Blueberry Oscar

[severum mama]

the oens i have seen arent dipped into dye...they are fed dye-laced foods. same goes for blueberry tetras and strawberry tetras.

I'm afraid that's not true. Fish like oscars and blood parrots are dipped into a solution that removes their slime coats, and then dipped into the dye. The tetras and glass cats and such are injected with that ridiculous coloration, and then there are the tattooed fish.... anyone ever seen a molly with a heart on its side, or a gourami with hot pink polka dots? Most fish don't even survive the process, as I understand, and the ones that do often become stunted and more susceptible to disease, and ultimately lead shortened lives.

I'm so glad I work for a retailer that is opposed to the process.

That said, I agree that both the retailer and the customer are at fault... with the majority of the blame on the customer. If people would simply do their homework to begin with, then dyed fish, oscars in 10 gallon tanks, or pacus in almost ANY situation would no longer be issues.

 

[smbjedi]

Once apon a time i got three "blueberry oscars" two died (dyed) within a week the 3rd lived for 7 more years he faded from blue to gray within a few months. I hope yours lives. :grinyes:

 

[tonytheboss1]

you may not like it but the fact remains..Caveat emptor..let the buyer beware.

it is not the responsibility of the Retailer to 'police' the market.

they simply provide the product that is being demanded.

if they get too involved with the ins, outs and why fors they then become liable.

it is the responsibility of the purchaser to research and then purchase what they need.

simply put..do you want someone else making your decisions for you?

Absofreakinlutely!! :lipssealedsmilie: (sorry) Unfortunately the uninformed are the easiest to mislead. For us, it's a hobby, a pastime but for them (wholesalers, retailers ect.), it's business. Business will always be controled by supply & demand. As consumers, our power is greater than most think. If we as a group refuse to buy something, ANYTHING, the value of that supply decreases. If there is no profit to be made, they won't stock it. Our power to dictate lies in our wallets & purses. How to effectively use this power lies in education & familiarization about the purchase. Whether it's cellphones, TV's, cars or in this case aquaria, an informed consumer is a force to be reckoned with!! Then we can shout Caveat Venditor!! (let the seller beware!!) :grinyes: 'T'

 

[Rbishop]

I put most the blame on the buyers. The sellers are simply a business shooting for a bottom line. However, there are some reasonable LFS owners that are born of the hobby and are trying to be more responsible. The issue will always be that our criteria vary as much as all of us do.

What is proper and okay for me, will not be for some one else. Look at the discussions on wild caught and farm raised. Culling or not. Hybirds-no hybirds. We all reach a decision point that is different on what is or isn't acceptable.

Back to the OP's question, it is a real fish, but not naturally so.

 

[sschind]

I disagree. I think the person selling the fish has a responsibility to ask some questions if they're selling something other than a gold fish. If the buyer announces they're an experienced fish owners it's on them, but otherwise there are a lot of people who simply don't know better and don't realize they need to ask questions.

Is it right to sell an oscar to someone without asking what size tank they have? Is it right to sell someone a large cichlid and platies without making sure they realize one will eat the other? If you want people coming back to your store it's best to be honest and tell them what to expect. If they don't trust you, you won't have any repeat customers.

I should have been clearer in my post. Of course a responsible fish seller should ask pertinent questions such as "what size tank do you have." I just don't think that "you do realize that these are dyed fish don't you?" is a pertinent question. That is what the thread was about and I thought it would be clear that that was what I was talking about but I guess not. Sorry for the confusion.

I'm just curious, why do you make a distinction between goldfish and other fish? I am assuming that you mean feeder goldfish but then the question a seller should be asking is why are you feeding your fish feeder goldfish.

 

[sschind]

eh, i still think fish stores should be required to take in any unwanted fish they have previously sold. that cuts down on the incentive to lie or mislead to make a sale, because when the buyer discovers the truth, the store will have to take the fish back, whether it's a now-white blueberry oscar or a 18 inch pacu that was only supposed to get 12 inches long.

Interesting concept but one that would be very difficult to enforce. I do think that any store worth frequenting will have this policy but I do know some that don't. I for one will happily take back any fish that I sell. That goes for any reptile or small animal I sell as well. Of course not selling oscars, red tail cats, common plecos, pacus, channel cats etc. etc. helps keep me from having to take many fish back.

 

[Que]

I never heard of this dying of Oscars before... sickening.

There are great variations in the knowledge of LFS personnel and the hobbyist. In an ideal world both would be knowledgeable about fish keeping. If both shared the kind of ethics that say dying or tattooing fish is bad then we wouldn't see fish like this on the market.

However there is a segment of this hobby that makes impulse purchases. Fish are altered like this poor Oscar to cater to this segment. Even knowledgeable LFS owners and operators will sell these kind of fish if they don't really care about the fish as much as profits.

IMHO

Q

 

[terror spawnin]

eh, i still think fish stores should be required to take in any unwanted fish they have previously sold. that cuts down on the incentive to lie or mislead to make a sale, because when the buyer discovers the truth, the store will have to take the fish back, whether it's a now-white blueberry oscar or a 18 inch pacu that was only supposed to get 12 inches long.

Yeah!!! Great Ideah...We should make the stores return our clothes and shoes when we grow out of them too!!!
C'mon people! Why don't you use the same computer you use to spew babble to do a little research on what you buy!

 

[Rbishop]

Let's keep this thread on topic please. Thanks.

 

[duke33]

I saw my first tattooed mollies yesterday....very disturbing. They also had the injected white skirts/glass. If they did'nt sell, they would'nt be done that way. They heard what I had to say at both stores. It did'nt make any difference. The Almighty dollar will ruin this planet.