# STOP dyeing fish!!!!!!!!



## joeshmoe

*List of Possible Dyed Fish*

1. Bala Shark
2. Labeos
3. Irridescent Shark
4. Tinfoil Barb
5. Tiger Barb
6. Red Tailed Botia
7. Glassfish
8. Black Skirt Tetra
9. Corydoras
10. Oscar
11. Parrot Fish
12. German Blue Ram
13. Convict Cichlid
14. Giant Gourami
15. Kissing Gourami
16. Severum
17 Siamese Algae Eater(SAE)
18. Aulonocara nyassae
19. _Pseudotropheus greshakei _
20. _Pseudotropheus zebra_
21. _Hypostomous plecostomus_
22. _Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae_
23. Paradise Fish
24. _Botia hymenophysa_
25. _Botia lecontei_
26. _Colisa sota_
27. Betta splendens
28. Discus
29. Goldfish










Dyed Blood Parrots
*This is a different breed.Another kind is a jellybean parrot which stays 10 cm and below in size.
*Besides being dyed, it's also a hybrid which we, as hobbyists, shouldn't accept as this destroys the natural appearance of the fish.
*Known to be a hybrid of Heros severum and Cichlasoma labiatum.

Pls feel free to post your own pics of the dyed fish.
This will raise awareness among the members not to buy these fish.

(edited by Blue for addition of list of dyed fish)


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## Lupin

I may as well add that there are more dyed fish like the colored Glassfish(Chanda ranga), Glass Catfish, Colored Botia(Botia horae) and the colored variations of the albino Black Widow tetra.
Again, feel free to post those fish in dyed appearance.

*Joe, I added more info on your pic.


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## SimplySplendid

Here is a picture of dyed glassfish. Although it may look nice, please do not buy this fish as it encourages fish-dyeing that is dreadfully harmful and cruel to the fish.


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## Rebecca

It's amazing the things some humans do to animals for their own pleasure. This is just a prime example of a cruel practice. It's sad, really.


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## Lupin

I agree with you, GuppyGirl.
Not only is this a cruel and sad practice but dyeing also renders them vulnerable to diseases.
Dyed fish are rather prone to lymphocytis. Lymphocytis is a disease which is characterized by hard globular cysts forming on the fish's skin.

Two methods of dyeing:
1. Injecting different parts of the fish's body with dye or food coloring. This is very painful for the fish and the coloring is not permanent.
2. Soak the fish in acids and then soak it in a tub of dye. Acids remove their mucous membrane which protects them from diseases. With the removal of the mucous, this allows dye to stick to the fish and will also render the fish prone to diseases.

Those methods are very cruel. Dyed fish, at any rate, won't last very long compared to their undyed companions.


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## usmc121581

I didn't know all that. I knew that they injected dyes, but never the acid/soaking part. Thats nice to know.


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## Lupin

I don't know if you've seen botias being dyed but another botia(besides Botia horae) can also be dyed even with blue natural colorings.
This is a Botia modesta(Orange-finned Loach).








This is a dyed Albino cory(Corydoras aeneus).








Very annoying.:x


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## Fishboy131

Wow those fish look really cool. Where can i get a dyed fish?


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## Rebecca

Fishboy131 said:


> Wow those fish look really cool. Where can i get a dyed fish?


You're joking right? :|


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## Tracy

Very pretty, but so unnatural, so sad. I am wondering how many other fish are dyed like that? some of the colours of the community fish are so vibrant; I am glad I went with gouramis. I think I will put African Cichilds in my 25 gallon. They have nice colours.


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## joeshmoe

GuppyGirl101 said:


> Fishboy131 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Wow those fish look really cool. Where can i get a dyed fish?
> 
> 
> 
> You're joking right? :|
Click to expand...

 yes he is


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## SimplySplendid

Kaleidoscope gouramies are produced by using a dye laser.


















