What Kind of Fish Do You Simply Not Understand Why People Keep?

I was listening to a podcast recently, and the interviewer asked the interviewee what fish they simply don't understand why people keep it, and that got me thinking. What kind of fish do others out there simply not understand why others want it?

So here is mine and my reasoning.

1) Monster fish.
Pretty obvious why, but just going to throw it out there, I do own a Mbu Puffer, but he was a rescue. I actually decided against getting one a while ago due to the size. My ultimate reason for this is why would your average person want a fish that grows 4ft or bigger. Being honest, the demographic of people who want them compared to those who can actually have a place for them is so off. I can walk into almost any shop and say 'I want a red-tailed catfish' and next week I pay $14.99 for one whom I can then keep in a 10 gallon like many others- let alone, in 4 months you're feeding it whole frozen shrimp, and in a year its like a pound a day and it just keeps growing. I am not going to limit this to just those either, I include things like oscars, red devils, Dovii, common pleco, god forbid if anybody gets an arapaima. I am not here to state these fish are not cool/pretty, but just stating that the majority of them who have them, probably shouldn't, and the retail industry sells them like mad. In addition to this, normal people think something like a 29 gallon is a 'big' tank and a 55 is 'huge'.

My second one, I hardly understand, but think is ridiculous is glo-fish.
There's all these other options out there to have a slice of nature with silk plants or fake plants with nice pea gravel, and you choose to get the neon pink gravel and have blue rainbow sharks and that bright green betta as a display tank. Sure? I guess.

This might just be my complaints with the retail fish industry in general, but I know there are some people who just don't understand getting a certain fish for the amount of work it is. Thank you for reading!

 

Frankly, yes. Have you seen what saltwater coral reef fish look like?

Lol not talking salt! We’re talking fresh . Plenty for colorful salt water fish!!

 

Lol not talking salt! We’re talking fresh . Plenty for colorful salt water fish!!

Ah, but you did say "anywhere," ya didn't specify... jk
ok on a less pedantic note, killifish.



and the scarlet badis

 

I think there are a ton of really beautiful cichlids. I love all of them honestly, other than the BP.

You’ve been banned from the hybrid cool guy club.

 

So lets talk the biggest scam with Glo-Fish. They are literally patented. They have a patent on a gene for fish. Like- seriously?

I get it. You made a product, and you want rights to it, but this is the life of something- not your property. Nobody should 'own' rights to a life or a genetic for that matter. For god sakes the gene isn't even for the fish! Its from jellyfish!

This idea is really ahead of the times in a way as there isn't really a consensus for how to handle issues like this. I mean honestly, 70 years ago the USA was spraying the pesticide DDT on entire neighborhoods and spraying it on every meal of the day- look how that turned out. I love my country.

Moving on-

You legally cannot breed glo-fish and re-sell them. You may breed them to get more for yourself, but not for public sale.

What makes this worse in my opinion, which ties into the meme I made, is that to purchase Glo-fish, from the one farm in florida that produces them, they are ridiculously expensive, but everybody can order them wholesale. They are so expensive that the cost to order them and ship them is more expensive that Petsmart sells them because they have a deal with the Glo-fish company, basically allowing Petsmart a monopoly on the 'product'. Not a true monopoly, but basically they can run a sellers-market, with a limit, with them. This makes this ethically and economically questionable to me.

The ethics of it are up for debate, but splicing jellyfish genes into common fish for neon colors, although something that can be done, but more is a question of should it be done.

I do not believe this is in the same subject area of hybrids, as they happen all the time.
These happen naturally in the wilderness of my state: Michigan
Tiger Muskellunge = Northern Pike/Muskellunge
Tiger Trout = Brown Trout/Brook Trout (Literally a trophy in the waters here- would kill to see one)
Coywolf = Coyote/Wolf

Many plants hybridize constantly, but you never notice it.

