Are dyed fish here to stay?

"I have noticed that there seem to be more and more dyed fish appearing in the shops around London of late. Blue Botia, those Corydoras with the coloured dye injected near the tail, and the usual grotesquely colour fed parrots in the main.

I'm sure that I'm not alone among PFK readers in that I tend to voice my opinion to the owner if I see such fish and then never return again. I'm hardly likely to buy anything from a shop that isn't concerned about the wellbeing of the fish it sells, am I?

Well done for hitting 70%! If I spot any shops that aren't listed, I'll politely let them know about the campaign. Keep up the good work."

"When I go to an aquatic shop I haven't been to before I always check the state of the livestock before I spend any of my hard-earned cash. If I don't think the fish are healthy or if I think they're dyed I won't spend any money in that shop, nor will I re-visit and I will also warn everyone I know not to shop there.

Sadly a lot of people seem to think that fish don't matter as much as other animals. I bet if I tried to sell dyed puppies I'd be lynched."

"I think that it is horrible to dye fish! What would people think if we started dying babies or small children?

Fish are living creatures too! They might not want needles being stuck into them or being changed from their natural colour.

I went to a shop, which I will not name, which had dyed Parrot cichlids, and I never knew that they were dyed, I was thinking of buying some blue and green ones, but then I read an article in a past issue of PFK and found out that these fish were dyed, I was horrified!

I still look at the fish when my parents are buying plants and things there (it's a garden centre by the way) but I have never bought any fish from there since, and plus the fact, most the fish that I bought from there died any way!

Now that's what you call good service! Not!"

"As I have worked at an aquatic shop myself for the past two years, my concerns are for the fishes' health. The dye that is introduced may kill them and looks so unatural. I do not see the point in dying fish when there are plenty of fish, in tropical and marine, where there is colour - natural colour.

Plus it's not just the colour we look for in fish its how they all interact with each other.

The dyed fish may look colourful but seriously who wants a disco looking tank?"

"I know of at least one LFS on the PFK anti-dye list which does in fact sell dyed fish regularly. So I'm not sure of the accuracy of the PFK list!

In any case, the new Animals Health and Welfare Bill due to be passed next year should get rid of dyed fish in Scotland at least.

Some things in it are:

Banning the giving of animals as prizes. At fairgrounds we see Goldfish and more recently Bettas, in tiny plastic bags hanging around the stalls.

No protected animal is allowed to be mutilated. A dyed fish is mutilated right?

A pet owner also has to provide basic needs suitable for that animal: Suitable environment, food and water, allowed to exhibit normal behaviour.

This was to protect dogs and cats from being starved or chained or confined to small spaces. But it applies to all animals owned by people. So no placing fish in a bare or wrong type of environment tank perhaps? So goldfish bowls will no doubt be in that class."

"The problem unfortunately seems to have no single simple solution. Shops who don't care what they sell or to whom, uneducated fishkeepers, ignorant of the facts about these fish and unscrupulous suppliers who persist in trying to perpetuate a market for these poor creatures.

But there is a very good argument for educating the end customer, the fishkeepers. If they all stopped buying these fish then the shops wouldn't stock them and the demand for the suppliers to produce them would dry up. But how do you educate all of the fish buying public?

Most fishkeepers that I know are interested enough in their hobby to educate themselves through journals and books and the Internet etc, but there are also an awful lot who never buy a fishkeeping magazine or read anything about their hobby. They are largely unaware of the problem and are the people most likely to buy these fish.

How do we educate these people? The answer is at the shop where they buy their fish.

If every shop that has signed up to the dyed fish campaign was to make a big and very visible display declaring their allegence to the campaign along with some educational literature then nobody could fail to become aware of it.

The problem is of course that some of the shops don't want to make such a song and dance about it. I have seen dyed fish in almost every shop in my area over the past 12 months, several of which have signed up to the campaign and feature on your list.

When I challenged one of them about some dyed glass fish he had on sale in one of his tanks, he told me the problem was that his supplier would sometimes substitute a species that was out of stock with the dyed fish and he would know nothing about it until he opened up his boxes.

This left him with a dilemma, whether to destroy the fish and loose money or try to sell them on to unsuspecting customers."

"I would just like to say that in Doncaster, at the shops I buy my fish from, there are no dyed fish on sale whatsoever.

I think this shows what a great job you are doing! Well done!"

"I would like to see involvement from OATA and the RSPCA to force aquatic shops to be more responsible.

No dyed-fish please, tank busters responsibly sold and genetic freaks like Parrot cichlids and Flowerhorns to carry some kind of warning label!"

"If suppliers are presented with a need for something they will continue to produce it. It's all to do with money at the bottom line.

