What I want know is why so many threads where a “breeder” sells fish that aren’t the species you think you are getting. Who are these “breeders”? Scammers or just don’t know what they are breeding?
I will only buy fish from TUIC, Cichlids of the Americas or The Wet Spot. But from those places, there is no confusion or questing what you bought.
My response to this, does not a apply to the scammers trying to rip people off.
But I believe many aquarists (especially noobs)will buy a fish at a LFS, or internet seller, and take for granted that the fish is what it is labeled as, and then if or when it spawns, sell the fry as such, perpetuating the mistake..
I would venture to say, LFSs are in error at least 1/3 to 1/2 of the time, especially with cichlids.
The post count of people asking what their fish is, once it puts on some size, here at MFK makes this problem obvious.
e.g.
There are many posts of aquarists believing they have Geophagus surinamenis because that is what the LFS had it labeled as, but in reality we know thats almost an impossibility, to actually have "that" species.
This is also especially rampant with many of the other Geophagines.
Or if a cichlid is labeled as a common name, "this or that Texas, or this or that Red face Vieja, or Yellow head Parachromis, so the seller ignorantly puts a scientific name to it (totally unaware) its not what that cichlid really is.
I stopped buying fish from LFSs years ago because of most LFS incompetence, and....
as Toiletcar stated, unless I know the seller is reputable, I wouldn't buy anything from a random Aquabid seller.