Natural Hybridization is really something that is quite common and is not in the same discussion as gene splicing. If you are talking about creating specimens in the lab, like crossing whales and killifish, you might just be a mad scientist and yes that is the same ballfield as Glo-Fish.

This is my opinion. Feel free to disagree, but if you have a differing opinion I mean no harm, keep it peaceful Thank you for reading.

 

You’ve been banned from the hybrid cool guy club.

I have nothing against most other hybrids, I promise! If I ever get a flowerhorn or rescue a sad BP, can I be unbanned?

 

I have nothing against most other hybrids, I promise! If I ever get a flowerhorn or rescue a sad BP, can I be unbanned?

I was joking lol. Even if that club exists im not cool enough for it

 

I was joking lol. Even if that club exists im not cool enough for it

That’s what you say now.... but I know your secret. You’re just saying that to make me lose interest... just like the terribilis Illuminati on another forum earlier. It’s all coming together now...

 

Blood Parrots don't occur in the wild because they are deformed, and with poor physical health they would quickly fall prey to larger fish.

 

Any fish that just seems artificial holds no appeal to me. As mentioned already, glo-fish, albino fish, and fancy varieties of fish certainly fall into that group. I would add things like parrot fish and flowerhorns to that group as well. Furthermore, it often baffles me that a color morph of a fish can be so readily available, when the wild version of the same species can be so hard to find. An example of this would be the gold barb, Barbodes semifasciolatus. The wild version of this fish seems so much more attractive to me, but I've never seen it for sale.

Just replying to this old post. I'm fortunate, because there is a specialist shop here in the Netherlands that sells many wild-caught tropical fish and rarer ones, too. I just looked, and they currently have Barbodes semifasciolatus. I guess you don't live over here, though. I'm just posting so that you know there are businesses that do sell fish you might think are only found in books.

 

Flower horns! I can’t even look at them.

 

I was listening to a podcast recently, and the interviewer asked the interviewee what fish they simply don't understand why people keep it, and that got me thinking. What kind of fish do others out there simply not understand why others want it?

So here is mine and my reasoning.

1) Monster fish.
Pretty obvious why, but just going to throw it out there, I do own a Mbu Puffer, but he was a rescue. I actually decided against getting one a while ago due to the size. My ultimate reason for this is why would your average person want a fish that grows 4ft or bigger. Being honest, the demographic of people who want them compared to those who can actually have a place for them is so off. I can walk into almost any shop and say 'I want a red-tailed catfish' and next week I pay $14.99 for one whom I can then keep in a 10 gallon like many others- let alone, in 4 months you're feeding it whole frozen shrimp, and in a year its like a pound a day and it just keeps growing. I am not going to limit this to just those either, I include things like oscars, red devils, Dovii, common pleco, god forbid if anybody gets an arapaima. I am not here to state these fish are not cool/pretty, but just stating that the majority of them who have them, probably shouldn't, and the retail industry sells them like mad. In addition to this, normal people think something like a 29 gallon is a 'big' tank and a 55 is 'huge'.

My second one, I hardly understand, but think is ridiculous is glo-fish.
There's all these other options out there to have a slice of nature with silk plants or fake plants with nice pea gravel, and you choose to get the neon pink gravel and have blue rainbow sharks and that bright green betta as a display tank. Sure? I guess.

This might just be my complaints with the retail fish industry in general, but I know there are some people who just don't understand getting a certain fish for the amount of work it is. Thank you for reading!

Glofish. They just look so unnatural

 

I really don't try to understand. Choice is a good thing and taste is a personal thing. Between the fact that a)it doesn't affect me one single bit, i don't need to understand and b)i was raised right and try hard to not judge. A lot of people do not like plecos, while i love them! See, that street goes both ways.

 

Glo Bettas!
I can't believe they even exist

 

Glo Bettas!
I don't believe they even exist

I don't think imaginary fish count

 

I don't think imaginary fish count

Sadly they do exist...