A new fad in Hong Kong is having words, logos, or patterns tattooed onto fish. One tropical fish supplier in Hong Kong offers custom fish tattoos with sayings such as "I love you" and Chinese New Year sayings. He claims his fish are tattooed with dye using a special "low intensity laser" which leaves a permanent mark and does not cause the fish any pain.
As if he would know if the fish are in pain.


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## usmc121581

Where would you even find somthing like that? You would waste there money on that anyway. Me personnal I think the fish looks ugly now. I finally got to see those tetra's that are suppose to glow in the dark, I thought that was the biggest waste money, But you just changed my mind. That fish in the picture is now.


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## Lupin

usmc121581 said:


> Where would you even find somthing like that? You would waste there money on that anyway. Me personnal I think the fish looks ugly now. I finally got to see those tetra's that are suppose to glow in the dark, I thought that was the biggest waste money, But you just changed my mind. That fish in the picture is now.


There is a fish that has been genetically modified. It's called a "Glofish". They used Zebra Danios for this.


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## SimplySplendid

Sad isn't it?


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## joeshmoe

Thats sick


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## Nick

I think that is awesome!!! I mean i would never do it, its sad but i think it looks pretty cool


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## jsm11482

I think they look awesome in that huge group but maybe i'm just evil???


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## Lupin

jsm11482 said:


> I think they look awesome in that huge group but maybe i'm just evil???


Yes you are.:bluelaugh:
Dyeing fish is impractical. This should be banned as fish tend to live for a short time due to the effects of dye. Dye tend to make them more susceptible to lymphocystis, a viral disease.


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## Ramirezi160

Well, I don't know how cruel the zebra danio coloration is. They originally used it as a way to test water qualities in third world countries. They color the fish by using a gene from a sea anemone and injecting it into the eggs of the danios. It's all genetic, and as a zygote I don't think the fish feels any pain.

I do not agree with the chemical dyeing of other fish. I heard from my co-workers that the fish that are dipped in acid then in the colored dye only have about a 20% survival rate. Those are horrible odds. I steer everyone that wants to buy them away from the parrots.


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## Amphitrite

I don't find anything appealing at all about dyed fish. 

Apart from being cruel, the fish appear very unnatural looking.


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## love_my_fish

I had seen 'painted' glass fish at a lfs about 4 years ago. I was very intrigued by the appearance and nearly purchased them until the salesperson told me that the fish were injected with a dye that would last only a week. I was shocked, and find it absolutely bizarre and cruel.

Recently I've been seeing Strawberry Danios, or maybe they go by other names -- Cotton Candy? I'm guessing they are born a disgusting pink color. Anyone know? And why? :? 

I am however intrigued by the glow in the dark danios (I would never buy them though), I thought I heard there was a concern about them gettting into wild waters? Perhaps that would be true for any genetically engineered fish.


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## Lupin

love_my_fish said:


> Recently I've been seeing Strawberry Danios, or maybe they go by other names -- Cotton Candy? I'm guessing they are born a disgusting pink color. Anyone know? And why?


I haven't heard of danios being dyed other than the glofish itself.:dunno:


> I am however intrigued by the glow in the dark danios (I would never buy them though), I thought I heard there was a concern about them gettting into wild waters? Perhaps that would be true for any genetically engineered fish.


Was there any doubt that they would?:dunno: That's a very controversial topic and glofish has long been boycotted by several aquarists. Strangely enough, they made a ruling that glofish should be copyrighted meaning you can breed but selling/distributing them is an act of violation. But still why do they have to exposed that experiment publicly when they can just experiment them privately in labs?
A lot has been said that glofish were created by splicing the DNA of the fish with that of the jellyfish thus their glowing ability.
Sad that some people think they're cool. This is the 2nd one in history since dyed fish and deformed fish widely available.:dunno:


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## love_my_fish

hmm -- the pet stores around here are not selling them as "glofish", I think it was Strawberry danio.....hmmm


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## Lupin

love_my_fish said:


> hmm -- the pet stores around here are not selling them as "glofish", I think it was Strawberry danio.....hmmm


Is this the one?








