Actual colored fish... dyed?

[DesigNerd 5]

I came across this on pinterest and it doesn't lead to an article or shop or anything. Wondering if anyone knows if these fish were dyed to look this way or if it's a real thing.

[dnalex 13,633]

They are dyed. What a horrible thing to do.

[pandamanda111 150]

Yep, sad but true

Those guys are dyed. I'm not sure what kind of cruel people come up with these things ...

[horserider36 508]

What?? I was going to say it looks like Photoshop but they're actually dyed?

I've seen mollys with Mickey Mouse tattoos before. It's so sad.

[Akari_32 18]

Yep, they are dyed. They are dipped in a corrosive acid wash that strips them of their slime coat, then dipped in the dye, then dipped in another chemical that restimulates their slime coat. Of the fish this this done to, only 20% of them make it pet stores. Then, less than 1/2 of that make it to be adults, and they live stunted, sickly lives.

Edited April 8, 2012 by Akari_32

[ichthius 122]

20% make it pet stores. Then, less than 1/2 of that make it to be adults, and they live stunted, sickly lives.

Base on those numbers I'd rather be a colored parrot fish than a fancy goldfish.

Edited April 8, 2012 by Ichthius

[jhortensius 101]

Jeez, that is so sick!!

[Akari_32 18]

20% make it pet stores. Then, less than 1/2 of that make it to be adults, and they live stunted, sickly lives.

Base on those numbers I'd rather be a colored parrot fish than a fancy goldfish.

Almost lol

[dnalex 13,633]

20% make it pet stores. Then, less than 1/2 of that make it to be adults, and they live stunted, sickly lives.

Base on those numbers I'd rather be a colored parrot fish than a fancy goldfish.

David, you crack me up!

Point well taken.

[ichthius 122]

I've been in just about every aspect of the aquatics hobby and goldfish have taught me it's very easy to criticize everyone else's hobby.

If goldfish were dogs or cats we'd be critised and legislated out of existence. A buggeyed bulldog with two long tails?....

[ichthius 122]

20% make it pet stores. Then, less than 1/2 of that make it to be adults, and they live stunted, sickly lives.

Base on those numbers I'd rather be a colored parrot fish than a fancy goldfish.

Almost lol

The goldfish numbers are much much worse. Only a few percent even make it to the mass retailer level. Less than one percent to the higher end marketers and more like one in a thousand.

[pandamanda111 150]

20% make it pet stores. Then, less than 1/2 of that make it to be adults, and they live stunted, sickly lives.

Base on those numbers I'd rather be a colored parrot fish than a fancy goldfish.

What???

[cathface 161]

David, is that because of culls or is it that they aren't kept/handled well etc and loads of them die on the way to retailers? I don't even think I'm surprised...

[DesigNerd 5]

I've been in just about every aspect of the aquatics hobby and goldfish have taught me it's very easy to criticize everyone else's hobby.

If goldfish were dogs or cats we'd be critised and legislated out of existence. A buggeyed bulldog with two long tails?....

Good point. We can dance around the issue. As if fish are wet lab mice being tested for various illnesses. The ryu-bellies a creation to figure out stomach cancers. The tele's a test to figure out glaucoma. So I've been told. I don't know what the beautiful double tails are all about.

[dnalex 13,633]

The ryu-bellies a creation to figure out stomach cancers. The tele's a test to figure out glaucoma. So I've been told. I don't know what the beautiful double tails are all about.

I'm not sure where these ideas come from. As for ryukin bellies, do you mean pearlscales? I also don't know how a telescope eyes have anything to do with glaucomas. Sad as it could be, all these mutations were created because some breeder at some point thought that they looked good, and enough people agreed.

:/

[cathface 161]

I thought the different features of the different breeds of fancies were purely for aesthetics...?

[dnalex 13,633]

I thought the different features of the different breeds of fancies were purely for aesthetics...?

They were! Goldfish genetics is not exactly easy to study.

[ichthius 122]

Phenotypes came first, then the scientists looked at them.

One group clones a ranchu, even though they are exact genetic copies they couldn't get a good ranchu back out. They are more are than science.

[Chrissy_Bee 144]

It wouldn't surprise me if teles were used more for eye studies (there are HUGE amounts of very technical info out there on goldfish eyes). But as to why they were first created, I'm more inclined to go with aesthetics....they're not called ornamental fish for nothing

[adverbemonade 6]

20% make it pet stores. Then, less than 1/2 of that make it to be adults, and they live stunted, sickly lives.

Base on those numbers I'd rather be a colored parrot fish than a fancy goldfish.

Almost lol

The goldfish numbers are much much worse. Only a few percent even make it to the mass retailer level. Less than one percent to the higher end marketers and more like one in a thousand.

If goldfish were dogs or cats we'd be critised and legislated out of existence. A buggeyed bulldog with two long tails?....

There's a huge difference between (most) fish and mammal reproduction that keeps me from feeling bad about the massive mortality rate in the normal fishkeeping world:

For mass spawners (like goldfish and other carp), the vast majority of them die as eggs or fry in the wild. Whereas wild felines and canines (and most other mammals of course) have only several babies at a time and work really hard to make sure most of them reach adulthood. We, as human caretakers, are not culling out a substantially greater percentage of our mass-spawning fish pets than would die in nature.

Of course, I feel horrible for dyed fish like those above and would never purchase one. I imagine that people who do buy them think they're born that way like Glo-Fish, and/or they're people who treat fish like decorations and think they can't feel pain at all.

Painfully altering a fish is much different, to me, than selectively breeding fish whose deformities could possibly (with improper care) cause painful problems. Also, dying a fish traumatizes it, whereas simply having eye bubbles or a cartoonishly round body doesn't cause any distress.

EDIT: For anyone who's really in the mood to hate humanity, TATTOOED FISH:

http://www.google.com/search?q=tattooed+fish&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&oe=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=wI6DT9qyM8m7iwLo8-TrBQ&biw=1280&bih=856&sei=w46DT7SbKsqSiQLWvITKBQ

I wonder if that's more or less painful than acid to a fish. It's also disgusting in a different and lesser way that apparently a lot of people prefer squiggly flowers and crap to the natural colors and patterns of so many fish. Trying to improve on nature in a cruel way.

Edited April 10, 2012 by adverbemonade

[ichthius 122]

In the vast majority of high level mammalian carnivores in a stable habitat replace themselves once in a life time. That means all but one of their offspring makes it to a reproducing state so that argument falls flat with me.

But it's great to see that we'll all keep out terribly inbred goldfish and point fins at others.

I think the thing goldfish have on other aquatic hobbies is we're 100% captive raised. Goldfish, the truly green fish.

To each their own. If you want to eat cage produced chicken eggs, pink slime beef or dock your dobermans tails...

[Helen 8,511]

i think it's ok that study goes into generating a fancy goldfish or ornamental.. but when you go beyond to harm them from their being. ie, to strip their protective coat.. to dip them into acidic solutions and to make them a different colour to what they were bred to be... to me, that is not acceptable.. i am human (shuddup you all!) if i want a tattoo, i will go to the artist, pay and get one. if i want my hair coloured, i will go to the salon and pay to get it done.. that's my choice. if i were a fish, i would crave clean water, perfect params and live in harmony begging only for food. i would like to grow as my mother intended.