Loss of a mini-ecosystem

I helped my son tear down his salt water fish tank last evening. He is moving and possibly taking a new position in his company and there just isn't time for the salt water tank anymore. There were only three fish remaining, two clown fish and one yellow tang.

We took 110 pounds of live rock and the three fish to a local fish store to be resold and recycled. That made me happy, although I did consider that the home that these fish have known for the past over five years was being destroyed. 

But then I got thinking about the rest of the mini-ecosystem that we were destroying. All of the microbes and smaller bugs, plants, and animals living in the water, on the rocks, and in the sand. 

Wow--in less than a couple of hours we destroyed the habitat of millions of creatures. And when the day started thay had no idea how their lives would end.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, Md