Slinky_Bass
01-06-2007, 12:43 AM
"* The Lionhead have an egg shaped body and no dorsal fin. With EXTENSIVE breeding the fins are short and the caudal are divided. The head is covered with a raspberry - like head growth or Wen. The Wen grows slowly, taking as much as 3 years to complete . Lionheads are poor swimmers and can not compete with normally finned fish for food. Lionheads may have their vision obscured and breathing impaired by the degree of head growth. It is difficult for the fish to balance itself. It swims and eats slowly and gracefully. Some Lionhead have their heads pointing downwards when they are not moving. When swimming, they often turn somersaults.
* Blood Parrot Cichlids, which is thought to be a hybrid between the Red Devil and a Severum (this is similar to what creates balloon bellied guppies, mollies, and platies) are being dipped to produce Red Parrots, Violet Parrots, Blue Parrots, Purple Parrots, Green Parrots, Gold Parrots, and Yellow Parrots. The Blood Parrot is being bred not to have tails.
(parrots normally are gold when young and will turn red as they mature. Because you find a gold or red, does not mean it has been dyed as that is their natural coloring. Calico parrots are now being introduced into the market. Those are also not dyed.) Hobbs
* The butterfly discus, which are bred not to have tails (this makes it very difficult for them to swim).
(This can also be left up to debate as to how well they are able to swim. It has also been stated repeatedly that blood parrots have a hard time eating and this is also not fact.
It has also been reported that the lips of some fish are cut off as well as their tails. Also a false statement. Hobbs
*The lutino and albino morphs of the "Black Skirt Tetra" (Gymnocorymbus ternetzi) are injected with dyes and fed dye laced foods as fry to produce blue skirt tetras, red skirt tetras, purple skirt tetras, blueberry tetras, grape tetras, strawberry tetras, patriot tetras, Halloween tetras, and mixed fruit tetras.
*Some "Skunk Botia" (Botia morleti) are injected with dyes and painted to produce purple, red, and blue loaches.
*Another botia, the blue loach or blue botia, and is not dyed - though a painted blue botia is now available. Apparently the natural blue wasn't blue enough.
*Painted Tinfoil Barbs (Barbus schwanefeldi) are available, though I could not tell the difference between the painted and non painted versions with three exceptions - the painted ones had a darker eye, the painted ones seemed to have difficulty seeing (they would bump into stationary objects in the water), and I could not get a painted one to live over three months...
Now I would have to ask, why would a person so against dyed fish, as I hope we all are, continue buying them? hummm Hobbs
*Red Painted Tiger Barbs and Green Painted Tiger Barbs are produced from gold, albino, and red color morphs of the Tiger Barb (Barbus Tetrazona) that have been injected with red and green dyes.
Do not confuse this statement with the Green Tiger Barb that is green naturally. Hobbs
*recently the Bala Shark (tricolor shark) is being dyed to produce a "Gold Bala Shark"
*Albino morphs of the Oscar are being painted to produce Blue Oscars, Red Oscars (though there is also a Red Oscar that is not painted), Yellow Oscars, Blueberry Oscars, Gold Oscars (though I understand that there is also a Gold Oscar that is not painted, but has a more yellowish tint to the normal salmon to orange coloration) and Purpe Oscars.
*Albino Palaetus and Aeneus cory catfish (Corydoras paleatus and C. aeneus) are being injected with dyes to produce colored spots on the top of the caudal peduncle between the dorsal and caudal (tail) fins. These are available in blue, green, red, orange, and purple.
*Honey Gourami are being injected with blue dye between the caudal and dorsal fins on the top of the caudal peduncle to produce a 'blue sunset gourami' and a 'green sunset gourami.
*Albino Plecostomus (Hypostomus spp.) are injected with dye to create the Blue Albino Plecostomus. This is the only color I have seen, however, I would be sure that there are green, pink, purple, yellow, and the other colors you see in other painted fish.
*The "Painted" Glass Fish is not a natural color morph. Small pockets of dye are injected just below the skin using a large guage needle. The puncture wounds inflicted on these fish must be traumatic.
The carcinogenic pigments used on the colored tetra and colored botia are stored in vacuoles in cells creating a faint background color. The more intensely colored areas are created by injecting the fish with more of the dye in strategic locations. The fish's immune system then proceeds to fight this infection until the dye has been removed from the system. This added stress makes these fish highly susceptible to any other infection which they may be exposed to, since they are unable to defend themselves from it.
