Lfs Selling A Nautilus!

[stanleo]

Went to the LFS today and they had a nautilus for sell! I had no idea you could even keep these in a home aquarium. I don't think I have ever even seen them in a public aquarium or a zoo. They are deep coldwater animals that only come to a reef at night to feed. They said you can keep them if you have the right setup and that a local guy keeps several of them. I don't know how I feel about it. While they are fascinating animals I don't know that they should be kept in captivity. Knowing how people can be I worry that people would just impulse get them and create a demand for them not knowing their very specialized requirements. This is an ancient species that is rarely seen in the wild. There are some animals that just should not be kept. 
 
WHat are your thoughts on this? 

 

[NickAu]

 
I worry that people would just impulse get them

And that's all the place selling them cares about,,,,, oh and the sound of his cash register as he rings up another sale, The fish is just product to them, Take Bettas for example they are given away as party gifts and side show prizes sadly.

 

[stanleo]

I do wish people would take better care of bettas but that doesn't bother me near as much as selling a species like this. Bettas are easily bred in captivity and rarely taken from the wild and the ones that are typically are not sold as the commercially produced ones you see in the little bowls. 
 
Side note, you should see the setup this LFS has for its bettas. Its pretty cool, they are in tiny little bowl like tanks but they are all connected to a filter through hoses and the water is heated to 75 degrees. I asked about it. 

 

[NickAu]

I whole heartedly agree with you.

 

Side note, you should see the setup this LFS has for its bettas. Its pretty cool, they are in tiny little bowl like tanks but they are all connected to a filter through hoses and the water is heated to 75 degrees. I asked about i

Yes my LFS has the same setup and he uses bigger cups ( Half Litre)
 
Sadly bettas are regarded as disposable now days and no living being deserves that.

 

[Asteria]

I just look up what one was. Wow. Just wow
But yeah this is going to be the whole Betta issue all over again by the looks of it. 

 

[NickAu]

Ok so just now I googled what a nautilus was, when I saw it I said " I want one ", and there lies the problem. Come to think of it that's how I got into Betta keeping.
 

 
. There are some animals that just should not be kept. 
 

Sadly today some animals still only exist because they are kept, and also sadly some fish are endangered in the wild just because they are kept.

 

[TallTree01]

Nautilus? That's very strange. I wasn't aware that they could breed in captivity let alone be sold for the ornamental fish trade.
I haven't a clue how to respond really. What price tag was on these guys?

 

[stanleo]

They can't be bred in captivity so any that would be for sale has to be taken from the wild, just like most of the livestock for saltwater aquariums. It was only $69 which is also shocking. 

 

[AmtotheBurr]

I looked them up, and they creeped me out lol. Our local college's mascot is the nautilus (without the creepy face tentacle)

 

[NickAu]

 
It was only $69 which is also shocking.

At that price I would love 2 in a 6 foot tank if it was SW. And I should know better than impulse buy.
TBH at that price I would pull the 6 foot live bearer/cichlid tank down and make it salt.

 

[Donya]

They can't be bred in captivity so any that would be for sale has to be taken from the wild, just like most of the livestock for saltwater aquariums. It was only $69 which is also shocking. 

 
Nautilus breeding and hatching in captivity is exceedingly rare, but it has happened:
 
http/www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2013/08/baby-nautilus-a-zooborns-and-birch-aquarium-first.html
 
Of course, I don't know whether that one from that article survived to adulthood. Getting adults to produce offspring and rearing them to new adults are typically two very different problems for marine animals. So, the one in the store will most certainly be wild caught. It may seem strange, but wild caught marine animals are often cheaper than tank-bred equivalents where they exist due to the newness of it and the large cost involved in rearing the offspring. As a species becomes produced more easily and on a larger scale over time, the price comes down.