Our Sustainable Marine Aquarium

Captive-Bred Marine Life

One of the highlights of most marine aquariums is the variety of colourful reef fish that are on display. However, unlike freshwater fish, most of these specimens are collected directly from the reef. Between 20 and 24 million individual fish are collected annually from coral reefs in Southeast Asia and the Indian and Pacific oceans, and sold to consumers all over the world. Unfortunately, damaging fishing practices as well as unregulated harvesting is causing damage to reefs as well as wild animal populations. Using fish bred in captivity can reduce the damage the aquarium trade has on coral reef communities.

All of our fish bought for our aquarium have been purchased by local fish breeders and have not been harvested from the wild.

Meet our Fish

Clownfish - Amphiprion ocellaris - Darwin morph

Clown fish are one of the easiest marine fish to raise in captivity and regularly spawn in aquariums. They have relatively large eggs and larvae and larvae can be fed cultured foods which makes rearing easier.

Fast Facts:

• Diet: algae and zooplankton
• Average natural life span of 6-10 years
• Grow to 11 cm
• Australian distribution: Northwest

Did you know? Ironically, the movie, “Finding Nemo", about the anguish of a captured clownfish caused demand for their use in aquaria to triple!

Banggai cardinalfish - Pterapogon kauderni

Banggai cardinals, although only collected for the aquarium trade since 1992, are already threatened by extinction. They easily breed in captivity and are unique in that the male carries about 50 fertilized eggs in his mouth until 10 d post-hatching. Like the spiny chromis , they have no pelagic larval phase. At 8 mm, new juveniles can eat large items such as Artemia nauplii.

Fast Facts:

• Diet: Most likely feed on small benthic and planktonic crustaceans at night
• Grow to 8 cm
• Distribution: Banggai Archipelago, Indonesia

Did you know? Groups of Bangaii sometimes hover over long-spined urchins and retreat among the spines when threatened. Juveniles also use anemones for protection.

Banded Pipefish - Doryrhamphus dactyliophorus

Fast Facts:

• Diet: Copepods and other small invertebrates
• Grow to 18 cm
• Distribution: Indo and west Pacific

Did you know? The male pipefish is responsible for the care of eggs until they hatch. This allows the male to select which eggs will hatch depending on the amount of time he invests in their protection. If the male does not approve of the mother of the eggs he will allow them to die.

Orchid dottyback - Pseudochromis fridmani

Orchid dottybacks, discovered in 1968 in the Red Sea, are highly sought after by aquarists for their vivid colour and for being the least aggressive of their genus. They change sex from female to male and unlike clownfish, the larger one in a pair is the male. Fish regularly spawn in aquaria and captive bred fish are increasingly available in aquarium shops.

Fast Facts:

• Diet: Small invertebrates
• Juveniles achieve adult size in 5 months
• Grow to 6 cm
• Distribution: Red Sea