Fishkeeping ethics

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From working at a pretty responsible LFS, I've formed a lot of opinions about this particular topic. There are some fish available that I think people should be required to have a permit to purchase, mostly because out of ignorance some of them end up in natural waterways when they grow to an unmanagable size. I've run into lots of customers that actually think that's okay.

My LFS is also the only one in the area that accepts unwanted fish. It's difficult for us when we receive things like irridescent sharks, redtail catfish, gars, etc. because the chances of us actually finding decent homes for these fish is very, very slim. We can ship some of them to one of our distributors that has more success placing large species than we do, but unfortunately we end up destroying some of them, most of the time because they've been so horribly neglected by the time they come to us.
 
Demonfish;1159727; said:
Considering that for most "hardcore" fish enthusiasts, a big tank would probably run somewhere between 100 and 225 gallons, what would be the biggest (excluding oddballs like eels) fish (adult size) that would be ethical to sell?
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If they can sell a tank it can fit in I see no problem with selling the fish.
 
regulating tankbusters for the sake of the fish is ridiculous. if people cant buy big fish they can still put 25 tiger barbs in a 10 gal tank. are the tankbusters any more deserving of good water quality and living quarters? we deffinitely do not need any regualation, just do the best you can to educate others. then realize people are still gonna do what they want.
 
Regulation is bad plain and simple.

Pet shops are by their nature irresponsible. Well that's debatable. Look at RTC's (as stated above). Any pet shop that buys more than one RTC a year is condemning a fish to horrible future.....OK I'll take back the irresponsible part about pet shops but as a person that sells things for a living, I refuse to offer the wrong product for the wrong application. Does that make me better than others or stupid? I could sell more products if I hustle people into buying the more expensive product or a product they don't need. I'm not better, I'm just human and I don't like being treated like garbage or a fool.

OK....pet shops that sell tank busters to folks with undersized tanks are irresponsible and not informing customers to the true nature of what they sell. In other words......selling a bad product. One that will perform in a certain manner and will require particular care and maintenance. They do not tell the customer what they're getting into and this is wrong. Just because a fish distributor stocks RTC's does not mean a pet shop must buy them. If a distributor does not sell them, they will not re order. Stop the madness and at the very least tell the customer the proper care requirements! Even a used car salesmen tells you what oil you need to put in your car for goodness sakes.
 
I don't think they should really be restricted for the most part.

I think the stores should just list the max sizes correctly, and maybe make them easier to see when they get over a foot. like a "caution, this fish gets (insert length) and needs to be kept in a (insert huge number) gallon tank.

the only big "no no" it seems people buy anyway are pacus. they see them tiny and they look like p's... little do they know how big they really really get. hell... most people on this site cant house one.
 
IMHO, getting PETA involved in the fish business for us MFK is really treading on very thin ice. I can easily see PETA campaigning against "feeder fish" and banning the sales of any live food.
 
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