One place asked me if I was 16... actually I'm 20.. but thanks for the insult!
Haha, I feel you. I'm 20 too, but look a lot younger than I am.
Personally, I think anyone under 16 should NOT be able to buy any pet of any kind without a parent's consent.
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Kids are immature. I'm not saying they all are, but most of them are.
Amen to that, sister! Like I said, I'm only 20 myself, so I remember good and well what it was like being a younger teen, and I still feel this way. I barely trust adults to take care of fish, much less children and young teens -- your brain is not even done developing until you are over 17 years of age. The brain of a teen is actually hardwired to function more on impulse rather than thinking about future consequences because in your average person all the right connections for this to effectively happen have not been made yet. Buying fish on impulse is not a good idea.
Looking at it another way, let's pretend for a moment that you are a parent and a caring person. Your child buys a pet fish, then doesn't take care of it properly. Who is forced to take up the slack? Who may be forced to try to rehome it or shell out a wad of cash to buy it a bigger tank, if you child has purchased a fish that will grow much to large without thinking about it? Yeah, that's right, you. Regardless of what injustice those under 16 who find this law unfair may believe they have suffered, it is better for the fish, which is what we should all be thinking about anyway. You've got to take into consideration that hobbyists, particularly young hobbyists, are not the norm, and that we're talking about the potential for animal suffering here, not whether or not you can buy an unfeeling trinket. Get worked up about people having to be 18+ to buy paint markers, at least in that case the only one the buyer can hurt is themself.
I'll say this, I used to be really upset that I couldn't get a tattoo before the age of 18, now I'm glad of it. Not that I would have necessarily regretted what I was planning to get done at that age, but it would have taken up space I'd rather use for what I have designed now, a design that really means something. These laws are in place for a reason.
EDIT:
A: have an extensive test on each fish when buying.
B: Have proof that you have adequat housing that will take care of the fish for at least two years.
C: Have a fish buying liscense, just like a fishing liscense?
HAHA, missed that until just now. What a waste that would be, and completely unrealistic. You don't even have to go through that much trouble to adopt a cat or dog from a county-run shelter! In order for things to run smoothly, sometimes you just have to be unfair to some people, that's life. Having to go through all that crap would be unfair to EVERYONE rather than just kids!
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and i cant believe people think otherwise, under 16s cant drive anyway, and what do you do at the moment? walk your fish home? If youre like me you take your mum along, get her to drive you there and back (and pay 
