The UK's largest pet retailer has taken steps to stop selling goldfish bowls and unfiltered aquariums.
Pets at Home, which has more than 170 stores in the UK, is running a "Fish Tank Amnesty" campaign throughout December which allows fishkeepers to get a discount if they upgrade their filter-less aquarium for a filtered one.
Pets at Home told Practical Fishkeeping that the initiative has followed warnings from "animal care specialists" who have claimed that almost two in five fish owners may be inadvertently shortening the life spans of their fish by by keeping them in tanks with inadequate filtration.
Tom Holton of Pets at Home said: "We are increasingly worried that keeping fish in a tank with no filter means they are essentially swimming in their own toxins.
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"Many pet owners may not realise that goldfish can actually live for up to 20 years when kept in the right environment, so we are encouraging fish owners to give their goldfish a helping hand in getting to that ripe old age by housing them in a tank with a filter.
"They are a fantastically rewarding pet that is simple to look after, however they do need a minimum amount of equipment, the most essential being a filter " this filter actually makes life even easier for fish owners as well the tank doesn't need to the be cleaned out as often."
Pets at Home said that customers who have a filter-less tank should go to their nearest branch for advice on replacing it with a filtered tank.
"Once the new tank and filter has been purchased it should be set up and left for seven days prior to transferring the fish over.
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"Following the seven days, customers can then take their old tanks to Pets at Home stores across the UK to be destroyed.
"Customers are advised to bring with them the receipt of their new tank in order to claim a 15% discount upon their next purchase."