Farm-raised salmon have been dyed pink.
The flesh of farmed salmon is naturally grayish. Wild salmon's brightly colored flesh is the result of the fish eating krill or other small crustaceans, says the British Columbia Salmon Farmers Association, a trade group.
I also find this statement inaccurate. Alaskan pink salman have a slight pinkish coloration to their bodies and the meat is pink. We buy it in cans at the store. Hobbs
http://www.mgfalaska.com/Graphics/pink.jpg
The Flower Horn Cichlid: A fish with a gargoyle-like head, the product of a Frankensteinian experiment, is raking in a fortune for aquarium fish dealers in the country.
Origin of Flower Horns:
Flower Horns originated in Malaysia between 1994-1996. There are many different theories of what was originally cross bred to create the original flower horns. Most seem to agree that it was a result of cross breeding a South American Cichlid and other types of cichlids. There have also been rumors of it beginning with cichlids and giant gourami's.
Though there are adversaries of the cross breeding origins of the flower horns, it gained popularity with many enthusiasts by it's attractive color and unique characteristics. Mythical beliefs further fuel the craze on that the Asian culture also tout the flower horn to bring it's owners good luck and prosperity. Today the craze is ever popular in South East Asia, and is quickly growing throughout the world! The more pronounced the bulge on the forehead, the costlier it becomes. Superstitious fanciers say the bulge symbolises good feng shui.
Origin
So far, the exact origin of the fish is unknown except by the ones who created it. But many researchers and experts believe that six cichlasoma-like cichlids were involved in assembling this fish. Cichlasoma trimaculatum (trimac cichlid), Cichlasoma festae (red terror), jingang blood parrot, Amphilophus citrinellum (midas cichlid), Amphilophus labiatum (red devil) and Vieja synspila (redheaded cichlid) are believed to be its parents. There are so many strains and breeds of flowerhorns today that it is nearly impossible even for an expert to identify what species were involved to create such a hybrid. Some flowerhorns are even dyed, and/or hormone induced.
Again we have a hybrid fish and the true origin of this fish is unknown and we are left with guessing and nothing factual. Though this was once a high priced fish and people were making serious money breeding these fish, they ended up also losing much money due to it's size and it not being a convenient fish for many to purchase. Hobbs
Due to several inconsistancies in this article, I have edited a great deal of it and have considered deleting it completely. Much of the information is outdated by 10-15 years and new information is available that is not reflected in the original article.
* Blood Parrot Cichlids, which is thought to be a hybrid between the Red Devil and a Severum (this is similar to what creates balloon bellied guppies, mollies, and platies) are being dipped to produce Red Parrots, Violet Parrots, Blue Parrots, Purple Parrots, Green Parrots, Gold Parrots, and Yellow Parrots. The Blood Parrot is being bred not to have tails.
(parrots normally are gold when young and will turn red as they mature. Because you find a gold or red, does not mean it has been dyed as that is their natural coloring. Calico parrots are now being introduced into the market. Those are also not dyed.) Hobbs
* The butterfly discus, which are bred not to have tails (this makes it very difficult for them to swim).
(This can also be left up to debate as to how well they are able to swim. It has also been stated repeatedly that blood parrots have a hard time eating and this is also not fact.
It has also been reported that the lips of some fish are cut off as well as their tails. Also a false statement. Hobbs
*The lutino and albino morphs of the "Black Skirt Tetra" (Gymnocorymbus ternetzi) are injected with dyes and fed dye laced foods as fry to produce blue skirt tetras, red skirt tetras, purple skirt tetras, blueberry tetras, grape tetras, strawberry tetras, patriot tetras, Halloween tetras, and mixed fruit tetras.
*Some "Skunk Botia" (Botia morleti) are injected with dyes and painted to produce purple, red, and blue loaches.
*Another botia, the blue loach or blue botia, and is not dyed - though a painted blue botia is now available. Apparently the natural blue wasn't blue enough.
*Painted Tinfoil Barbs (Barbus schwanefeldi) are available, though I could not tell the difference between the painted and non painted versions with three exceptions - the painted ones had a darker eye, the painted ones seemed to have difficulty seeing (they would bump into stationary objects in the water), and I could not get a painted one to live over three months...