More...
















If so, those are glofish, not the usual fruit names like the Blueberry Tetras which are actually dyed forms of the albino morph of Black Skirt Tetras.:blink:


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## Tracy

It's just nasty. I went to a different lfs a few days ago and saw the dyed parrotfish. I would never buy a fish like that, and expressed my disgust to the associate working there. If people are so concerned about apperances (colours), then they should go for saltwater fishes which are much more colourful by nature. Makes me wonder wish 'colourful' fish are natural? Most of the small livebearer types are very colourful. Are Bettas natural?


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## myuzicman

Bettas are natural they get their different colors from different breeding strains.


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## Lupin

First post by Joeshmoe now updated with list of possible dyed fish.:wink2:

Thread will warrant a sticky to raise awareness against buying dyed fish.


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## jinithith2

wait...so is parrot fish frowned upon (the non dyed kind) because it is a hybrid? if it is, then I'm canceling all thoughts about getting one. :x


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## Lupin

Hi Jinithith2.:wave:

Yes. Sadly, people even pinch out the tails to make them shape like hearts and label them as heart parrots.









I do not advocate the production of parrot fish. Poor fish. They are the most common victims of dyeing, tattooing, pinching of tails and subjected to other methods which are uncalled for.:blueworry:


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## jinithith2

ah well. I'm sure I'll find a legit fish somewhers 
look at the relfection of the kid's face in the parrotfish tank on the first page. There is a feeling boiling up in me that makes me want to give him a hearty slap  well...can't blame astonishment :shock:


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## Lupin

Well, unless the people are aware of the cruelty involved in dyeing and other methods, then we can't really blame them for their astonishment.


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## RazorDX

You can't really blame the people that buy them, it's the ones who dye and distribute them. Sometimes it's also the pet store associate who thinks it looks pretty cool, and passes his "observation" onto the customer.

Customers don't know any better... the vast majority of us ventured into a pet store for the first time at some point and had no idea what all of the characteristics of these majestic looking creatures were. We didn't know any better... and at that point in time we were the prime target for the distributors of dyed and genetically modified fish.

And no, I'm not trying to justify buying them at some point in time... I was too cheap even before I knew about the cruel processes used. :lol:


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## Lupin

RazorDX said:


> You can't really blame the people that buy them, it's the ones who dye and distribute them. Sometimes it's also the pet store associate who thinks it looks pretty cool, and passes his "observation" onto the customer.


Of course, we don't blame customers especially those who are quite new to the hobby. But we do blame distributors and aquarists who already knew about this yet they buy dyed fish because they think they're beautiful.








IMO, it won't be an excuse for those who knew about dyed fish yet they claimed they don't know anything about this.

I have stickied this thread to raise awareness among beginners the consequences suffered by these poor fish and the consequences they'll get for buying fish.:wink2:


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## Lupin

Hi fellow members.:wave:

Here is the link to know everything about dyed fish. Apart from dyed fish, glofish information is also imprinted for reference.
An article done by Dr Peter Burgess and Dr Stan MacMahon on dyed fish.


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## Tracy

Very, very disturbing. Why can't people leave nature alone? Next they'll be dying white cats and white dogs


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## girlofgod

they already do that...you can take your pet to the salon and they will dye their hair pink or purple or whatever...it washes out in a couple weeks tho...


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## ^angel^

are cherry barbs dyed? what about tetras? cuz my lfs has some tetras ..i believe they are called lemon tetras that are really pretty...but they look a little fake.


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## Lupin

^angel^ said:


> are cherry barbs dyed? what about tetras? cuz my lfs has some tetras ..i believe they are called lemon tetras that are really pretty...but they look a little fake.