The fault here is with the pet shops/garden centres. If the fish looks more colourful it is more likely to sell. Given that, 70% or more of people probably don't know that fish get dyed.

I would never buy a fish that has been dyed, but most people would. That comes down to an issue of awareness. If a newcomer went to an aquatic centre and viewed an array of natural fish, then moved on to a pet shop full of dyed fish he/she would probably say that the pet shop had better fish. So now there's competition too.

If I had a shop I would have big posters up making people aware of this problem.

A true hobbyist with a shop should be proud of the fact that he/she would not deal in these cruel creations to make more money and rip off the newcomer or unaware hobbyist.

Every fish is beautiful in its own right and there are so many to choose from.

Maybe a newsletter worded correctly and sent to every store would put an end to this stupidity!"

"If the campaign is open to shops of all types, including those who sell koi and marines, which as you say, aren't normally dyed, why have so few shown their support by signing up?"

"Would it be possible to have PFK readers sign a petition saying they'll buoycott buying dyed fish? If readers don't buy them then the tables are turned, shops will lose profit by stocking these fish. Maybe this idea is a bit far fetched but I wish it were possible."

"I think it is terrible that some shops continue to sell these sorts of fish. I saw the article in the magazine about the giant gouramis and couldn't believe it was in the Interesting Imports section, but as I read on I could see that you were not condoning the buying of these fish.

I have two major local shops that I visit for all my aquatic needs, The Waterzoo and Maidenhead @ Peterborough. Both of these have signed up for the Dyed Fish Campaign which, of course, is great.

However, I visited a small aquatic shop in my local area a while back, and one of the first things I noticed were the small, grotty tanks, covered in algae, dirty and of course the dead fish.

Then, as I carried on looking, I noticed brightly coloured fish - they were artificially coloured Indian glass fish. After that I left the shop and have not been back since.

I hope we do soon stop seeing artificially coloured fish coming into our shops. I guess as people are made more aware of what it is, how long the fish live for, how long the colour lasts and also how their colour was put there in the first place they will stop buying them.

I think maybe each shop that has signed up to the Dyed Fish Campaign should get an information poster about dyed fish, covering everything I have just mentioned and saying that they are not going to sell them.

I think this would then be seen by many customers, and the demand for dyed fish would decline until even the shops which still sell these fish find it no longer economically viable to stock them - thus stopping the trade in dyed fish. "

"I am a newcomer to fishkeeping and the idea of dyed fish is appalling. But how do I recognise it when I see it?"

"It is a worthy cause to discourage the world of dyed fish by getting public backing and participating fish outlets. What a dissappointment that some have abused the logo and ideals of it to attract custom.

I would find it hard to believe an outlet pleading they were duped. Surely professional awareness, care and future safe guarding of fish keeping should be top of their list than thinking up excuses to pull a fast one?

While I understand that we all must live and let live to each others tastes, I must say that people who think that fish have to be dyed have no idea of the wonderfully diverse natural colourings and anatomy of fish species on this planet. They are not worthy of being called hobbyists."

"There was a comment in one response that was correct in saying that there are shops that have signed up not to sell dyed fish but carry on to do so.

While there is a demand from the public to buy such fish then there will always be a supply. While PFK says it has 70% of outlets agreeing to stop the sale of these poor fish, what is the percentage of fishkeepers that actually read magazines and are aware of the situation or even read up about there chosen field of fishkeeping.

What the industry need is stricter controls on the keeping of fish and should also be included in the cruelty to animals act if dyed, kept or bred in poor conditions. I am sure that the public would be prepared to pay that little bit more for good quality healthier fish as a result."

"On my last visit to my local fish shop (which incidently has a prominent sticker on the door proclaiming not to sell dyed fish) I noticed a tank of new stock of pale blue and pale pink Corydoras.

I am a newcomer to the hobby and have very much to learn, but something just didn't seem right with these fish.

They looked to me just like albino corydoras with an unnatural baby blue and baby pink hue added. Do pale blue and pink corydoras occur naturally?"

"As a newcomer to this hobby of which I am learning more and more each day that passes I wouldn't be able to tell at the moment if I had bought a dyed fish or not.

Certainly your articles and campaign has made me aware of the problem and will look for shops that have signed up to your campaign.

As for buying fish from shops that are either not aware of this practise or wish to ignore that this barbaric act even exists then the simple answer is not to buy from them.

This would then have the effect of closing these shops down. Keep up the good work PFK!"

"Can "Glass fish" be defined as dyed? I live in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, and there is a pet shop that I enjoy visiting, as I get a lot of my fish from there.

I always stop at the tank with the glass fish, as they always look so pretty - their bodies are totally transparent, and they have streaks of colour above and below their lateral line.

