BLUEBERRY OSCAR ?

[kdrun76]

I have a difficult time boycotting a fish store dedicated to supplying the fish that are desired by their customers. Maybe the ****** that supply the demand for this garbage, and the sadists that perform the torture are whom you should direct your disdain toward!

They are not providing a fish desired by their customers. The customers that buy these fish are ignorant of why the fish look so "cool." What the pet store is doing is exploiting an ignorant customer to make a sale.

This is NOT a case of fish being requested and ordered, its impulse purchase.

Telling the owners of stores that stock these poor animals that you will be spending your $$ in stores that don't condone this practice can and will help. If the dyed fish are not in the store they won't be purchased on impulse.

 

[cichlid2006]

I have seen my first dyed parrot fish, after 20+ years of being interest in fish, in a local store and I walked out telling my dad why I wouldnt give them my money in a louder than normal voice just so everyone heard. He is interested in starting a tank so he goes with me to learn when i pick new fish and he received a lesson about the darker side of aquatics. He was utterly appauled so I considered it a win of sorts because I know he wont buy them now.
They were particularly bad to look at due to knowing what they went through to be in that store. However, I can understand why new keepers would buy them. They see marine fish with fantastic colours and its not a gigantic leap to imagine that freshwater fish could be similarly bright and colourful.
It used to be a pretty good shop but they did "renovating" and the place took a nose dive so its not great loss to me anyway.

 

[Aquanero]

I don't think many (if any) educated hobbiest buy these fish or support this pratice. It is a marketing tool designed to attract the new or casual fish owner. Unfortunatly it is part of the learning curve for some. Not everyone does thier research before buying if setting up a cute fish tank for thier home or 5 year old. So they learn this the hard way. I don't fault them too much for this, it is what it is. The practice is not likly to stop anytime soon as long as there is money to be made but like all fads it'll eventually run it's course and burn out, I hope. No fish store that is geared towards the true hobbiest with a good reputation sells these things anyway so I don't run across them often.

 

[screaminleeman]

They are not providing a fish desired by their customers. The customers that buy these fish are ignorant of why the fish look so "cool." What the pet store is doing is exploiting an ignorant customer to make a sale.

This is NOT a case of fish being requested and ordered, its impulse purchase.

Telling the owners of stores that stock these poor animals that you will be spending your $$ in stores that don't condone this practice can and will help. If the dyed fish are not in the store they won't be purchased on impulse.

Although I have a very high level of respect for your knowledge of fish, I do not necessarily agree with you in your assessment of this practice in the business.

Unless a fish store is in an area that is a tourist attraction, then their access to "new" clientele is extremely limited. Even then, the market for tropical fish would probably be extremely low given the chore of housing the "pet" until returning home from "vacation".

As a newbie to the hobby myself, I too have been "burned" by a fish keeping practice that I now consider horrendous upon learning more about the process involved. The frankenfish (Kirin Parrots) were a lesson in frustration for me as a newbie in the hobby. I can assure you that the vast majority of the customers of the hybrids; ie. flowerhorn... are NOT newbies buying on impulse. In addition, the high price of the hybrids supports the evil practice FAR better than the much lower price received from the even more quickly destructive practice of tattooing less expensive base species of fish.

Genetic manipulation based on unnatural forced breeding and extreme culling should not be considered a responsible practice in the hobby. Fish stores cater to the phenomenon due to the high level of support/ demand from highly experienced fish keepers in the hobby.

Again supply and demand drives businesses here in the USA.

 

[screaminleeman]

I don't think many (if any) educated hobbiest buy these fish or support this pratice. It is a marketing tool designed to attract the new or casual fish owner. Unfortunatly it is part of the learning curve for some. Not everyone does thier research before buying if setting up a cute fish tank for thier home or 5 year old. So they learn this the hard way. I don't fault them too much for this, it is what it is. The practice is not likly to stop anytime soon as long as there is money to be made but like all fads it'll eventually run it's course and burn out, I hope. No fish store that is geared towards the true hobbiest with a good reputation sells these things anyway so I don't run across them often.

