We've all purchased fish that we regret - please help me with mine!

[RocketGarStar]

I've had a 5 inch gourami sold as a "mystery gourami" by PetSmart for about a year now. Being the suspicious person I am, I looked up photos of baby giant gouramis, and bam. They look exactly the same. I had promised myself in my early years of tending aquariums that I'd never, ever make that mistake, but, it happened. My LFS won't take the fish, and I've contacted my local aquarium - is there anything else I can do?

 

[krichardson]

How big is your tank, can't you keep it?

 

[J. H.]

They usually sell for $100+. I'm sure you could give it away, or sell it. You might have ship it, though. I believe that in some parts of the world, some people raise them in ponds in their basements without filters and fed them food scraps to grow them out for the table, just as people used to keep pigs in the US. It shouldn't be hard to keep in a kiddy pool.
I have to admit "Mystery Gourami" is quite funny. Hey, ya wanna buy a "Mystery Cichlid"?

 

[Deadliestviper7]

They usually sell for $100+. I'm sure you could give it away, or sell it. You might have ship it, though. I believe that in some parts of the world, some people raise them in ponds in their basements without filters and fed them food scraps to grow them out for the table, just as people used to keep pigs in the US. It shouldn't be hard to keep in a kiddy pool.
I have to admit "Mystery Gourami" is quite funny. Hey, ya wanna buy a "Mystery Cichlid"?

Nnoooooo it's a trap!!!!!

 

[krichardson]

Nnoooooo it's a trap!!!!!

 

[Gourami Swami]

Yeah I would put it on craigslist and in the marketplace here, as "for free to good home". Ask the person who wants it, to send you a pic of their tank with their username in the pic, to prove they have a tank for it and are not going to feed it to a gar or something. Hopefully you can get someone to pick it up.
If not, I've never had a problem with LFS's taking fish in for free. If one said no, try another?

 

[Itsadeepbluesea]

Yeah I would put it on craigslist and in the marketplace here, as "for free to good home". Ask the person who wants it, to send you a pic of their tank with their username in the pic, to prove they have a tank for it and are not going to feed it to a gar or something. Hopefully you can get someone to pick it up.
If not, I've never had a problem with LFS's taking fish in for free. If one said no, try another?

agreed

 

[krichardson]

Oh yeah.....if all else fails shop will certainly take the fish for free and then try to sell it.

 

[kewpiefishypewpie]

I've had a 5 inch gourami sold as a "mystery gourami" by PetSmart for about a year now. Being the suspicious person I am, I looked up photos of baby giant gouramis, and bam. They look exactly the same. I had promised myself in my early years of tending aquariums that I'd never, ever make that mistake, but, it happened. My LFS won't take the fish, and I've contacted my local aquarium - is there anything else I can do?

Was the fish 5" when you bought it a year ago, and if so how big is it now? Or is the fish 5" now after having had it for a year?

 

[blackwolf911]

I'm thinking that if you owned it for a year and it's only 5 inches that it may not be a giant gourami .. Post a pic or what color is it ?