Captain Retardo
Fish Herder
Any animal that is endangered in the wild, not just fish, that also includes Tomato Frogs and countless other species.
SHOULD NOT BE SOLD!
SHOULD NOT BE SOLD!
Animals That Should Be Kept Out Of Petstores
- Thread starter Lynden
- Start date
stargirly1208
Fish Crazy
i don't think that stingrays should be kept in petstores. they keep them in such small tanks the poor guys!
AnneRiceBowl
Fish Fanatic
I don't think electric eels should be sold in pet stores.
There's one LPS that had one crammed into a 20 long on the bottom shelf--any little kid (like my daughter) could have easily opened the tan and stuck their hand in. The poor thing was curled up in there and couldn't even move. It was in the store for several months. I had even considered getting a job there just to earn money and use the employee discount to buy, and then quit working there. I had also planned out how I would transport it to the zoo here to donate it, but buy that time it was gone. I had found another LPS here, and I happened to walk by a tank, and guess what? An electric eel. I don't know if it was the same one or not, though.
There's one LPS that had one crammed into a 20 long on the bottom shelf--any little kid (like my daughter) could have easily opened the tan and stuck their hand in. The poor thing was curled up in there and couldn't even move. It was in the store for several months. I had even considered getting a job there just to earn money and use the employee discount to buy, and then quit working there. I had also planned out how I would transport it to the zoo here to donate it, but buy that time it was gone. I had found another LPS here, and I happened to walk by a tank, and guess what? An electric eel. I don't know if it was the same one or not, though.
Tokis-Phoenix
^_^
I think that sturgeon in general shouldn't be sold- most come from freezing fast flowing mountain streams, but unfortunately most sold end up in dingy warm stagnant ponds. The smallest sturgeon available grow to at least 1-2metres long. Many lfs's and garden centres sell them as algae/blanket weed eating fish for ponds which is anything but from the truth 
!
As you can guess, most end up starving or dying/suffocating from lack of oxygen in pond conditions. I don't think these beautiful fish should be sold because few people have a fast flowing icey canadian stream in their back garden either way.
! As you can guess, most end up starving or dying/suffocating from lack of oxygen in pond conditions. I don't think these beautiful fish should be sold because few people have a fast flowing icey canadian stream in their back garden either way.
OohFeeshy
It's only forever; not long at all...
The difference being yours have a nice 6x2x2, which could well be upgraded when they get bigger. How many other people who buy them can offer that? Pets @ Home, for instance, who seem to sell a lot, don't even stock tanks over 48x12x15, and none of the employees take any notice of the 'Max Size-14"' sign.
OP
OP
Lynden
a "fish hater"
I think that sturgeon in general shouldn't be sold- most come from freezing fast flowing mountain streams, but unfortunately most sold end up in dingy warm stagnant ponds. The smallest sturgeon available grow to at least 1-2metres long. Many lfs's and garden centres sell them as algae/blanket weed eating fish for ponds which is anything but from the truth
As you can guess, most end up starving or dying/suffocating from lack of oxygen in pond conditions. I don't think these beautiful fish should be sold because few people have a fast flowing icey canadian stream in their back garden either way.
If I could afford to buy all of the Sterlets, I'd throw them all in either the great Fraser River, the Pine River, or Moberly Lake (we own property at Moberly), all of which have thriving sturgeon populations, and that I live within an hour from. However, what would happen if I did this? I can't imagine dinky little Sterlets outcompeting the 10-15 footers in Moberly; but there could be other risks which escape me now.
God damnit! They get imported into tropcal temperature in tiny tanks, and I can't release 'em back where they belong!
andywg
Bored into leaving
But then, should they be kept out of fish stores all together? They should have better edcuation about them, and probably fewer numbers; but it is not like they are the blue spotted ray (which even public aquaria struggle to keep for 6 months) or the Arapaima gigas, which can easily reach 7 or 8 feet.
What needs to happen is fish that are not suitable for the average fish keeper should be priced so that only someone dedicated towards its welfare will buy them, you dont see many Asian arowana's or stingrays in tanks that are too small and this is because not many people will shell out hundreds of pounds on a fish which might then die if they dont care for it properly.
Simply banning fish because a few idiots cant say no to themselves just spoils it for the fishkeepers who do have the tanks and money to care for larger fish and would be unhappy with a tank full of common tetras and livebearers.
