should goldfish be given away at fairs

[leedham]

i cant beleive i set this whole thing up 4 pages thats amazing thanks peeps keep telling friends to vote

 

[jackobean]

hi,

i my self am a kid at 12 years old, i have 1nce come across a fair wen they gave goldfish as a prize i then saw a couple of teenagers win a gold fish and i was 5 at the time they got the goldfish in the bag and jut kicked it in to the woods literly and me and my mum went tio look for it we found it still alive very scared we took it home and it was ded i was very upset at the time and was crying for ages this is why i rekon its sick to give goldfish away at fairs not just becoz of the heat but teh way horrible children and teenagers treat them

 

[JackDemp528]

To be truthful the life of a goldfish isn't always great to begin with. Go to most lfs's and look in the feeder goldie tanks, and see most of the fish sick. Then they're bought either as feeders or for fairs, or sometimes as pets, as in my case because I feel bad for them. They seem to be the most thrown away fish out there, 1 because they're so cheap and 2 because people see them as just a goldfish. But no I don't think they should be given away at fairs. Maybe if they were only located in lfs they would get more of a chance, because then some parents would have to drive their kids all the way to the lfs and some parents just aren't that active with their kids. Not that I'm downing parents, but then maybe it'd be seen more as a pet that the parent had to do something to get, and not just something the kid picked up. But it's not really a thing you can change anymore. It's a cheap way to make money for the carnies. I mean look at all the tries a kid will take to get a goldfish. He'll spend $5 on the game to get a 10 cent goldfish. Oh well... As with every other example of animal cruelty, unless more people stand up and do what the rest of us are doing to prevent it, it won't be prevented.

 

[jkeylounatic]

I've seen goldfish at fairs and i dont think it is right. Maybe if they were kept in a proper manner and taken care of but what i saw was just wrong. In a kiddy swimming pool (you know the ones im talking about) there were around a hundred goldfish and they were being bagged and given away and i just dont think it is right. Ask anyone who has won a goldfish like this and they will probably tell you that it died within two days. It is just iresponsible to treat animals like that.

 

[GSD]

it wouldnt be so much of a problem but the fair owners are selling bowls to go with the fishfor a fover and tiny pots of cheap food for £3 so theyre making just as much money so thats

5=bowl
3-food
2=goldfish

so thats 10 per goldfish theyre making (on average)

 

[bribones]

Ask anyone who has won a goldfish like this and they will probably tell you that it died within two days.

sorry but no lol both mine lived for years and one of them was in a bowl way back when

jackobean your 12 what would you do if you won a fish at a fair ?

 

[GSD]

see thats the problem!
the kids win fish and have nowhere to put them.spo they run out without getting any advice and grab a bowl to put it in

 

[OohFeeshy]

I actually think lfs's shouldn't sell goldfish. OK, maybe thats a bit of an overstatement, but think a bit. Most people who buy goldfish are first time fish owners. They may have had one as a kid, whatever. But they're probably very inexperienced. Tank? Since they'll be a beginner they'll want a cheap tank. And small because they don't want it taking up too much room. What do they buy? A bowl. What do you keep in a bowl? Goldfish. What goldfish will they buy? The cheapest and probably the most 'traditional' looking, ie. a common.

Almost all shops sell commons, most sell fancies but not all. Commons should only belong in ponds IMO. Fancies still get to 6 inches plus, usually around 8. They're also highly messy. So, my point is...

Out of all the people who buy goldies, how many actually have the proper facilities for one?

My answer is very few. The main things that annoy me are 1) The fact that most people think/say (lfs workers, esp. chainstore) that goldfish grow to size of tank (don't argue, I can't be bothered), but they still tell you how big they get (at pets at home at least). Umm, if thats true, whats the point? 2) If you buy a similar sized tropical fish, such as a Malawi, they'll ask about tank size, tank mates etc. If you buy a goldfish, they might, but they'll not give two hoots.

*The above was a slight generallisation, but note it doesn't happen everywhere. Mainly chainstores.

 

[GSD]

agree 100% and its the face that the most pet stores no nothing about them!!!i went into a shop and asked for a fancy goldfish,the woman then told me that they can only be kept in a small tank and needan airpump or they die

 

[OohFeeshy]

Hmm, an update on goldfish mistreatment, for some bizarre reason there was a fancy in the plant trough thing at pets at home....

 

[bribones]

Most people who buy goldfish are first time fish owners.

thats like saying all adults shouldnt have kids no matter what the pet all first time keepers have no experience ,it doesnt matter if they think they have done the research you can only learn by hands on experience with the fish ,when i moved into my first house i had 5 tanks ,i had to get rid of them when i got married for some strange reason the wife prefered furniture,so i built a pond,as ive progressed in the hobby i firmly believe that all coldwater fish (bar fancys) should be kept in a pond as this is natural to them im now 5 houses later and onto my ??erm 6th pond i think it is and ive had most of my current fish for 10 years plus with only one loss in that time

this topic totaly went off track and turned into a kiddie bashing topic and i still believe kids can act responsibly ,i also maintain that it is still bad advice that kills the fish not the new owners if a LFS refused to sell a tank to someone wanting to put 10 goldfish in it there would be a lot less deaths but most will say hey go on put 20 in there they will be ok for the simple fact it makes them money

 

[jackobean]

if i won a goldfish i would take it straight to a pond

 

[GSD]

i wouldnt say it was a kiddie bashing topic.i am only 13 myself!

 

[OohFeeshy]

i wouldnt say it was a kiddie bashing topic.i am only 13 myself!

[snapback]853742[/snapback]​

Yup, same, I'm 14. Although certain members *cough def cough* don't believe me....

Back to topic, its more the parents fault than the kids.

 

[3fsh]

I voted "yes it's not cruel" (although I don't completely agree with the word "cruel"... that was a very biased way to phrase the answer ).

Because....

a. My first 3 fish (hence the name 3fsh) were small goldfish feeders from a church halloween carnival. I decided on my own that they needed a bigger tank than the 6g they were in originally. (Each were 1/2in to 1in long.) So, I bought them a 25g and then learned about cycling and how goldfish shouldn't be in such small tanks (though each 1in of them had over 7g to themselves). I was responsible with them and gave them to a pet store.

b. IMO fish don't feel pain... or if they do, it is at an extreme minimum. Please don't start up the "Fish Pain" argument over again. This is my opinion. Take it or leave it.

Giving fish away at carnivals in England is illegal? LOL... Many people who buy fish at pet stores don't take care of their fish. Should we stop selling fish altogether?