I don't think cherry barbs are often dyed so you're safe to obtain them. Same goes to the lemon tetras.
Dyed tetras are usually the albino morphs of the Black Skirt Tetras. The fluorescent coloration runs along the lateral line of the fish. On the side note, it is easy to distinguish dyed fish if you familiarize yourself with the natural breeds. For instance, albino Black Skirts are completely white so those with unusual colorations on their backs are dyed. No one can breed fish with colorations running only on the lateral line.


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## Guest

That's just awful the poor fish


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## St6_Devgru

*hmmmmm. wat is the point of dyeing fish???? not that fun...*



Brie said:


> Here is a picture of dyed glassfish. Although it may look nice, please do not buy this fish as it encourages fish-dyeing that is dreadfully harmful and cruel to the fish.




hmmm im such a noob i didnt know this was dyed fish.....wow you guys are awesome!!! you guys are so cool and knowledgable about fish !! awesome!!=D. wats the easiest way to spot a dyed fish? thankx you guys are awesome!!


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## St6_Devgru

Brie said:


> Sad isn't it?


_~Comments edited for reasons.:wink2: Pls be careful with what you are posting. Strong negative words often create negative impact on the part of the other fish enthusiasts.
Blue_


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## Lupin

*Re: hmmmmm. wat is the point of dyeing fish???? not that fun*



St6_Devgru said:


> hmmm im such a noob i didnt know this was dyed fish.....wow you guys are awesome!!! you guys are so cool and knowledgable about fish !! awesome!!=D. wats the easiest way to spot a dyed fish? thankx you guys are awesome!!


Hiya and welcome abaord.:wave:

The only way to distinguish them is try familiarizing yourself with the natural strains of fish. If you saw a fish and you feel that it seems unnatural in coloration, try to either do a research or ask us, of course.:thumbsup: We can help you determine that and you'll be able to save your cash from unscrupulous trades.
Try to observe the fish's appearance(more on coloration) closely. Most of the fish dyed have colors apearing brightly on their lateral line. Dye is not permanent and the fish dyed suffers a lot. Dyed fish are quite vulnerable to lymphocystis.:blueworry: And most of them do not last long this way.
Glad to see this thread is helping you and other fish enthusiasts.:welldone:

Good luck.:thumbsup:


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## St6_Devgru

*Re: hmmmmm. wat is the point of dyeing fish???? not that fun*



Blue said:


> St6_Devgru said:
> 
> 
> 
> hmmm im such a noob i didnt know this was dyed fish.....wow you guys are awesome!!! you guys are so cool and knowledgable about fish !! awesome!!=D. wats the easiest way to spot a dyed fish? thankx you guys are awesome!!
> 
> 
> 
> Hiya and welcome abaord.:wave:
> 
> The only way to distinguish them is try familiarizing yourself with the natural strains of fish. If you saw a fish and you feel that it seems unnatural in coloration, try to either do a research or ask us, of course.:thumbsup: We can help you determine that and you'll be able to save your cash from unscrupulous trades.
> Try to observe the fish's appearance(more on coloration) closely. Most of the fish dyed have colors apearing brightly on their lateral line. Dye is not permanent and the fish dyed suffers a lot. Dyed fish are quite vulnerable to lymphocystis.:blueworry: And most of them do not last long this way.
> Glad to see this thread is helping you and other fish enthusiasts.:welldone:
> 
> Good luck.:thumbsup:
Click to expand...

OMG OMG OMG wow you are sooo awesome wow fast reply wow man i love you guys like family =D!!!!!!! Merry Christmas Everyone!!!


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## bettababy

Parrots are banned in my book. Any fish that has been genetically altered to provide entertainment for a human is just sick. Maybe its time to start dying people, dogs, cats, birds...??? Where are the morals behind something like that? There are a lot of sick and twisted people out there, and I think they should be subject to the same kind of treatment they offer animals and other people. Reap what you sow....
The hard part for me to understand is why the market for these animals hasn't completely died out enough for them to stop producing them? Can't any person with a brain see how inhumane this practice is? Sometimes people disgust me....and I have to say I'm ashamed to be human. We are the only species that spends all it's time destroying everything around us, even our own. If there is ever an end to mankind, it will be the fault of mankind.


