Hot Take? Should new reefers be 'formally educated' before buying livestock?

[AlyciaMarie]

Reef keeping is not for the faint of heart, and some of us get in way over our heads and may not realize it until we have livestock in distress or dying. There is no doubt that new reefers should always do basic research on starting a tank and maintaining the health of the animals we keep, but is that enough? Let's talk about it...

Primary Question:

Should new reefers be 'formally educated' (classes, certifications, etc.) before buying livestock?

Secondary Questions:

• What are some logistical and practical barriers to this?
• Do you think this would hinder new people from joining the hobby?
• Do you think this would aid in protecting and maintaining ethics in animal care?
• Can you think of some positive and negative outcomes of requiring a formal education before buying livestock?

This is a question out of pure curiosity. Please remember our Terms of Service when agreeing to disagree.

 

[Reefering1]

A requirement should not be mandated, but people should exersize personal responsibility and seek education beforehand

 

[TBSB2019]

I ask that myself about all pets. Seeing people with a dogs outside in the elements. People getting cats and leaving them outside. Getting a bird just to leave it in a cage and do nothing with it. Should people at least do research before getting into it? Yes. Some just see it and say I want. Not understanding it is a lot of work. Not just start it and look at it. And I mean all pets, not just the fish world.

 

[Dburr1014]

LFS worker sells a tank and a manderin at the same time. No!!!!

Should they tell them what the manderin needs to survive? Yes.
Formal education.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

People should know what they are getting into before getting a tank. These are living animals that need to be cared for. It's no different than caring for a dog or a cat. Far too often, we see people get tanks, not knowing how in-depth it gets, and livestock end up in poor conditions.

 

[shakacuz]

very difficult to regulate this outside of in person transactions. buying things online, which is the case most times, would be too difficult to tedious in regulating if the buyer is experience/informed enough.

as a responsible person buying an animal that's been "domesticated", there should be some foresight on the requirements and research needed to provide the best possible care. hopefully they can be, and continue to be, responsible

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

Yes, they should. But it would be very difficult to do so. I can't tell you how many times I am at my LFS and here people going, "ooh, I want that." " Woah, that's so cool! I want it." "That's so pretty. I want it." I see people at my LFS getting whatever the heck they want without knowing anything about it.

 

[AlyciaMarie]

So let me add another layer: What do you think about requiring proof of an adequate living environment (photos, videos, etc.) before a transaction occurs? I'm sure lots of us can think of at least one time your jaw fell to the floor when you saw a fish meant for a 150g in a 25g.

 

[AlyciaMarie]

Yes, they should. But it would be very difficult to do so. I can't tell you how many times I am at my LFS and here people going, "ooh, I want that." " Woah, that's so cool! I want it." "That's so pretty. I want it." I see people at my LFS getting whatever the heck they want without knowing anything about it.

What do you think are barriers or practical issues that may arise from requiring some kind of formal education?

 

[AlyciaMarie]

A requirement should not be mandated, but people should exersize personal responsibility and seek education beforehand

Do you think there are ways to encourage accountability and responsibility outside of requiring an education?

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

What do you think are barriers or practical issues that may arise from requiring some kind of formal education?

I think it would be very difficult to educate everyone before buying the livestock. I don't think an LFS could do that. It would have to be something online like maybe, everyone is required to post their tank info and experience level online (maybe on R2R ) and people knowledgeable in the hobby would have to verify that they're okay with getting certain livestock. That's the only way I can see it be done as LFS's may give wrong information just to make sales.

 

[Reefer Matt]

Don’t get me wrong, I see animals, not collectables in my tanks. But I think the industry would starve if they had to verify every potential Reefer for knowledge and means to keep reef inhabitants. I know some shops do ask questions, but at the end of the day they count on repeat business. They may not care what happens to the animals once they are outside the arrival guarantee.

When selling at swaps, I ask Reefers in a friendly way by having them tell me about their tanks before selling to them. Then I can make suggestions based on their experience and setup. But I certainly don’t make a living selling coral either.

 

[Reefering1]

Do you think there are ways to encourage accountability and responsibility outside of requiring an education?

Not anything we don't already do here. I believe the vast majority of people are very self centered and short sighted with more dollars than sense who will do what they want, even they want. If choose there are the many people who do the right thing but we're not the majority

 

[TBSB2019]

Do you think there are ways to encourage accountability and responsibility outside of requiring an education?

You'd have to do it across the board with all pets. I know the Humane Society in East Texas requires you to prove that you have correct shelter, food, vet, etc. to adopt a pet from them and they do check-ins also. It would just really be near impossible to do it across all aspects of petcare.

 

[paragrouper]

I would certainly encourage one educating themselves. However, mandates do not usually fare well.

 

[HomebroodExotics]

uh no

 

[Dread Pirate Dave]

I believe it should fall on the vendor and the industry in general to guide new reefers. Petco selling a $50 dollar blue tang to someone with a 20 gallon tank is an issue. If the tang was priced at $200 dollars and included information about the actual needs of the fish on their display tank it would help. They should have QR codes so people can quickly look up information about the fish they are thinking about buying. Higher prices on fish that are more challenging to care for will make consumers put more thought into what they are doing. The "if it dies, I'll just get another one" mentality will not happen as often when there's more cost involved.

This goes for all livestock. Retailers that provide more information up front will help the consumer make a more informed decision. All to often it's just a name with a picture and a price. Displaying care level requirements would be great to see on livestock displays.

You can't make a person learn about reefing but you can make them curious enough to want to learn why something is more difficult to keep than others.

 

[Dom]

In my years with the hobby, I've seen many animals suffer at the hands of people who get into the hobby for the wrong reason.

They go to a local restaurant or business and see a beautiful tank and think: "I want one".

Living in a world of instant gratification, they run out to the LFS, who is in turn, happy to take their money and set them up with everything they need to be up and running in 24 hours. But without experience, it usually ends in disaster.

A reef tank is NOT a flat panel TV where you pull it from a box, plug it in and enjoy.

A reef tank is like a garden. Gardens do not instantly become rich colors and aromatic blends. They need to be nurtured, providing water, sunlight and time to allow it to grow and BECOME that. In this respect, I think of reef tanks the same way; something that needs to be nurtured and allowed to become the magnificent display we imagine it as in our mind's eye.

Saltwater livestock is "exotic" in my mind. Vetting and licensing should be required to keep them.

 

[exnisstech]

People can have children anytime they want so why should they have to be educated to have marine life?

EDIT : not saying everyone should have children but it is what it is.

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

Formally educated? That sounds like Academia and specific course study to me. I say no. But, I am a huge fan of researching to death a hobby that involves expensive live animals that you are obligated to keep alive and well.