However, on close examination, the specimens always seem to have white spot. Is this common in Glass fish, do they naturally have streaks of bright pink, blue, green, yellow, etc, and is this, in fact, dyeing? The glass fish look as if they're a type of tetra - they have the same body shape and head."

"The dyed fish problem is happening in Australia as well.

It's upsetting to know how alot of these fish come to have these odd colourations and patterns and I will never ever buy fish that have been possibly subjected to painful practises.

I would much rather buy a fish for its natural beauty than knowingly buy a dyed fish.

Education is the key here. Informing the public, who through general ignorance of what goes on, will hopefully one day bring this barbaric practice to an end by reducing the demand for dyed fish and therefore put the people who are in it for the money out of business."

"I suppose if the fishkeeping press were to refuse advertising from the shops selling dyed fish, or "named and shamed" them, it might have legal or commercial fallout?"

"I think that this practice is appalling.

Seeing Parrot fish in such unnatural hues is very upsetting. Any fish which has to undergo this unnecessary alteration may look good for a while but when it all fades will the keeper still be interested?

So far here in Cardiff I have yet to see any dyed fish, thankfully. End this practice now!"

"As an aquatic shop owner as well as a dedicated fishkeeper I can see something of both sides of the argument.

In my shop we don't stock dyed fish on principle, and would never condone the trade in them, but I do get asked for them from time to time, usually by novice fishkeepers who don't know the full story, I do try to explain why we won't stock them and how cruel it is, but it doesn't mean they won't just walk down the road and buy them elsewhere.

Profit margins aren't huge in this trade and turning a potential customer away empty handed is never good news, I can imagine some traders justify selling dyed fish on the grounds that if they weren't selling them someone else would, and why should they lose the business?

Mostly though the people I know in the trade from breeders, to importers, to wholesalers, to shop keepers are involved in the business because they love fishkeeping and refuse to trade in dyed livestock as a matter of principal. On a visit to one of my regular wholesalers recently I saw some very brightly coloured Corys I hadn't seen before in a tank and asked what they were.

It turns out that they were dyed Corys that had come in as contaminants in an order and weren't for sale, in fact the wholesalers told me they euthanased any dyed fish that came in rather than sell them on to any of their customers to keep dyed fish out of the trade in the UK and so as not to ruin their reputation. It might sound cruel, but at the end of the day it is probably the best solution.

PFK is doing an excellent job of informing novice fishkeepers about the cruel trade in dyed fish, most shops avoid them like the plague, and apart from making it illegal to stock them I'm not sure what else could be done."

"We have the problem of dyed fish very bad here in the US. It aggravates me everytime I walk into any shop and see them. (Or the mutant Parrot cichlids for that matter.)

Natual animals are so much nicer. When I started seeing longfinned Oscars I thought it was my imagination, but alas they are in vogue. "

"I am in the north west of England and I must say that I cannot ever remember seeing such cruelty for sale, and I have been avidly visiting aquarist stores for a good number of years now!

Of course, being more aware of the issue recently, has made me have dyed fish as something in mind when visiting stores - but still a nil return!

Although this may be the case, it isn't obvious that any of these retailers have signed up to the 'cause'.

Incidentally, I have read recent aricles in PFK - the "Retail Roundup" or similar; a recent one I read included traders who sold dyed fish. I felt that overall the opinions of PFK were blurred - in one instance PFK is completely against dyed fish (as am I), but hold no qualms in blatantly advertising those stores who willingly stock these poor things.

I realise that PFK did mention, very briefly that they were dissatisfied with this, but why advertise these stores in the first place?

Please, either omit them (which I don't reccommend as we need to be aware), or castigate them - also, perhaps the current approach is feasible as it certainly has empowered me to respond!"

"I think the work that you've done is fantastic so far. Well done for getting so many shops to sign the pledge!

Sadly, many are still stocking them. If they dye fish by injecting them with a needle, then imagine how big a needle would be to a tiny little fish? Something like the size of a pencil!

How would we like to stick pencils in ourselves just to go a different colour? Well done PFK, keep up the good work!"

"Having read through the comments previously left on the subject, a common flaw seems to occur in peoples attitude towards the shops in which they find dyed fish.

It has been recognised that some shops have been found to have dyed fish in stock despite signing your pledge to not do so. In at least one case, the reason was substitution on the order when the required fish were not available.

This is common practice, and shops often find fish that they would not normally stock when the order arrives.

If shops are not ordering dyed fish, then sending them as a substitute will become more common, as this will be the only way to get rid of the stock. The shop is then faced with the usual dilemma of what to do with them; sell them on or make a loss.

Many people would walk into such a shop, and on seeing these fish, would head straight for the door, never to return. I feel that having a quiet word with the proprietor would reveal that they do not normally stock such fish and the attitude of just walking out could eventually put shop at risk of closure.