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## crazie.eddie

I agree. If anyone ever watches "The Dog Whisperer" with Ceasar Mylan, there was an episode where he helped a lady who loved EVERYTHING pink, with pink rooms, pink decor, which included dying her dog pink. She she be banned from earth!


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## Lupin

crazie.eddie said:


> I agree. If anyone ever watches "The Dog Whisperer" with Ceasar Mylan, there was an episode where he helped a lady who loved EVERYTHING pink, with pink rooms, pink decor, which included dying her dog pink. She she be banned from earth!


Eddie, were you referring to the pink maltese in this link?


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## breadandbutter

if you bought a dyed fish would they tell you it had been dyed. only i had a goldfish that was a gold colour and now he's turned creamish


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## sazzy

TBH i do think the ''powder puff'' (as they are called) parrots look really impressive, but to people who know abit about fish (all of the above for instance :wink: ) know that to modify in such a way cant be good for the fish
but to the ignorant as i said at top they do look impressive, people who know nothing are the saps whom will buy them cos they are 'pretty' to look at??!!!! :x


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## Lupin

breadandbutter said:


> if you bought a dyed fish would they tell you it had been dyed. only i had a goldfish that was a gold colour and now he's turned creamish


Goldfish aren't dyed. They have a tendency to change colors as they grow so you're alright.
No. People will not tell you that those are dyed fish and neither will those who don't know about fish. The best thing you can do is familiarize yourself with the appearance of dyed and natural selections.


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## willow

i went to get some christmas decorations on friday,
and i went and took a look around a couple of fish places
that were close by,one of which had Dyed Parrot fish. :blueworry: 
i think i will stick to my LFS which don't sell Dyed fish.


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## fish_4_all

The bad part is we do alter ourselves in ways from tanning beds, to hair dye. All in the name of being idfferent or appealing to the opposite sex. 

As for the dying fish, is just wrong to think that such a process doesn't harm the fish, after all tanning too often does harm to us. I can't say it is the most henious act in the industry but is certainly one of the top 5. 

People will dye fish and inject fish as long as they allow people to do physical alterations to dogs, cats, weasels, rats, birds etc. There has to be a whole hearted change in attitute toward the true form of an animal before any of these practices like cropping tails, pinning ears and clipping wings will change so it will take the same effort to get dyed and injected fish off the market. 

I do know that even if my LFS did start to carry these and wouldn't stop upon request I would still buy from them, just not dyed or injected fish. I know, sounds hypocritical but the other option is to buy my fish and supplies from a place that deosn't clean their tanks at all and they are always full of algae, slime and dead fish so my options are a little limited. I guess the lesser of two evils as Walmart isn't even a choice because they are absolutely the worst of the 3.


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## matt_bet

as cruel as it is, you have to admit the fish look real novelty. but i would hate to see my awesome murray cod get dyed. lol


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## Naran

Wow! Thanks for posting this. I'd never heard of such a process. I came across this post while trying to dig up some information on "tattooed mollies". This would explain what I haven't been able to find any info about them or any breeders. 

The tattooed mollies looked just like the kaledscope gourami. Although one of the mollies had 5 vertical stripes instead of dots. All of them had white bodies. I even commented to the fish store employees that I'd never seen mollies like this before. They either didn't know about this process or didn't want to scare me off. Either way I'm not going back there.

Thanks again for posting!


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## Lupin

Glad you appreciate what we are doing, Naran.
Oh, and welcome aboard.:wave: :thumbsup:
I know you'll like it here too.:mrgreen:


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## Naran

:sigh:

Looks like I have another painted fish in my tank, the Strawberry Tetra. This fish store really has it all, painted fish and velvet.

