cross-post: is there an SPCA for fish? help!

bottle-blonde · May 24, 2004

Hi there,

I'm hoping that some of you might be able to help me out here. I was browsing through a local community website and I came across a posting under the Free Stuff section called "Angry Angelfish" - it piqued my interest so I checked it out. The photo said it all...

her posting:

Reply to: littlepuppyus@yahoo.com
Date: 2004-05-22, 9:37AM PDT

He must go to a good home, right now he is separated from the main tank and is very unhappy. He needs a deep tank, this fish is very rare, its not your regular fish store kind of purchase.
I was unaware of this when I got him, he looks a lot like the calm confident quiet angel fish, but is far from it, they are in the cichlid family.

If you are interested, serious enquiries only, I am merely looking for a good home for him.
I call him mean fish, he is a very special guy, just needs the right enviornmnet.

I was absolutely floored by this woman's ignorance. I wouldn't keep a goldfish in a bowl that size! I basically told her to just bring the fish to the closest pet store and turn it in because she can't keep it in an unheated, unaerated bowl that size. It's cruel and unhealthy! Besides, it's not an "angry angelfish" who deserves isolation, he's just being an angelfish!

She wrote back:

The fish has been living in that bowl for over 2 months now, he is not your regular breed, he is from the amazon and requires a deep tank, he is also a male and dominates everyone else in the tank. He is from the chcilid family, do you know anything about them? I call you ignorant!

Uh... yes, I am ignorant. Clearly her angelfish must be very rare to come from the Amazon!

So what do I do? Do I go pick up the fish and take it to a pet store myself? I have no interest in keeping angelfish at the moment. Would anyone else like to give it a shot and email her at littlepuppyus@yahoo.com to see if you can knock some sense into her? I don't know, this just made me really angry!! Should I just accept that there are idiots out there who are going to let their fish slowly die?

Dangerdoll · May 24, 2004

<GASP> OH MY!!!

Go and get that fish...... there is no way that fish survived for 2 months in that little bowl. What a heartbreaker.

She says this fish is "very rare"? I didn't know the marbles were that rare..... shocker (sarcastic of course). Seriously though, even if you cannot keep that little bugger, at least take it away from this woman because she doesn't seem to be serious herself about it. Obviously she didn't do the homework needed NOR investigated into the hobby if she's stating such "surprises" in her opinion (only). If she were serious about it, she would've learned about these fish beforehand before trying them out because4 "they look good" or whatever her reason.

Rava · May 24, 2004

Can I interject that you may want to be extra sweet to the lady from now on if you're going to get the fish? I worry she may decide you've been too rude and won't release it to you, just to spite you... You probably already knew that, but I saw the gorgeous fish and had to put my .02 in, in hopes he'd really be able to go to a good home with you. He's a lovely fish, and I just feel terrible seeing him in that little bowl.

I hope someone can work something out to get him soon. Keep us updated, please?

bottle-blonde · May 24, 2004

I know, I know! Well, she's not going to let me pick the fish up myself!! Maybe I will just email her from another account and pretend to think she's a wonderful pet owner.

Really, if anyone could help me out by emailing her or anything!

I wrote:

If for whatever reason you won't do it yourself I'd be
happy to come pick the fish up to take him to a
petstore where he can be put into a nice warm large
tank. If you want a good home for him I would
recommend taking him to Aquariums West on Burrard near
Davie.

Until you take the time to do some reading (there's
tons of information available for free online) I would
really recommend that you not purchase anything but
beginner fail-proof fish like guppies and well,
guppies. Whether you recognize it or not what you're
doing to that fish is very cruel...

she replied:

if you reply to my address one more time, I will report you as SPAM. Enough is enough. It pisses me off that people like you feel superior to someone who is asking strangers for help. In case you were wondering, you didn't help at all.

So apparently my very good offer of either dropping it off at a LFS or letting me pick it up and drop it off at a LFS isn't an option?! What do I do?! What an incredibly stupid and pig headed person she is!!!

bottle-blonde · May 24, 2004

At the risk of being reported as a spammer I tried writing her one last time:

Go ahead and report me as spam. I did offer you two very good solutions

1) Take the fish immediately to your local fish store and let it live a long and happy life.

2) Let me pick the fish up and I will take it myself to a local fish store to let it live a long and happy life.

I don't know what more you want!

OrionGirl · May 24, 2004

Attacking some one is not likely to help. Even though this woman is not a member here, please knock it off.

This angel was apparently raised in a larger tank, and is currently being cared for as best she can. The fact that the fish has lived in the bowl for 2 months speaks very well of her care--while the size of the bowl is not ideal, it's obviously not a cess-pit, or the fish would be dead. She's trying to find it a new home instead of killing it, or dumping it, or letting it kill all her other fish. What more do you want?

bottle-blonde · May 24, 2004

i want for that fish to have not been kept in a cold little bowl for 2 months to begin with. if she's making such an effort to find a new home for him why didn't she start her search for a new home two months ago? i want her to just take the fish to a good local fish store so that it doesn't have to live such a miserable existance for another day. i want for fish owners to actually be somewhat responsible.

Leopardess · May 24, 2004

OG - should we sit by and not comment on less-than-mediocre care of the fish? Just because it's dead doesn't mean it's happy. I would be willing to bet its muscles are atrophying!!

I don't see the problem. BB offered to take the fish to a petstore. Can't get easier for the woman than that. I cannot possibly see what may be preventing this woman from doing the same thing herself. Problem solved. Every store around here would walk OVER themselves to get someone to return a gorgeous angel like that. They sell for $16 a pop here!

I really do think your first comment was harsh

This girls trying to help the situation just as much as that woman (supposedly) is. Being harsh to her isnt' going to solve anything.

BB - Maybe ask a relative to handle the situation? I'd do it if I lived closer.

TFo · May 24, 2004

What good does it do to upset the owner by essentially calling her a moron? She should have tried being compassionate and tactful instead of appearing to be an animal rights whacko. If she had, she'd already have the fish at the LFS.

OrionGirl · May 24, 2004

Commenting and flaming are different. Ticking someone off and then expecting them to accept your assistance is unreasonable. Posting here--and asking others to join the fray--is, IMO, irresponsible.

Ideally, yep, everyone would provide ideal care for their animals throughout the lifespan of that animal. Everyone would research the needs of the animal prior to purchase, and perform daily water changes (after all, these animals have much better quality water naturally than we can duplicate, even with lots of filtration, planting, and weekly water changes), and duplicate their natural water parameters, and food sources. I can't provide that, though, and I am willing to bet that the vast majority of aquariasts can't either. So we do what we can--regular, frequent water changes, low stocking levels, balanced nutrition, compatible tankmates. Right?

Of course--if you look at half to two thirds of the posts here, or member specs, you'll find that isn't the case. And someone gets jumped for euthanizing a fish. Or for not researching the needs of a fish before purchase. Or for cycling the way the LFS told them to. If we want to help people get closer to an ideal, we have to welcome them--and their flaws--first.


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cross-post: is there an SPCA for fish? help!

bottle-blonde

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Dangerdoll

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Rava

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bottle-blonde

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bottle-blonde

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No freelancing!

bottle-blonde

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Leopardess

Everything's eventual.

TFo

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