Yes they are dyed. I've seen some that were blue and some that were yellow. The yellow oscars wern't lemon oscars. It was obvious they were dyed. Just like deadxero said they are dipped into a acid bath to remove the slime coat so the dye will take better. They have shortened lives and are more susceptible to illness. Sorry boostnbuds but your oscar is most likely dyed.
Blueberry Oscar
- Thread starter duke33
- Start date
Did they tell you it was a natural color or did you just assume so and they didn't tell you otherwise. There is a difference. While pet store owners have certain responsibilities to be honest I am not sure that telling customers fish are dyed is one of them. The buyer has to assume some responsibility in learning about their potential purchases beforehand. If you asked and they told you it was natural then you have a legitimate beef but if you just said "I'll take one of the blueberry Oscars" and they bagged it up then IMO the fault is yours and not theirs. I don't sell dyed or injected fish so I don't have an issue with it but it seems that every week or so I have to explain to someone why their fish don't look like they did when they bought them. Some of them are upset at the guys that sold them but usually it turns out they were not lied to, they just didn't bother to find anything out about the fish in the first place.
mostlycichlids
Cichlid Specialist
Well said....although it is still BS that any "real" hobbyist would even keep dyed fish let alone sell them.
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.
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 agree with you both. Both parties are to blame. the LFS owner and the person buying the fish for not asking questions. educations is the key. always ask if you have any doubts.
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?
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?
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.
true that watauga. it also cuts down the sale of fish that get way too huge like pacu. i never want to see a pacu in a regular old LFS, unless its in a huge display tank or something.. but unfortunately theres usually 10-15 2"ers in the LFS that i somewhat prefer.
i dont think they should be sold(at least not NEARLY as often as they are) in LFSs.
i dont think they should be sold(at least not NEARLY as often as they are) in LFSs.
I'd hazard to say that 100% of the blame rests with the customer. If you are setting up a fish tank, you should have done some research. Enough at least to know what kind of fish are suitable for you. As a seasoned aquarist, would you like some little punk with just enough knowledge to be dangerous telling you what you can and can't do with your purchases? As a lfs owner, are you required only to hire people that are knowledgeable about fish? Just like buying a tv (or anything else), you should have done your research before you even set foot in the store. If you didn't and you get ripped off, you've no one to blame but yourself.
