roll Tide! Current Tank Info: 220G Tall DSB SPS DT/3 Sol Blue/ 75 Gallon Sump in basement with Reeflo return/ 2 Mp40W/ Profilux Controller. 65G QT

10/04/2014, 10:20 PM	#3
cody6766 Super Best Friends! Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: OKC, OK Posts: 3,772	They're inverts, not war vets. I don't kill it unless it's harmful, but flushing a handful of bristleworms is not the same as lighting a sack of kittens on fire. I know you were exaggerating, so am I, but people get a little too serious about this stuff, IMO. At the end of the day, our tanks are expensive decorations. If a cheap/free critter is ruining my decoration, it will go the way of the dinosaurs. I'm not going to be cruel about it and giggle as I pull the legs from a crab, but I'll hit him with a hammer before flushing him if he's a coral eater. ...I guess a crab is a bad example since he'd go into the sump (because they're cool to me). Let's say a bobbit worm instead. __________________ "The moral is the chosen, not the forced; the understood, not the obeyed. The moral is the rational, and reason accepts no commandments." - John Galt Current Tank Info: Cadlights 60G Arisan II mixed reef with 2x MP40s and 24" ATI

10/04/2014, 10:22 PM	#4
rcmania Im So Confused! Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Asheville, NC Posts: 439	Lol, crabs are pretty cool. Don't think I have ever seen a bobbit worm.....lol __________________ Roll Tide! Current Tank Info: 220G Tall DSB SPS DT/3 Sol Blue/ 75 Gallon Sump in basement with Reeflo return/ 2 Mp40W/ Profilux Controller. 65G QT

10/05/2014, 12:14 AM	#5
reefermad619 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: The Salty D! Sandy let go of my eggo! Posts: 1,962	There are no bad crabs. Lemon... Salt... Cholula! Mmmmmmm good crab. __________________ Fish tanks and Chevys... And my cousin's Datsun too. Some call it paranoid. I call it prepared. You have more post than I do... You MUST be right then!

10/05/2014, 06:05 AM	#7
DEXNC Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Greensboro, N.C Posts: 220	and your point/rant was, I was waiting for the punch line

10/05/2014, 08:29 AM	#8
HumbleFish Moved On Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 4,757	I manage "pests" by introducing natural predators. It's no more inhumane than the "war of the ocean" which occurs naturally.

10/05/2014, 10:54 AM	#9
snorvich Team RC member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Outlander Posts: 40,953 Blog Entries: 46	I have 40 gallon refugiums on all tanks. That is where critters go that should not be in my display tanks. __________________ Warmest regards, ~Steve~

10/05/2014, 01:01 PM	#10
maroun.c Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Lebanon Posts: 6,111	I once setup a small tank just next to my old tank where I placed all the hitchhickers, even a few mojanos which thrived there till I added a Hairy crab that for some reason munched on them in a couple of days wish that crab didn't die as I could rent it out!!! The worst part is that visitors were more interested in the "Unwanted Things" tank than they were in the display. __________________ 390 G mixed reef build Current Tank Info: 390G mixed reef

10/05/2014, 02:44 PM	#11
mussel and hate Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: location location Posts: 701	If you're really trying to avoid killing anything in your tank then you're going to have to forgo water changes entirely. Every time you dump a bucket down the drain you're killing millions of living creatures. Don't move a rock or you just killed a bunch of critters. Seriously, when we set up captive reef systems we assume the role of god. Things live and die by our action/inaction. I feel no remorse for the xanthid crab I crushed with my hemostat. It was dining on animals I prefer to the crab. I'll continue to kill as I see fit. I eliminated asterina stars in my tank also(only found one on a new piece). I slaughtered monitpora eating nudibranchs with abandon. I periodically go on vermetid snail killing sprees yet I am remorseless. Morality is subjective. The respect with which I treat my pests is in accordance with the harm they might cause to me or my chosen inhabitants, no more no less.

10/05/2014, 04:27 PM	#13
apstreck Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Cincinnati Posts: 173	I've heard this argument before, and it always goes down the same path... If there are mice in your house are you going to let them live there? If bedbugs decide to take up residence in your mattress, do you let them stay because "that's what they are programmed to do?" Don't swat that mosquito you see on your arm, he's just doing his job. Us humans have been exterminating pests for thousands of years. Why get up in arms about it in relation to fish tanks?