This is especially so when people declare that they advise others not to use the shop in question. Surely it would be better to find out the circumstances before going off on a crusade against a shop which may well have been the victim of poor practice.

We need to talk to people, not just condemn them. "

"We have recently visited some shops in Scotland outside Fife. I was very distressed to see Arulius barbs with very unusual rosy red colouration. I have kept and studied barbs as they are my favourite fish for 20 years and we have noticed that barbs are getting dyed more often.

Sometimes the shops don't know what they are getting as wholesalers can be quite shrewd and rename the fish. But some shops also sell these fish as new breeds.

Tropicals have fantastic colour and don't need dying this act should be banned."

"Last week I visited my local garden centre. In one of their tanks was a pair of Parrot cichlids. I don't like these hybrid fish, but what made me look again was the colours?

These poor fish had three horizontal lines down each side black then red then black again. The sign by them read "these fish are not tattooed or dyed" they are bred for these colours.

I have read the comments of dealers receiving substitues of dyed fish instead of the normal ones, but, I feel when there is such a deliberate attempt to mislead the public, they should be named and shamed by a magazine such as yours."

"Surely the whole point of keeping tropical fish is to be able to appreciate the colour and form of the species as found in nature.

If people want highly coloured fish why not keep marines? If they are not prepared to do so because of the higher maintenance then maybe they are in the wrong hobby.

"

"The new dyed hybrid cichlids are disgusting. Luckily the effect is so garish and artificial no fishkeeper could possibly buy one by accident."

"As if poor Parrot fish hadn't been tampered with enough, already now they're dying them!

In a perfect world dyed fish would be illegal to import. To be honest it makes me feel sick seeing them. Even my partner who's recently got into fishkeeping can't understand why people would do such a thing.

If I see a fish shop with dyed fish I simply dont buy anything from the shop and most likely wouldn't return to it anymore. If in doubt dont buy nowt!"

"Totally wrong we should name and shame the outlets that sell these fish, before it gets all fish keepers a bad name.
"

"We too (here in Singapore) are inflicted with dyed fish. However I must say the occurance has lessen in the recent months. I hope it is due to the weak sale of such appalling looking fishes.

I am, however, was surprised that the dyed fishes you have there in the UK have the same dye patterns as the ones in Singapore. Leads me to think that there are some big distributors out there exporting these fishes big time.

Well, I longed for the time when all these nonsense will be done with, along with those hybrid parrot cichlid (awful looking critters). The question I pose is "Why?" when we have all these beautiful fishes to choose from!!"

"Dyeing fish is a horrible practice and should be outlawed. However, don't forget there are a lot of tolerated practices already going on and have been for years that are just as harmful possibly even more so e.g ornamental fish (lionheads and such like).

So in my opinion if the fish was not naturally coloured or shaped as nature intended then we as hobbyists should not allow any man made creation acceptable. How many of us out there are being hypocritical in regards to this issue? "

"I think the increase of dyed fish for sale suggests an increase in the aquarium hobbyist body. However, most beginners haven't known anything about dyed fish and they tend to pick anything that looks fancy. When there's a demand, there's a supply.

Therefore, I believe the most effective way of stopping the dyed fish industry is to shut down the demand through education, including telling people what do fish really look like in their natural habitat and what a cruel practice is to dye artificial colour on their scales."

"We also was visiting our local garden centre in North Lincolnshire and came cross these grossly dyed clown looking fish.

It was so obvious to see these had been dyed and actually they looked ugly and were not nice too look at in any way...

I can say having dealt with the aquatic dept there before I'm very shocked to hear they are not part of your campaign. As knowing the staff via many purchases and help they have given us over the years, I actually believed they were responsible not to encourage this type of practises."

"I personally find it disgusting and obscene that people should try to gain financially from abusing fish by dyeing or tattooing them!

Virtually all fish are naturally beautiful in one way or another, it is just a question of personal taste. The foul practice of dyeing or tattooing them merely serves to make them look ghastly, garish and abused. Not to mention the likely adverse health risks associated with fish undergoing such procedures.

I strongly feel that any fish found to have been abused in this way, should be traced back to their abusers, who should then be prosecuted for animal cruelty. I applaud your efforts to condemn this practice PFK!"

"Hobbyists buy fish because they care for them and they want to admire them as they are in nature. I don't think anybody would buy fish if they knew they were dyed - and they also knew what this involved and what effects it will have on the fish.

In addition to being cruel to the fish, people who dye them and people who sell them are cheating a number of customers who feel they are buying different looking fish - if they seriously think there is nothing wrong with the dyed fish why not explicitly state which fish are dyed near the point of sale?"