Can Some One Tell Me More About This Fish?

[smuggler]

hello there people, i was wondering if any one could name this type of fish for me please, it belongs to my friends daughter and she named it sweetieheart.
it was bought from a pet shop for about 4 quid, and lives in a heated tank so i assume its a tropical fish. i have never seen a fish with such markings on it. my boyfriend is a fisherman and he has only seen these same photos i took with my mobile phone camera and he doesn't believe the fish is real.
but i swear to you all its 100% genuine.

does any one know if this is a one off marking? and could some one please tell me what species the fish is??

cheers

 

[gowing238]

Its a pink gourami. It shouldnt have a heart on it though!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! U must be messing around!

 

[smuggler]

Its a pink gourami. It shouldnt have a heart on it though!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! U must be messing around!

i promise you im not messing about at all, if i could prove it any other way other than a photo, maybe i could get a video on my mobile when im next at my friends house.
the pair of us dont know a thing about fish at all. that is why i took the photo and told my mate catherine i'd ask on a fishy forum on the net.

i just read the post about dyed fish, and it mentioned that fish can be tattooed!!?? it seems a bit extreme to tattoo a fish, what a difficult job that would be.

 

[poopsydrew]

Looks like a tattoed kissing gourami to me. It is a cruel and disgutsing practice.

Drew

 

[-germ-]

Tattooed kissing gourami.
Really sick.
Only i'm surprised you friend didn't realise or guess that something similar had gone on.
Looks fairly obvious to me.
LFS should be spoken to for not informing you of this prior to selling you the fish IMO.
?

Where is the LFS, whats its name?

 

[gowing238]

I dont see why they would go to the extreme of tattoing a gourami then sell it for 4 quid. Sick really!

 

[-germ-]

Oh yeah, scientific name;
Helostoma temminckii

Really needs a decent sized tank as well, what size is the tank it is currently in?

 

[smuggler]

Oh yeah, scientific name;
Helostoma temminckii

Really needs a decent sized tank as well, what size is the tank it is currently in?

i'll ask and find out where the fish and tank was bought from, im assuming it was prob in a pet shop in NW london, somewhere like kilburn as that is where my friend lives.

the tank is one of them small starter pack tanks (maybe 10 litres?? thats a guess!) which come with a heater and light and filter,stones ect... im not a fish person myself so i couldnt tell you what other fish are in the tank but i know there is only 3 including sweetieheart. you can see one of the the other fish that is in the tank in one of the photos above. there are 2 of that little species in there.

i once saw a program about GM fish being produced in another country but i never thought you'd be able to tattoo a fish!!! it isnt right to think that fish are tattoo'd

thanks for letting me know about this fish and also the fact that tattooing goes on (which i definately dont agree with) in return i will find out the name and address and telephone number of where this fish was bought and i'll post it up on this forum for you all to see and hopefully deal with too.

claire

 

[-germ-]

Its a guppy in the background, the owners need to be aware of a few things;

1)If they have a female guppy in the tank, they can expect babies, almost without a doubt.

2)The Kissing Gourami needs a minimum tank size of approximately 30 gallons, they can get anywhere from 6" to a foot long. If they do keep it in the current tank they'll will only be adding to its problems, there is a process known as stunting, the science of which i'm not too sure on but basically the fish will in no way be able to reach its full size in this tank which will negatively affect its health along with the issues that may result from the tattoo.

I would assume (correct me if i'm wrong) that your friends have jumped into fish keeping with little research and the common response (as i gave when i began fish-keeping) may be along the lines of, they will provide the best conditions possible within the realms of their financial capability and free time.
They may also keep the fish (as is) due to their daughter.

Personally unless they can provide a much larger tank fairly soon, in my opinion it would be cruel for them to keep it in its present conditions.

Its is likely to have a short life-span and if they don't want their daughter to have to go through the early loss of the fish (this comment may seem like emotional manipulation to a degree, it probably does have that element to it to be honest, but it is also the truth) they need to get a larger tank A.S.A.P. or re-home it with someone who can provide the suitable conditions.

3) If the tank is, as i am assuming, fairly new then they need to get educating themselves quickly. In new tanks a nitrogen cycle has to be set in place, via which toxins resulting from bodily waste and decomposed food are broken down. Without serious maintenance at the moment there is every chance all fish will be poisoned or again negatively affected and their health comprimised.

Please confirm if it is a new tank and i can explain or link you to a topic that does, which hopefully you can print off for your friends so they can get started on looking after their fish as best they can. Have they got access to the internet? I'd highly recommend they join up as i'd think it is unfair to expect you to be a 'go between'.

GB.

 

[-germ-]

Oh, sorry.
10 liters is 2.6 gallons.

 

[smuggler]

Oh, sorry.10 liters is 2.6 gallons.

i just spoke to my friend she said that the fish was bought by her daughters dad in a pet shop opps primark on kilburn high road about 4 months ago.she also said that she found a dumped tank outside a neighbours house which she has taken home, and she wanted to know if the guppys should be separate from sweetheart? as she will keep the guppys in the small tank if you suggest?yes you are right that she dont have a clue about fish and that its her first ever pet she has owned since moving out of home, her daughter is 5yrs old and came home from a weekend with her dad who bought the tank and fish for her as a gift.

Tattooed kissing gourami.Really sick.Only i'm surprised you friend didn't realise or guess that something similar had gone on.Looks fairly obvious to me.LFS should be spoken to for not informing you of this prior to selling you the fish IMO.?Where is the LFS, whats its name?

i never believed in a million years that it was possible to tattoo a fish!

 

[-germ-]

How big is the tank that had been found?
It may be more sensible to keep all the fish in the larger tank, if indeed it is large enough.
Most fish-keepers would say that 2.5 gallons is too small for any fish apart from maybe a Betta Splendens which in itself would be debatable.
Got to say much respect for you helping out your friend like this.
Does that mean the fish have been kept in the 2.5 gallons for 4 months now?
This would suggest that they have most likely undergone a cycle already so they would need to be extra careful about setting up a new tank for them, personall i would think fishless cycling would be the way to go, another cycle would hinder their health further maybe kill the (sorry if i sound morbid);
Handy links
Fishless cycling; http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=113861
Weekly Maintenance; http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=171045
Also they need a filter for the larger tank, probably one that is bigger than that which came with the 2.5 (in fact my girlfriend just pointed out does the 2.5 have a filter? I've seen more that don't than do.....) , to cycle this filter you'd need mature media (the spongy stuff in the filter contains the bacteria that prevents potentially lethal toxic build up), they could use some from the old filter or contact a membe for some of theirs using this link;
Mature media donators; http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=150631

GB.

 

[CPQ]

definately a kissing gourami!
I've got one in a 4 foot tank and as of yet is still quite small. BUT I know I'm going to have to upgrage when she gets a bit bigger!

I'd say that at the minute having her in with guppies isn't a problem. But kissers have got pretty big mouths and will probably gobble up any guppy fry that comes your way!

 

[smuggler]

i think the tank she found is about 3-4 foot long. i'll print your advice and find some more about keeping fish for her and pass on the info.
thanks for letting me know about all the things you have told me about, i honestly thought that the fish was just one in a million with amazing markings. i now know better. thank you.

 

[Scotch_Egg]

"sweetheart" is a banned fish. Im sorry to say. The fish with hearts tattooed onto them were made for valentines day, and there was a massive up-rour about them and im pretty sure they got banned. The female guppy might not be pregnant but when they have sex they can store the males sperm for upto 9 months i think.and ive had a better look at the guppy and i think its a male.