Ok, first a few assumptions:
1. You are a dedicated fishkeeper who does not negelect his/her fish (learn about the fish, frequent water changes, proper diet, etc);
2. You love keping catfish (otherwise why are you reading this forum?
);
3. You understand that what's written on this forum (or any other forum) will have no impact on the rtc supply and demand curve. While I can't prove this, I am virtually certain that this forum (and ones like it) represents only the most deciated fishkeepers in the hobby, which is perhaps 1% of all fishkeepers and RTC buyers. The other 99% of fishkeepers/the RTC buyers do not read fish forums; they are clueless fishkeepers and just buy fish that are "cute" without knowing a thing about the fish, its needs, or its ultmate size.
If you acept these 3 assumptions, then the cute little RTC at your LFS has three survival options:
1. Be bought by an unsuspecting clueless fishkeeper (I will him Joe Clueless) who will over-feed it, under water change it, and keep it in a 30g tank (or smaller) for its entire [short] life. Joe may mean well, but he's clueless, and, as we all know, the RTC is not a fish for a novice or clueless fishkeeper. The fish is doomed for sure; or
2. Sit in your LFS's 55g for its life, where it will [perhaps] lead an ok life for a time, but will die within 6 months from lack of care and/or from living in a tank that's far too small. LFS's don't keep large fish with big appetites that take up entire tanks and that are difficult to sell, it's just not economical; or
3. Go to you, who will care for it as best as you can until it gets too large for your tank, at which point you will either
---buy a bigger tank (if you grow attached to your rtc, and you will, Ithink you wil choose this solution, the best solution ); or
---sell/give the rtc to someone else with a bigger tank (good solution if you can find the right person); or
--- you will give it back to your LFS (not a solution, but odds are the fish is no worse off-- and probably much better off-- than if it had been bought by Joe Clueless)
No matter which you choose, the RTC has at least the same, and probably much better, propsect for survival than if you had walked away and left the store.
Now, you say, we shouldn't support the purchase of a fish that should be left alone in the wild. I agree. But remember that our actions have no impact on the RTC supply and demand curve (see above), and also remebermber that this isn't just an academic argument. There's a real live fish in front of you that you probably can care for far beter than the next guy. So, I suggest that you tell/beg the LFS owner that he should NOT sell these fish because they are not suitable for home aquaria. When you're done, tell him again. And when your done telling him for the second time, tell him that you are buying this one to save him from Joe Clueless.
Ok, I'm done. Go ahead and disagree, but be nice GBG
1. You are a dedicated fishkeeper who does not negelect his/her fish (learn about the fish, frequent water changes, proper diet, etc);
2. You love keping catfish (otherwise why are you reading this forum?
); 3. You understand that what's written on this forum (or any other forum) will have no impact on the rtc supply and demand curve. While I can't prove this, I am virtually certain that this forum (and ones like it) represents only the most deciated fishkeepers in the hobby, which is perhaps 1% of all fishkeepers and RTC buyers. The other 99% of fishkeepers/the RTC buyers do not read fish forums; they are clueless fishkeepers and just buy fish that are "cute" without knowing a thing about the fish, its needs, or its ultmate size.
If you acept these 3 assumptions, then the cute little RTC at your LFS has three survival options:
1. Be bought by an unsuspecting clueless fishkeeper (I will him Joe Clueless) who will over-feed it, under water change it, and keep it in a 30g tank (or smaller) for its entire [short] life. Joe may mean well, but he's clueless, and, as we all know, the RTC is not a fish for a novice or clueless fishkeeper. The fish is doomed for sure; or
2. Sit in your LFS's 55g for its life, where it will [perhaps] lead an ok life for a time, but will die within 6 months from lack of care and/or from living in a tank that's far too small. LFS's don't keep large fish with big appetites that take up entire tanks and that are difficult to sell, it's just not economical; or
3. Go to you, who will care for it as best as you can until it gets too large for your tank, at which point you will either
---buy a bigger tank (if you grow attached to your rtc, and you will, Ithink you wil choose this solution, the best solution
); or ---sell/give the rtc to someone else with a bigger tank (good solution if you can find the right person); or
--- you will give it back to your LFS (not a solution, but odds are the fish is no worse off-- and probably much better off-- than if it had been bought by Joe Clueless)
No matter which you choose, the RTC has at least the same, and probably much better, propsect for survival than if you had walked away and left the store.
Now, you say, we shouldn't support the purchase of a fish that should be left alone in the wild. I agree. But remember that our actions have no impact on the RTC supply and demand curve (see above), and also remebermber that this isn't just an academic argument. There's a real live fish in front of you that you probably can care for far beter than the next guy. So, I suggest that you tell/beg the LFS owner that he should NOT sell these fish because they are not suitable for home aquaria. When you're done, tell him again. And when your done telling him for the second time, tell him that you are buying this one to save him from Joe Clueless.
Ok, I'm done. Go ahead and disagree, but be nice
GBG