Here's another link regarding painting, injecting, tattooing fish:
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/beginnerinfo/a/paintedfish.htm


Thanks for the welcome, Blue!


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## critter_keeper

When I first got my tank I sadly didnt know and I got a jellybean fish it wasnt died it was its normal pale orange. Soon after I got him I was looking in a group on myspace and found out all about them. I was wanting to get more till I saw that. I decided not to return him but kept him in my little tank family. He was a very hearty little fish and liked to follow me along the tank. Last week my little jelly died. even though I miss my little guy like crazy I refuse to buy another now that I have all the facts. Instead I am getting brightly colored cichlids for my tank


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## Lupin

Here are the following fish which IMO should not be bought:
1. *Blood Parrot*
~They are so deformed that most of the parrots even fail to be able to close their mouths.:blueworry: You may find "heart-shaped parrots". Their tails were actually pierced which is quite painful for the fish.
2.* Jellybean Parrot*
~They are fertile unfortunately.:blueworry: So people get to breed them in large numbers.:frustrated: They should be boycotted as they are not even natural.
3. *Balloon Mollies*
A supposed "natural variant" of molly.:doh!: The truth is that they are so deformed with their spines seemingly curved.:redmad: They are often prone to swim bladder defects.
4. *Flowerhorns*
Do not believe in what they call are "Chinese characters" which are supposed to bring "luck", "fortune" and other fortune-telling stuff.:sarcastic: Sheer luck happens by coincidence.:wink2:
The flowerhorns you found have been subjected to injections to enhance colorings(often the food color enhancers though), piercing of tails and enlarging of humps. Enlarging the humps is totally not a good idea. The larger it is, the more difficult it is for fish to swim well.:blueworry:
Worst, they are extremely aggressive and it is best not to release them in the wild for a lot of factors which are generally disease contamination to the local flora and fauna and decimation of native stocks like what happened in Lake Victoria prior to introduction of Nile Perch.
5. *Assorted Malawi Cichlids*
We should not encourage cross breeding the species as we are only reducing the stocks of pure strains. Malawians are so eager to breed that we often find fry which have horrible combinations of colors and even appearance.
6. *Poeciliids*
Apart from the balloon mollies, do not attempt to cross even the guppies and mollies. They are often frowned upon as they look quite unnatural. I have yet to see pictures of those cross breeds prior to claims that they can even cross breed.:sarcastic:
7. *Balloon Rams*
Avoid them. They are the same as the balloon mollies.


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## fish_4_all

I agree with cross breeding only if it is intentional and unregulated. The accidental crossing of some species is inevitable and there is a fair chance that, I would be guessing, up to 25% of all fish on the market that have been traded and bought and traded and bought etc.. are crossbreeds and there is little chance to eliminate the strains. To be quite honest, if the cross breeding is done by the same standards and regulations that they have for mammals then I don't have many bad things to say about it. It is the unregulated practice that is going to destroy the hobby and many species. But any species that is mutilated, deformed, or lacks the natural biological properties of similar species is absolutely wrong. Also any practice that shortens the life span, deforms the animal or hinders its ability to do what it shoujd be able to do should also be banned. 

After all, if it we were to ban all cross breeds of all animals, no one would own a cat or a dog as well as other animals we call pets. It sinply needs to be regulated and done properly to insure a viable, "natural" result with a large enough gene pool to make sure that proper breeding practices can be maintained.


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## St6_Devgru

IMO this is a dyed loach









is this a died loach?


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## blueblue48

man this stuff is all so cruel, plus the price on those blood parrot cichlids are cruel too! dang 26 dollars at the actualy fish store! sheesh


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## joeshmoe

ya two days ago i went to a chinese buffet and they had like a 400 gallon tank with two dyed gouramis, 4 ARROWS!, 6 monos three of each kind,8-10 sevrum,1bala shark! well back to topic i dont no y any would buy them


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## ChemGirl

I had no idea it was so common to dye tropical fish. Is it usually not noted they're dyed?