Now I would have to ask, why would a person so against dyed fish, as I hope we all are, continue buying them? hummm Hobbs
*Red Painted Tiger Barbs and Green Painted Tiger Barbs are produced from gold, albino, and red color morphs of the Tiger Barb (Barbus Tetrazona) that have been injected with red and green dyes.
Do not confuse this statement with the Green Tiger Barb that is green naturally. Hobbs
*recently the Bala Shark (tricolor shark) is being dyed to produce a "Gold Bala Shark"
*Albino morphs of the Oscar are being painted to produce Blue Oscars, Red Oscars (though there is also a Red Oscar that is not painted), Yellow Oscars, Blueberry Oscars, Gold Oscars (though I understand that there is also a Gold Oscar that is not painted, but has a more yellowish tint to the normal salmon to orange coloration) and Purpe Oscars.
*Albino Palaetus and Aeneus cory catfish (Corydoras paleatus and C. aeneus) are being injected with dyes to produce colored spots on the top of the caudal peduncle between the dorsal and caudal (tail) fins. These are available in blue, green, red, orange, and purple.
*Honey Gourami are being injected with blue dye between the caudal and dorsal fins on the top of the caudal peduncle to produce a 'blue sunset gourami' and a 'green sunset gourami.
*Albino Plecostomus (Hypostomus spp.) are injected with dye to create the Blue Albino Plecostomus. This is the only color I have seen, however, I would be sure that there are green, pink, purple, yellow, and the other colors you see in other painted fish.
*The "Painted" Glass Fish is not a natural color morph. Small pockets of dye are injected just below the skin using a large guage needle. The puncture wounds inflicted on these fish must be traumatic.
The carcinogenic pigments used on the colored tetra and colored botia are stored in vacuoles in cells creating a faint background color. The more intensely colored areas are created by injecting the fish with more of the dye in strategic locations. The fish's immune system then proceeds to fight this infection until the dye has been removed from the system. This added stress makes these fish highly susceptible to any other infection which they may be exposed to, since they are unable to defend themselves from it.
Farm-raised salmon have been dyed pink.
The flesh of farmed salmon is naturally grayish. Wild salmon's brightly colored flesh is the result of the fish eating krill or other small crustaceans, says the British Columbia Salmon Farmers Association, a trade group.
I also find this statement inaccurate. Alaskan pink salman have a slight pinkish coloration to their bodies and the meat is pink. We buy it in cans at the store. Hobbs
http://www.mgfalaska.com/Graphics/pink.jpg
The Flower Horn Cichlid: A fish with a gargoyle-like head, the product of a Frankensteinian experiment, is raking in a fortune for aquarium fish dealers in the country.
Origin of Flower Horns:
Flower Horns originated in Malaysia between 1994-1996. There are many different theories of what was originally cross bred to create the original flower horns. Most seem to agree that it was a result of cross breeding a South American Cichlid and other types of cichlids. There have also been rumors of it beginning with cichlids and giant gourami's.
Though there are adversaries of the cross breeding origins of the flower horns, it gained popularity with many enthusiasts by it's attractive color and unique characteristics. Mythical beliefs further fuel the craze on that the Asian culture also tout the flower horn to bring it's owners good luck and prosperity. Today the craze is ever popular in South East Asia, and is quickly growing throughout the world! The more pronounced the bulge on the forehead, the costlier it becomes. Superstitious fanciers say the bulge symbolises good feng shui.
Origin
So far, the exact origin of the fish is unknown except by the ones who created it. But many researchers and experts believe that six cichlasoma-like cichlids were involved in assembling this fish. Cichlasoma trimaculatum (trimac cichlid), Cichlasoma festae (red terror), jingang blood parrot, Amphilophus citrinellum (midas cichlid), Amphilophus labiatum (red devil) and Vieja synspila (redheaded cichlid) are believed to be its parents. There are so many strains and breeds of flowerhorns today that it is nearly impossible even for an expert to identify what species were involved to create such a hybrid. Some flowerhorns are even dyed, and/or hormone induced.
Again we have a hybrid fish and the true origin of this fish is unknown and we are left with guessing and nothing factual. Though this was once a high priced fish and people were making serious money breeding these fish, they ended up also losing much money due to it's size and it not being a convenient fish for many to purchase. Hobbs
Due to several inconsistancies in this article, I have edited a great deal of it and have considered deleting it completely. Much of the information is outdated by 10-15 years and new information is available that is not reflected in the original article.