Nice hybrid as your avatar by the way!

 

[Aquanero]

Nice hybrid as your avatar by the way!

Thank's, is not a hybird it's a Trimac.

 

[Sarah88]

yeah its a pure trimac in breeding colors and its absolutely gorgeous but yeah screaminleeman, no one said anything about regular hybrids geared towards ignorant newbies, we were all talking about dyed fish, like the dyed Os and parrot cichlids, and this i agree is geared towards ignorant customers (not necessarily newbies though) there are people who will continue to go into a store and buy whatever fish they think is cool looking and that the employee tells them will fit in their tank and they never research into how this fish got this way, and the fish store with the most oddball and "cool" looking fish is the one they will go back to time after time when their dyed fish die an early, agonizing death. so it is a help to not buy from them at all and to let them know why you are spending your money elsewhere, i personally wont shop at any pet store that i think is inadequately keeping any of their animals and i will let them know exactly why i am leaving (of course the tanks are small and overstocked i understand its a business but as long as they are clean and there aren't fish dying off in every tank then i have no problem with it, and im talking about other animals too not just fish)

 

[screaminleeman]

Hey Sarah,

I apologized in a PM for language that was edited from the original post, and explained some of my reservations.

Most specifically (No names, as I have had nothing short of fantastic dealings with them and in no way want to lose business for them!):

I am a relative newbie myself and ordered a blueberry Oscar from a distributor (not on MFK) with an unbelievable totally awesome stock that has been in the business for 40 years. I explained my "newbie" status to the main man (again no names) and he told me, and I quote as closely as possible: "I would not recommend that you buy these fish. They are not naturally colored and the process of coloring these Oscars usually leaves them very weak and susceptible to disease. Best case scenario that you can hope for is that skin damage is not too severe to kill the fish and it regenerates its natural slime coat. In that case you will be left with an extremely low grade albino tiger Oscar.

I asked about what he meant about the "low grade"? I was told that the higher grade albino Oscars were always sold as is from his supplier, while the ones with some degree of defects and poor health were sent through the terrible process of being made a blueberry.

He then suggested that he had some striking beauties (albino Oscars) showing fabulous patterns, healthy and eating well for less money than the blueberries. He assured me that I would be FAR happier with these natural albino Oscars then the butchered low-grade ones. I inquired about the origin of what was labeled "Lemon Yellow Oscar". I was told that this was a natural morph hue that were similarly healthy and active as the albino tigers, but cost way more (it was $6) then either the albinos ($2.50) or the blueberries ($3).

I adore my lemon Oscar and it s indeed showing great personality and attraction already. I can't say enough positive of my with this distributor, that also deals the blueberries to those who just don't care. I think it is a shame to "boycott" an honest businessman who has worked so hard for 40 years to import such an incredible selection of rare and beautiful fish simply because they also cater to some in the hobby who have considerably less scruples in this hobby that you or myself.

 

[cichlid2006]

if he is just going to point out what a short and painful life a blueberry will lead then why buy them in. it makes no sense to buy them in and then actively discourage purchase to a self-proclaimed newbie. i think one of two things was going on:
either he was:
a) going for the sympathy purchase that an animal shouldnt be locked in a tiny glass box and you would therefore buy it out of sympathy in the hope you could give it some quality of life before its short life ended.

or

b) gain your trust because it is innevitible you will find out how they are made and despise him for selling you one. now you will believe anything he has to say about any fish and pay ridiculous money for the more exotic colour morphs on otherwise common fish.

both are very cunning sales tactics if they are indeed that.

 

[Dayvydp]

Dyed fish is an atrocity

I saw some fish at a store, Had stars painted on them, the american flag, a heart and an I<3NY one. It was horrible. I felt bad for them