Here is a post I am writing about behavioral differences between wild-caught and captive-bred specimens of the same species. Perhaps you guys can add to it based on your own experience. Thanks.
The debate over wild-caught vs. captive-bred has been running for a long time in the aquarium hobby. The social, economic and environmental impact of each practice have their pros and cons. We’ve seen tropical fish overharvested and making it to the endangered list. Some will argue that if properly managed, fisheries provide local communities a much-needed source of income. Aquacultured fish may possess a smaller genetic pool, less vibrant colors, they might be more prone to some diseases but they are better adapted to the aquarium environment. I have been curious to learn, beyond the above considerations, how different are captive-bred species from their wild cousins in terms of behavior within the confines of an aquarium?
The differences can be subtle. Pete Giwojna, a renowned seahorse expert, sees seahorses as very emotional creatures that respond to different situations by displaying brighten or darken colors. Stress is the major factor that affects seahorses’ coloration. “They are very sensitive to noise, vibration and human traffic” writes Giwojna. This is less “of a concern with domesticated seahorses, which are very social, highly gregarious animals that are very much accustomed to the human presence. They will thrive in a high traffic area such as your living room or den or family room.” Pete has been acting as Technical Director for Ocean Rider in Hawaii, one of the most successful seahorse conservation program in the world. A large part of the seahorses bred there return to the wild, while some are domesticated for aquariums. The greatest difference though is their relationship to food. Wild-caught seahorses will only accept live food, while captive-bred are usually fine with frozen food.
What can happen if a wild-caught and a captive-bred specimen of the same species are put together in a tank? It depends on the species you may say. I have never experienced it but Gabriel Quinzaños has. Gabo has been breeding and manufacturing food for Discus for over a decade in Mexico. He shared with me that aquarists mixing wild-caught and tank-raised Discus might face two problematic issues: the first is behavioral and the second biological: “it’s a recipe for disasters. A tank-bred and wild Discus are completely different. In the wild, these fish have many predators, the alpha is constantly under threat. In a tank, the alpha is the apex. How they will behave towards each other depends on how one has been inbred and how much time its wild relative has had time to adapt. But the biggest issue is health-related. Most likely, one might carry a pathogen the other is not immune to. That is true for some bacteria and most parasites.”
I received an email from Pete Giwojna asking him directly about behavioral differences between wild-caught and captive-bred seahorses or what would happen if one were to put both in the same aquarium. He answered: “I never recommend keeping wild seahorses with captive bred-and-raised seahorses, sir. The cultured seahorses are well adapted for aquarium life, whereas the wild-caught seahorses are not.
The cultured seahorses are accustomed to artificial seawater and artificial lighting, are accustomed to living in close proximity to numbers of other seahorses, and thrive on a staple diet of frozen Mysis.
On the other hand, seahorses in the wild are accustomed to wide open spaces with plenty of room to roam, pristine water quality, natural sunlight the natural seawater, and a wide variety of choice live foods. It can be very difficult to wean them away from their dependency on live foods and they find captive conditions to be stressful.
That's a problem because stress weakens the immune response and makes the wild seahorses vulnerable to pathogens and parasites that they would ordinarily be able to shrug off. As a result, they often suffer from a variety of diseases when kept in the aquarium under stressful conditions.
And when such pathogens and parasites take advantage of an impaired immune system and overwhelm the affected seahorse, there is a danger that they can also spread to the cultured seahorses in the confines of aquarium.”
If you have experienced both captive-bred and wild specimens of the same species, I’d love to hear from you.
