I'd rather them not be banned... I plan on having a few in my next tank.
Please Sign and Circulate FDA INVESTIGATE WALMART PUFFER POISONING!
- Thread starter PufferCorps
- Start date
It has alot to do with the treatment of the fish prior to their arrival to Walmart and even their wholesaler. Being wild caught they typically are affected with parasites and in combination with collection practices, the fish can arrive in a very stressed state. Also Walmart is purchasing the lowest grade puffers, meaning they are graded and their holding tanks are packed to the highest density possible, so the fish are being exposed to very poor conditions prior to arrival.
My local Walmart has never stocked any kind of puffer, that I have seen. I have seen them stock dyed tetras though. They actually closed down down their live fish department about 2 months ago. FYI
As mentioned, there might be other factors at play causing fishes death...
If other fish are dying, and lets say the dead puffers body has been picked at, then yes there is a chance said fish are getting killed by the toxins in the puffer fishes body...
But from what i've experienced and read it doesnt seem many people have actually gone through a puffer fish / box fish or even a cow fish nuking their tank... with the later being one often said to nuke a S/W tank pretty quickly if they die...
Also, unless you can either test for TTX in the water, or maybe do an autopsy on most of the dead puffers, it would be hard to pin point excatly what killed them...
Just look at any wild caught stock at an LFS, chances are a lot will die before even making it to the display tanks for sale, and those that do make it, still have to battle probably getting settled into their 2nd or 3rd type of water parameters before being moved off to their next home with us...
All these factors added together can really stress out a puffer to the point of deatg, since they are a scaless fish sensitive to water parameters, and don't appreciate being crowded together for any extended period of time...
FYI Puffers died a lot more in any LFS than any Walmart stores. I have seen a large puffer order came to LFS and a week later 95% of them already died...give another week nothing left in their tank. My friend is a fish owner store and he said puffer fish is a total loss benefit for him but he's needed just cause of variation of fish selection in the store.
Mr Homer
Yes, puffers are sensitive and need strict parameters.what I'm talking about is the fact that all the fish at Walmart are being exposed to something thats killing them.
Thats why i want the FDA to step in. They would be able to test water samples from Walmart for the presence of TTX.
In shipping, they are not fed and stuffed tightly into bags with just enough water to keep them alive to save money on freight. That they all dont die from suffocation or ammonia toxicity is a miracle. Once they arrive if they are fed and can settle down in a LFS that knows how to care for them, I would think they should fair well. LFS's get best of the stock, heartiest, big spots and bright colors, while the leftover runts and damaged go to Walmart. With the relief of less crowding, food and care I think they would cease oozing tetrodotoxin and not be a threat to the other fish.
Ms Rihwa
When puffers are fed, medicated, dewormed, and well cared for, they more often than not, survive and flourish. I'm surprised to hear your fiends store had such bad luck keeping puffers. I hope they stopped ordering them if they don't know how to keep them healthy. It's a cop out to blame the puffers like its their fault, and a liability to have them in inventory. It's not that puffer "die easy" ,as so many use as an excuse when they lose them. It should be easy peazy for an professional to bring them back to vitality. I'm just an amateur and had to learn quick how to rehabilitate and preserve them. I suggest that your friend take another crack at the books, if puffers are dying in their expert care.
Thats exactly right!
They have a very rough time. They arent fed for weeks and are shipped in crowded bags full of waste. Stress causes them to excrete TTX. The concentration from so many stressed puffs in a stagnant bag with very little water is enough of a concern that the wholesale importers treat them with tetrocycline. They are held at the warehouse separate, to protect the other fish, and sorted and shipped again
"A really nice idea, but I really do see any result coming from it being a complete pufferfish ban in the USA." is an extremely unlikely possibility.
Puffers are a big seller, and Donny Fleming of Quality Pets was on the board of directors, and Stan Owens, of Spectrum Brands / Global Pet Group is currently the treasurer of
This is a quote from the PIJAC home page:
"Some legislation can be detrimental to pet ownership. Excessive licensing fees for breeders or pet owners can make pet ownership more expensive and potentially prohibitive. Pet sale bans and limits on the types of pets people may own can cripple legitimate businesses and foster an underground, unregulated market for pets in the future. PIJAC is the national watchdog organization that addresses these issues by:
Monitoring legislation regarding pets and pet ownership at the local, state, and national level;
Providing testimony and comments on legislation that is in the best interest of pets and those that care about pets;
Empowering members with the tools necessary to respond to legislative issues; and
Collaborating and forging strong networks among government agencies, industry groups and non-governmental organizations."
Spectrum owns Marineland who is contracted to produce Walmarts brand Aqua Culture. They invest in lobbyist to block regulations that would effect their business, including limits on harvesting coral. Things have changed ence the 70's when the red ear slider turtle was banned. Most likely they could be fined if Walmart is found to be over the legal limit of TTX and will still be available on special order, which would be good, 10000's of puffers would no longer be subjected to Walmart.
http://cqrcengage.com/pijac/
This is true. What the FDA will be looking for is an illegal amount. They will have to pay a fine and the FDA will give them time to respond with a remedy. They only want the corporation to comply with the regulation.Unless they can prove that the other places are at risk they would have to back it up with evidence. These megacorprations would lose alot of money if they were banned, and pay a strong legal team lalready lobbying against legislation they would have to deal with. Besides that, the FDA is short handed and has bigger issues to deal with. And if Trump gets in there youll have puffers comin out yur ears.
I don't want have government getting involved with this. We all know what happened to other banned species because of the fear mongering to the public that is full of sheeple. There are many reasons why a fish died at Walmart and it's not just puffers.
