Wild Caught Fish Better?

[Fishy_7]

I was in an acquatic centre a few days ago and they were advertising some Blue Acara that were "Wild caught". Never seen wild caught ones as I assume that most Blue Acara sold are captive bred. Their prices were about £2 more than non wild ones but upon closer inspection of the fish, i am not sure what all the fuss is about. Their colours were definately not as vibrant as non-wild ones and look like the same.

Therefore, what is the motivation to buy wild stock?

 

[always4lora]

My oscar's wild caught , imo looks better

 

[Mr._Fishy]

With many fish, wild caught and f1 fish have more vibrant colors. For example, tank bred rbp's vs wild rbp's. Not only colors but behavior can also differ.

 

[River Dog]

Wild caught fish are usually better coloured, but there could be a number of reasons why these Blue acara may not be as good. One reason could be that they are not acclimatized in the shop tanks yet. Another could be parasites, as there is more chance of parasites on W/C as opposed to tank bred. I think that the difference between whether you buy wild caught or tank bred is very much a choice of the individual, for example a lot of people will only buy wild caught fish, because the resale value or the fry being F1 are sold at a higher price. There are others who will only buy tank bred fish, to reduce the amount taken from the wild, or the chance of parasite ridden fish diminishes with tank bred stock. Me ? If I like it, I'll buy it, whether its wild caught or tank bred.

 

[kribensis12]

Honestly, they usually look better. Besides that, it does the aquarium trade some good to get wild blood back into the captive bred stock.

 

[Fishy_7]

Perhaps I should go back and have another look soon to see if they look better (if they havn't already all been sold).

 

[Tolak]

Often with cichlids,especially NW species, you will see physical differences as well as behavioral differences. Wilds will usually have a heavier jaw structure, a leaner but more muscular body, as well as more of an aggressive nature. This comes from being raised in the wild; meals are often few & far between, eat or get eaten.

 

[Wills]

Various fish are better for wild caught and others look better captive bred IMO. Usually blue acaras are considered one of those that wild stock look better because of mass production also wild convicts are quite valuable as well because of the dull captive bred colours you see in the stores sometimes. You would be surprised at how many varieties are wild caught as standard as opposed to line bred in captivity, its led to a lot of popular fish being extinct in the wild as well. For example it is near impossible to walk into a fish store and not see a red tailed black shark but they are extinct in the wild. Theres also a kind of "bragging right" about having wild caught or F1 fish so I guess thats an other reason for why they are more expensive.

Wills