Is It Wrong To Take Unwanted Fish To Lfs?

[Baccus]

As a fish and bird keeper/ breeder I often end up with a similar situation. I sell what I can privately (sometimes racked with guilt if I think the creature wont have as fullfilled live with the new owner as it did in my care), I often sell to a pet shop that I trust (usually as a last resort) or I end up keeping the extras until thier dying day. None of these options really sit well with me on an ethical view, with regards to over crowding but as a pet keeper you have to try and make decisions that suit your circumstances and ability. Too often I see give away to good home X numbers of Dogs and Cats, both of my dogs and 1 previous dog where unwanted and only in extreme circumstances would I EVER consider rehoming my cat or dogs ( I might point out that as a kid we moved house interstate a few times and our pets came with us so moving has never been an excuse for me to give away pets). So I would suggest to you is if she really doesn't want the guppies and gourami any more than find a means to correctly (in other words not dump in a local pond/ creek) rehome the fish and then research all the needs and chances of the new fish creating the same problem. By for example keeping tetras that are less likely to breed in huge numbers in a standard community set up, while other live barers or fish that relentless guard their fry can/ could recreate the same issue of being overrun by babies or getting "bored" with the setup and it's inhabitants. That or keep a male only tank but it too has its problems. In Australia we are getting stricter and tougher laws on what can be kept simply becuase so many species of previously loved but now unwanted pets have simply been let go into the environment, it is wrong and against the law but still today I hear of people still carrying out this practice.

Ultimately it is her conscience that she must be able to live with regarding all her decisions, we can only guide and advise by what our consciences tell us.

 

[Frazzledazzle]

I think its such a shame that people can just get...bored of their pets that they made a commitment to keep...

You wouldnt see people doing it with cats or dogs.. "oh im bored of this dog, shall we take it to the shelter and pick out a new one dear?" ...

But fish have always been expendable...

I had someone wanting to buy a common plec yesterday and even after me showing them our huge ones...and then saying they can get twice that size... he was like "oh...but i can bring it back when it gets too big cant i?"... err no. Of course i was never going to sell it, he had a 60L tank anyway.

I guess small fish like tetras and guppies will be easy enough to shift but tbh im quite happy with the rule of not taking in anyone elses fish. We arent a swap shop.

I was under the impression this was guppy fry and not adults. After re-reading it I totally agree. Research fish prior to getting them I believe.
I understand peoples idea's can change around their tanks and stocking but I always think its good to build around the stocking you already had, or buy another tank for the other fish you want.

As MBOU aptly wrote, it is a shame.

Agreed. I have a community tank that i thought wasn't really a challenge, so i bought more tanks (as i love a project!). I pass the babies on to a local fish shop who i know will raise them in the correct manner, and i'll keep it and look after it until the fish are gone on. This is why i have bought a few more tanks, i'd never give away fish to then set up a community in their place. My brother came into my room earlier "bloody hell, it's like SeaWorld in here...where's Shamu?". Sums it up!

 

[dfield]

I have lots of molly fry and now platy fry.. I have nursed them from titchy things and when they get bigger we'll take them to our LFS, they are wonderful and have lots of tanks and at the end of the day they probably would have been eaten if I hadn't reared them, so I think thats ok. I wouldnt take them to the large retail chain fish shop though, they always have sick fish and dont really have much knowledge on fish keeping. I mean you pay peanuts you get monkeys... right.

The only other time I'd consider taking fish back is in cases of extreme bullying. I have two female kribs and one is really territorial.. I've caused it partly because I keep dropping snails in from one of my other tanks that is over-run and now she sees it like her personal food drop... but the other seems happy at the moment. I dont have a male so I think we'll be ok, but if I saw extreme agression I'd probably take one back.

I do think sometimes LFS don't help... some just want to sell the fish, they dont ask enough questions and I certainely found out belatedly that certain fish are not good tank mates.. even if they are advised as good community fish. I mean I do love my kribs, but my experience (after one hunted down my neon tetras) is that you do need to watch them.

Anyway, I think if you dont want the fish anymore, it is your responsibility to find a good home for them and if your LFS will take them and are reputable, I think thats far better than just getting bored and not caring for them.

 

[Tizer]

While i agree that returning small numbers of different fish to a shop must be a bit of a pain for the shop keeper to house / fit in with current stock / ensure they have no diseases, the fact remains that they can sell them again without having to outlay on the cost of new stock. If someone is local, has livebearing fish and can supply in bulk, then the shop keeper is laughing. Most of them offer credit or the odd pot of food in return which is still given at retail price and not trade price and they know the fish have been bred in local water generally means they wont keel over as quickly. But quite honestly, if you are Joe Public to the shop keeper, expect to be treated as Joe Public. Make the effort to get to know them in person and as a regular customer, its a whole different ball game.