Reef Rubble...Musings from the Wee Fishie pet shop

by Sue MacGregor, JAS Member

I know I'd promised to discuss questions I commonly receive from aquarists in my pet shop, but my husband and I recently returned from a trip to the big island of Hawaii, and I wanted to share a couple of things we both enjoyed while on our trip: some thoughts on snorkeling and observing salt water reef fish, and a book recommendation.

We found that snorkeling near Kona was best at a small park located just a few miles south of town. The fish were plentiful and quite tame, due to the fact that many people feed them what looked like chopped spinach while snorkeling. Now, I'm not much of a swimmer; in fact, a good dog-paddle across the pool is a major achievement for me, and I nearly hyperventilate at a splash of water in my face...thus snorkeling was a little daunting for me! However, after my husband went a couple of time and came back with tales of viewing large wrasses, beautiful tangs, angels and triggers, and even a sea turtle I knew I had to risk it! (Also, after he pointed out the fact that tour operators were shuttling bus loads of 80-plus year olds into and out of the water, I figured I could handle it.)

The experience was well worth the "gasping" phase I went through upon plunging my face under water initially, both feet planted firmly in about 4 feet of water. This sound ridiculous to those of you who are swimmers, like my husband, but it was an act of sheer bravery on my part. I was rewarded with the immediate sight of foot-long wrasse and parrot fish, dinner-plate sized Achilles and yellow tangs, and Huma Huma triggers that eyed me curiously to see if I was sporting spinach, to name a few. I found my self so engrosses in observing literally hundreds of fish that I gradually forgot - for short periods of time, anyway - my fear of the water.

So, swimmer or not, snorkeling is definitely an activity worth pursuing if your find yourself in Hawaii or some other tropical paradise. Only be forewarned, you may view your saltwater aquarium fish as somewhat puny after seeing the grand specimens you find in the wild. However, be glad the big fish are where they are; they are the breeding stock for future generations, and big specimens seldom acclimate well to life in captivity, unlike many of their juvenile counterparts.

Another great find in Kona was a book on Hawaiian reef fishes: Hawaii's Fishes; A Guide for Snorklers, Divers & Aquarists, by John P. Hoover. Besides the beautiful photographs, this book also provides something lacking in many books on aquarium fish: recommendations of which fish do well in captivity, and which do not. For example, I found evidence for something I've suspected concerning cleaner wrasses. These are small, lively little fish whose mission in life is the removal of parasites from other fish. In my experience they die fairly rapidly in captivity, but they are plentiful and cheap in the aquarium trade and aquarists frequently request them. Hoover reports that these wrasses should never be removed from the reef, since they inevitably starve to death in captivity! If information like this was more readily available, the demand for inappropriate fish would lessen if not cease. I know several species that I will not stock in the future, based on information in this book.

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