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## Lupin

ChemGirl said:


> I had no idea it was so common to dye tropical fish. Is it usually not noted they're dyed?


Hi and welcome aboard, ChemGirl.:wave:

Pet stores and other distributors do not tell you they're dyed however, with research, you'll be able to identify them. Dyed fish are often labelled as 'colored <name of fish>'.


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## St6_Devgru

St6_Devgru said:


> IMO this is a dyed loach
> 
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> 
> 
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> 
> is this a died loach?


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## fish_4_all

My LFS told me about the parrots without having to ask. I haven't seen them in a while but I don't make it in very often anymore. I did see them in Walmart today and they looked like puffers that couldn't deflate, really kinda sad but then again you have to consider the store and the condition of most of their fish.


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## Lupin

St6_Devgru said:


> IMO this is a dyed loach
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> is this a died loach?


Yes.

Thanks to the imagecave.com, file not found.:sarcastic: Here's the picture about dyed glass fish.








Credit will still go to the PFK, of course for the image.


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## St6_Devgru

Blue said:


> St6_Devgru said:
> 
> 
> 
> IMO this is a dyed loach
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> is this a died loach?
> 
> 
> 
> Yes.
> 
> Thanks to the imagecave.com, file not found.:sarcastic: Here's the picture about dyed glass fish.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Credit will still go to the PFK, of course for the image.
Click to expand...

pet land had those.....i feel cuz i buy all my fish and supplies from ther......


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## Lupin

All.:wave:
I'd like to make clear of a fish that might confused you.
Glofish-details and pics are available in this thread.

As for Glowlight danio(_Danio choprae_), information is available here. Along with this pic.


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## musho3210

Dyed fish never look as good as their natural looks. You can find many different colors of fish that are not dyed that can give you great viewing pleasures and the satisfaction that these fish werent tortured


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## Lupin

I think to cover everything about dyed fish, hybrids and glofish, either I change the title(as we're going beyond just dyed fish :wink2: ) or make a new thread.:dunno:

But I'll try to push through my plans anytime to make a new thread concerning the fish that were created through different processes which could have harmed them.:mrgreen:


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## Julie's Julies

Goldfish are listed as often being dyed; can anyone post a photo? I have two twin-tailed goldfish that I just adore. I don't think they're dyed at all - they're orange Ryukins - but I would hate it if I somehow bought dyed fish. I also have Cory cats, and one is an albino. Again, though, I cannot see that either has been dyed. Is it mostly the albino strains that get colored?


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## Lupin

Julie's Julies said:


> Is it mostly the albino strains that get colored?


Yes. Even clear-bodied species are vulnerable to that.
Here's an interesting thread for cories.
http://fishforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=7157


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## jessicavan386

i'm really sad now, i just bought 4 parrot fish yesterday two pink ones a yellow one and a greenish-blue one. if i would have known that they are colorful due to cruelty, i wouldnt have bought them. they are my first fish.


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## daisycutter

are there dyed kribs does anyone know ? when i was looking to purchase a pair(of normal type) i looked in a few places before going with my favorite dealer in one store they had what they called "super red kribs" that have a very large area of pink up 3 quaters of the body much greater than the standard krib are these dyed or a simple case of selective breeding?


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## Livelifelaughlove

Death by Dyeing.org - Shades of death

i like how they look, but i deffinatly wouldn't buy one or support it in anyway


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## Lupin

Daisycutter, do you have pics? You'll never know what they dye next thing after another.


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## daisycutter

actully after extensively googling them it seems they are a different species( P. sacrimontis) to the common kribs ( P. pulcher ) that are just beging to appear in the hobby and very red varieties exist of common kribs also called super reds but these are not comonly avalible so not one for the dyed list, the shop did carry the mutant parrot ciclids thogh including a number of bright green ones and the eqully unattractive ballon mollies


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## JaspersANGEL

Hi 
Yes this is really disturbing and cruel but I just had one question...
I bought a betta and found that I really like them, so I plan on buying more. But I'm really concerned and bothered about this post, I swear to never buy fish from that list and any other dyed fish listed but I was wondering are betta's ok..as in are they dyed or not...
really concerned about my little betta


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## Jack Middleton

If you don't like dyed fish, don't buy them. If there isn't a trade for them, the company wont order them! simple as!


