I recently bought a pair of tetras labeled mixed fruit tetras. They look kinds like the black and silver tetra's(Black Tetra's?) but they are a pastel and silver in color. They had red,green,pink etc and the fish are about the same size as most black tetra's but I can't find any info on them, I was wondering if maybe they are simply dyed in the pastels?
Info on "Mixed Fruit"? Tetra
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Will the color fade, I wondered about them having never heard of them before. but the little lady had to have them.
It should be noted that the process to dye these fish is pretty cruel. Obviously, you didn't know that they were dyed but in the future it would be good to avoid purchasing dyed fish.
The practice is pretty much frowned upon by those in the aquaria hobby.
The practice is pretty much frowned upon by those in the aquaria hobby.
I once had a pastel pink tetra. It might have been dyed or not, but it lived for many years, and was active and lively. However, I strongly advise getting fish that you know are dyed, such as painted glassfish. They kept dying and I didn't know why, until I found out they were artificially colored.
They didn't die because they were dyed but more b/c of the method of dyeing. Most dyed fish are injected b/c it's more economical and more precise than dyeing through the food...those ones survive for a long time, but they will fade too.
What kind of fish are the Mixed fruits originally so we'll know how to care for them and what their preferred diet is.
I believe they are indeed a black skirt tetra. Here's some info on them:
http://www.animalnetwork.com/aquafish/profiles/profileview.asp?RecordNo=488
http://www.animalnetwork.com/aquafish/profiles/profileview.asp?RecordNo=488
On Saturday I went to Walmart to pick up an air pump and checked out their tanks. As usual, nasty state, dead fish everywhere etc. AND a 10 gal holding about 30 "mixed fruit tetras" at $3.69 a pop! I kept thinking and thinking about it, and couldn't contain myself, so I wrote a letter to the store, to Wal-Mart headquarters, and sent a copy to PETA as well. To long to reproduce here, but basically stated the above, gave a brief run-down of how they are produced, and the following:
"Not only is it amazingly cruel to the fish, it is unfair to the consumer. What Wal-Mart is selling is essentially a damaged product to an uninformed customer, by an employee that can be viewed as either poorly trained on the specific care necessary, or one that simply doesn't care all that much. It would be tantamount to selling a misidentified and diseased plant from the garden department, without specific care instructions, all the while assuring the buyer that watering it will keep it thriving at home. While you may see this as an insignificant problem, it isn't. Your website claims 1300 stores. If just 1/2 of your stores sold just 1/2 the number I saw on Saturday at the quoted price, then you have made nearly $40,000 in sales on this poor fish."
I then requested that their buyer not by anymore altered fish, that Wal-Mart commit to not using the supplier from which they were purchased, and that they consider better training specific employees for the pet department.
Probably just a drop in the proverbial bucket, but cutting the demand will end the supply.
"Not only is it amazingly cruel to the fish, it is unfair to the consumer. What Wal-Mart is selling is essentially a damaged product to an uninformed customer, by an employee that can be viewed as either poorly trained on the specific care necessary, or one that simply doesn't care all that much. It would be tantamount to selling a misidentified and diseased plant from the garden department, without specific care instructions, all the while assuring the buyer that watering it will keep it thriving at home. While you may see this as an insignificant problem, it isn't. Your website claims 1300 stores. If just 1/2 of your stores sold just 1/2 the number I saw on Saturday at the quoted price, then you have made nearly $40,000 in sales on this poor fish."
I then requested that their buyer not by anymore altered fish, that Wal-Mart commit to not using the supplier from which they were purchased, and that they consider better training specific employees for the pet department.
Probably just a drop in the proverbial bucket, but cutting the demand will end the supply.
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