Dyed fish

[Taratron]

So there is an awesome pet store I do business with often and sell a lot of my animals to. They QT all new fish, carry awesome freshwater and marine stock, their reptile section is awesome...and a few weeks ago I wandered in the aisles and found two arrowanas. One had been dyed pink and the other blue.

I asked an employee about them, and he seemed pretty disgusted, saying that the manager had ordered them to see if, and I quote, the dye would fade.

Just today I go to the store and don't see any of the fish. When I asked the employee he didn't seem happy, and said they had sold those two, bought two more, and sold them as soon as they were out of QT.

So there is a good chance the store will be ordering more of these fish, and I don't think I'll be patronizing the store anymore. It bites because they are the only real good fish place around, but I can't support a store who sells dyed fish.

Is this something I should or could even mention to the owner, if it is a personal boycott? If I see more dyed fish I will be taking the news to the local aquarium clubs, and most of the members there highly frown on dyed fish.

[racoll]

Is this something I should or could even mention to the owner, if it is a personal boycott?

Absolutely, and in writing too!

Send them a letter, and say that you have already bad-mouthed them online and you will continue to do so at every opportunity until they stop selling these fish.

[Matt30]

I wouldnt wait,tell your local aquarium clubs now
as soon as the owner sees his/her profit margin falling they will soon stop what they are doing.

[Bas Pels]

As stated by other, take every opportunity you have to smear them - but only with facts you are certain about.

But, the best way to start this is with a letter, promising more letters from your fish club.

And feel proud of what you are doing

[Industrial]

As a fish store employee, I can tell you customers come and go but make sure you mention you are a knowledgeable hobbyist. At work, it's always the 1% of truly interested and knowledgeable hobbyists that makes the day fun. You might want to explain how these kinds of fish are frowned upon by basically anybody who knows about dyeing fish. I am sure if the owner was a real fish guy, he wouldn't want to risk losing these kinds of customers.

[Viktor Jarikov]

I am fully against that too. But, to try and think in those LFS owner's shoes: I'd risk upsetting 1% of customers in order to please 99% of the customer base. I am just playing the devil's advocate. They also may think that more good outweighs little bad. Finally, they may have a family to feed. People have all kinds of excuses.

Having said that, I'd surely let the owner know in no uncertain terms my opinion but, of course, politely and respectfully.

[Marc van Arc]

But, to try and think in those LFS owner's shoes: I'd risk upsetting 1% of customers in order to please 99% of the customer base. I am just playing the devil's advocate. They also may think that more good outweighs little bad. Finally, they may have a family to feed. People have all kinds of excuses.

That's indeed - and alas - the whole idea. These things sell and if you don't stock (& sell) them, people will get them from another LFS.
We tend to forget that the serious fish keepers form a minority and I'm afraid the buyers of parrot cichlids, veil tailed whateveris, balloon things, bubble eyed creatures, dyed fish etc are going to "beat" us easily on this one.

It goes without saying that I'm dead against dyed fish (and others mentioned above) too.

[MatsP]

In the UK, dyed fish is very rare, because there was a campaign a few years ago. If there is a consensus between retailers & customers that these are horrible, then they will eventually disappear from the market... Doesn't mean we are free of balloon, bubble-eyes, long fins or parrot cichlids. But not having dyed fish is a good thing, I think!

Telling the shop you don't like the fish is a good thing.

--
Mats

[Tappers]

It's an unfortunate fact that cultural preferences and ethics vary massively between some of the countries producing fishes and our own. I remember walking through a market in Indonesia in a state of silent horror where dyed day-old chicks were amongst the luckier creatures for sale.

In markets larger than our own, people spend their cash on balloon fish, flowerhorns, dyed and even maimed cichlids. I would tell your LFS why you will be taking your custom elsewhere as after all, how else will they know that they're driving away discerning customers? Better to fix a decent store than support another with possibly lower standards of ethics and welfare..