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## Mikaila31

I'm all against dyed fish and all. Yet I can't understand why you bash the glo-fish. The zebra daino that has an added jellyfish gene causing it to be very colorful. Comes in a couple different colors. The gene is added to the fishes egg. There is no cruelty in this, the fish grows, lives and behaves no different than any other zebra danio. The trait is also genetic so offspring will carry it too. This is the fish that can stop the dyeing process. No matter how long people keep fish, there will always be informed or uninformed people who want hardy colorful fish. The glo-fish is a way to take to cruelty out of coloring fish. If they do the same thing with other species, dyed fish could be replaced by GM fish(genetically modified). They would be no more cruel than the natural strain. Sure most aquarists will not like them. But at least it no longer has to do with cruelty and is more up to personal tastes.

Hybrid/mutated fish again is really up to personal taste. I don't see why there is a need to decry them. Yes, the blood parrot is a hybrid, the flowerhorn is a hybrid, and in reality a lot of the fancy livebearers you see are also hybrids. There are many more besides those. Balloon mollies, balloon rams, all common livebearers, and most bettas are mutant strains along with many others. Personally I don't see any issues with hybrid/mutant fish themselves. Before you decry these fish, know they are no different than any dog breed, Great Dane, chiwawa, Golden retriever, dachshund ect. or any other" breed" of a species. All are base on mutations in the process of artificial selection. If you are going to disapprove of mutated fish, should it not be the same w/ any mutated animal? Fancy goldfish developed through mutations. Should they not be on the list too? balloon mollies and balloon rams IMO are no different than fancy goldfish. Some people like them, some don't. What it comes down to is that you guys are only targeting the new strains of mutated fish, a dalmatian balloon molly is only a little more mutated than a regular dalmatian molly. Both though are mutated fish from the natural strain. Some cat breeders decry the munchkin cat as a mutant not a breed, but is it really any more mutated than any of the current breeds? 

Hybrid fish are a little harder. I see nothing wrong with undyed blood parrots. I don't like how they look, but I'm not against them being sold or kept. I find flowerhorns very pretty fish though. Then you have all the hybrid livebearers that don't look like hybrids, but they are. The mickey mouse swordtail for example. The mickey mouse pattern was originally created on platies. Mickey mouse swordtails may not be F1 hybrids, but they are still hybrids. Hybrids are dangerous though, not the fish itself but those who breed and sell it. For some fish like the blood parrot this is not a problem, but for other fish like rainbows it is a problem. Rainbows can hybridize easily, and in truth a # of rainbow fish in store are hybrids. Again there is no issue w/ the fish here. The issue is that some hybrids are not sold has hybrids, but as a pure species. This is the danger of hybrids. Someone buys the fish thinking they are pure, breeds them as a pure strain and sells/distributes them as such. This results in a contamination of the real pure strain. A more common example is the difference between guppies, endlers, and guppyXendler. If you have a hybrid fish it should be sold as a hybrid fish.

The only time I feel the need to decry a mutation or hybridization is if I think it causes suffering to the animal. The line for this is very blurry though. Dog breeds suffer genetic diseases, and such. Great Danes have very short life expectancy's compared to other dogs. Some parrot fish can't close their mouths. Ect. I personally don't like most mutated and hybrid fish, however I look at there mutation or hybridization and look for any negative effects it has on that fish's life and if the effect can be reduced through proper care and keeping of the fish. If I don't see anything morally wrong w/ the fish then I'm OK with it. Again I may not like its appearance and may never keep it, but I'm not against those who do want to keep it.


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