Tattooed Fish :(

[Bearitone]

So. a friend of mine went to an exotic fish store(a kind of shady one) and gave me a call saying she wanted to get me something. I pleaded with her to at least tell me what it is because it could be disastrous to my tank. Finally she let me know that it was too mollies. I had previously bought a molly when I first had only a 10 gallon tank and after some research I figured it would be too big so I sold it, and my friend was disappointed because it was her favorite. So I thought, alright I can make room for 2 mollies.

Well I take them out of the bag when they arrive to find pink and purple hearts and the word "love" on them. :(

I have a horrible feeling in my gut now. I had heard about dyed and tattooed fish but I never thought I would really ever see any.


I guess there is really nothing left to do but take care of them the best I can but I am really bummed to have experienced them...

Morale of the story I guess is insist that people don't buy fish for you(which I did but my friend doesn't really take no for an answer)

[Xavier]

That sounds terrible... I can't even conceive of HOW they would do it, let alone the ethical issues. Causing unnecessary pain is cruel...

[Alwaysusa]

Not to be too cavalier about it - but it's only a fish. Is it really that bad? This is probably the wrong place to have that attitude lol.

Now whether the idea is weird or not - yeah, it's pretty bizarre.

[Xavier]

One of the reasons that some places still allow giving goldfish out as prizes at the fair is because view fish as disposable pets. They are living things entrusted to our care, so preventing needless pain and providing them with a healthy environment is just common sense morality.

Don't get me wrong, I fish (and eat the fish) and I eat meat. But, I don't want the food I eat to be obtained through needless suffering, whether that be improper diet, living conditions, killing method, etc. I catch fish to eat the fish, and kill it ASAP.

Fish have been shown to have a memory of at least 3 months, so hurting it to satisfy an aesthetic desire seems needless pain. I don't let my pets suffer.

Culling fish is necessary to maintain the breeds, limit defects, etc.

[Excellence]

Okay, I'm going to put my dinner fork down and ask this... HOW did they ascertain fish have a 3 month memory?!

[Alwaysusa]

By asking them what the leading article was in the last Goldfish Quarterly. They never get it right.

[Excellence]

I . . . took you literally for a full moment. Then my brain caught up and my eyes narrowed to slits. Ha.

[Lady Hobbs]

Bearitone.....

Yes, there is something you can do about them. You can return them to the store and tell them you did not realize they were tatted and get others. As long as stores continue to sell these fish, they will keep stocking them. I told the manager of my fish store about these fish and he stopped stocking them 3 years ago.

Alwaysusa.....Yes, this is the wrong place to be saying "but it's only a fish. Is it really that bad?"

[Xavier]

Here is the mythbusters episode guide of when they proved that the 3 second myth was bunk.

http://mythbustersresults.com/episode11

Here is the BBC's QI episode where they mention the research.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEQK4HbifTo

Here is the archieved news of the lecture. Sadly there has yet to be a published paper on the subject... these things take time.

Link (http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:BxxBQXvA5cUJ:www.plymouth.ac.uk/pages/view.asp%3Fpage%3D7705+University+of+Plymouth+gold fish&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca)

[Fished_fry]

Only ignorant ppl will see no problem in these procedures. Point.

[teddscau]

I purchased two mollies unaware that they were tattooed. I guess it was pretty obvious that they weren't born like that, but I didn't realize it until I got home. I find mine tend to have problems with fin rot, but besides that they're happy and they've both had several batches of babies. I wish it was illegal to dye and tattoo fish. Good luck with your poor little babies!

[Trillianne]

This sounds to me like your friend really likes you, and enjoys your fish.. but they are just not as well educated on the hobby. Could be a great opportunity to share your knowledge with them.

[Jaster]

Pretty much all the fish stores around me carry them. Drives me nuts... and I loudy nag and complain to whoever is with me every single time I stand in front of those tanks until someone asks me "whats the big deal?" :hmm3grin2orange:

Personally I have tats... so I have a good idea of what it feels like to get one. So how some can say it doesnt stress the fish out is hard to believe. I cant imagine getting pulled out of the water, half suffocated, inked (poorly), and thrown back into the water with "LOVE" written down the length of my body trying to figure out what the hell just happened.