There are a few fish which have so far proved impossible to keep alive in captivity for longer than a few months and these really shouldnt be imported, its simply not fair to take something from the wild just to die prematurely for someones pleasure, ones that spring to mind are the forementioned Blue spotted ray, Moorish idols and Payara (Hydrolycus scomberoids) though there are undoubtedly many more.
Simply banning fish because a few idiots cant say no to themselves just spoils it for the fishkeepers who do have the tanks and money to care for larger fish and would be unhappy with a tank full of common tetras and livebearers.
There are a few fish which have so far proved impossible to keep alive in captivity for longer than a few months and these really shouldnt be imported, its simply not fair to take something from the wild just to die prematurely for someones pleasure, ones that spring to mind are the forementioned Blue spotted ray, Moorish idols and Payara (Hydrolycus scomberoids) though there are undoubtedly many more.
Tokis-Phoenix
^_^
Higher pricing could be one way to cut down on tankbusting or highly unsuitable fish for the average fishkeeper, although i think that simply not displaying certain fish for sale in lfs's could be another.
I don't mean to suggest completely halting sale of various fish species, but i think the lfs's could have an arrangement where they will order fish for you if you want them instead, rather than just ordering the fish in regardless of wether anyone's specifically asked for them and putting them in a tank in the shop until someone buys them.
Most unsuitable fish are bought on impulse anyway, rather than the person specifically seeking out the fish.
IMHO, if someone wants a particular fish bad enough they can ask their lfs to order it, but many people just walk into a lfs and think "Hey that fish looks pretty! Ooo that one has teeth! Wow those fish are shiny! I'll buy them all and do the research later when i get home (if at all)- afterall, they look small right now, there's plenty of space in my tank for them right now"
.BWBettas
Bettas Eh?
I think an lfs should do this (ive dreamed of making an lfs or working in one and this is what i would do.) Put a sign wherever possible like on every 2nd tank or something and on the counter and doors etc. "All fish over so and so length must be ordered with a picture of you next to the tank they are going in" that would stop them. I know it's drastic but it's the length i would go to 
Bret
Bret
Ginge
Betta Extermination Team!!!
You would have no customers.
BWBettas
Bettas Eh?
No, because id still stock all the usuals, but i would stock identical fish that grow smaller like, i would sell bristlenoses instead of sailfins and commons etc even i could get sailfin bristlenoses instead and id stock smaller more colourful varieties. Then if people still like the bigger fish i could order them in
Raising prices won't stop anyone.
Volunteering at an animal shelter, I've seen people dump a $5,000 dollar pure-bred Chinese Crested just because they didn't want it anymore. What's to stop people from spending the money on fish they won't take care of, or just flushing them if they're too hard to care for? Because believe me, some people have their priorities in the wrong places.
Not only that, keeping fish would become a status symbol - and that wouldn't be good for any species - having people who refuse to learn anything about fish just wanting them because they're the "it" thing to have.
And on the subject of animals not belonging in pet stores - puppies and kittens. There's enough out there on death row - on the streets, and in pounds and shelters - that backyard breeders don't need to be supported by the public or by stores. The stores that support adoption through local shelters I'll support - those have have puppies for $1,000 dollars that clearly aren't pure-bred but are being sold as such (ie, backyard breeders), I'd love to find a way to shut them down.
Volunteering at an animal shelter, I've seen people dump a $5,000 dollar pure-bred Chinese Crested just because they didn't want it anymore. What's to stop people from spending the money on fish they won't take care of, or just flushing them if they're too hard to care for? Because believe me, some people have their priorities in the wrong places.
Not only that, keeping fish would become a status symbol - and that wouldn't be good for any species - having people who refuse to learn anything about fish just wanting them because they're the "it" thing to have.
And on the subject of animals not belonging in pet stores - puppies and kittens. There's enough out there on death row - on the streets, and in pounds and shelters - that backyard breeders don't need to be supported by the public or by stores. The stores that support adoption through local shelters I'll support - those have have puppies for $1,000 dollars that clearly aren't pure-bred but are being sold as such (ie, backyard breeders), I'd love to find a way to shut them down.
AnneRiceBowl
Fish Fanatic
The same store that had the electric eel crammed into a 20 gallon long sells such dogs. At one point they were also selling a sturgeon in another 20 gallon long, and it couldn't turn around. It was just a few inches shorted than the tank.
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