 

Sadly they do exist...

I see. Maybe LHAquatics meant to say "I can't believe they even exist" instead of "I don't believe they even exist"? That would make more sense than disliking a fish you think doesn't exist .

Anyway, I think it's really logical that they do exist, because the market for bettas and the market for glofish overlap big time.

 

I see. Maybe LHAquatics meant to say "I can't believe they even exist" instead of "I don't believe they even exist"? That would make more sense than disliking a fish you think doesn't exist .

Anyway, I think it's really logical that they do exist, because the market for bettas and the market for glofish overlap big time.

edited it just for you

 

glo fish. I can imagnie a few zebra danios in a planted tank, that would be kinda cool. But the tetras, and the bettas, and the neon gravel and plastic neon plants, it just seems wrong. Also with the flowerhorns, and the huge fish like arrowana's.

 

glo fish. I can imagnie a few zebra danios in a planted tank, that would be kinda cool. But the tetras, and the bettas, and the neon gravel and plastic neon plants, it just seems wrong. Also with the flowerhorns, and the huge fish like arrowana's.

They make glo arowanas and flowerhorns? Why though, they are gorgeous by themselves, why put on the glo stuff?

I also don't get long finned serpai tetras. So you take a fish who is known to nip fins, and who also needs others of its own kind, and put long fins on it. Worst combo ever lol.

Though I have heard that it was a myth created by keeping them in small groups.

 

I dislike glo fish of any sorts. They just look like someone threw up on a fish. Blood parrots are also some of the ugliest fish I've ever seen I just dislike their deformations. Besides when I was very young, I dislike many goldfish and don't understand why so many people like them. I don't even understand why people would want to put them in a pond outside when you can fill it with koi instead. Arowana are pretty but I don't understand why you would get a huge fish that enjoys jumping out of a tank. IMO no tank is the correct size for them because they are going to want to jump as that is what their instincts tell them to do. I understand why people like angelfish but I haven't personally ever really enjoyed looking at them. Everytime I go to a fish store I guess I have just seen poorly bred ones, but I imagine I might try to keep them one day to see why everyone enjoys them. Finally I don't understand people's interest in tiger barbs and why people keep them. Although they really aren't too aggressive if kept in a large school, I dislike how the safest option just too make sure they don't decide to nip fins of other fish is to keep them in a species only tank. There's so many other options for fish that are nice looking and people choose one of the few schooling fish that are just horrible in my opinion.

 

They make glo arowanas and flowerhorns? Why though, they are gorgeous by themselves, why put on the glo stuff?

I think those were separate points. They dislike glo fish, as well as flowerhorns and large fish.

 

I completely understand the appeal of wild-caught aquarium fish. It's actually prevented some fish from becoming extinct. At the same time I feel that it may be more "sustainable" to only purchase tank bred/raised fish. I am wondering if anyone knows of a (fairly) comprehensive list of aquarium fish that are mostly captive bred locally/within the US (or maybe regionalized for people in other countries) vs. wild caught fish that are shipped 1/2 way around the world only to die because my tap water is too hard. Any links, ideas, or advice appreciated!

 

I can't stand the telescope blob eyed goldfish, poor things look like they are suffering.

I'll also go for blind tetras.. I dont get that at all. What is the appeal?

 

Tattooed Fish. I dont get it...

 

I've never seen Glofish, as they are (thankfully) illegal over here. I don't like the idea of them as aquarium fish. Do you know there are some crazy people in the US who eat them, hoping to gain their glowing attributes?

 

I'll also go for blind tetras.. I dont get that at all. What is the appeal?

Now that's something I didn't know to exist! Looks creepy. I guess the appeal is the shock factor. If you want to give your guests nightmares, this is a go-to fish . Anyway, it being a normal healthy fish (even if it doesn't look like it) it's still better than this:

Tattooed Fish.

What the heck, poor thing.

I've never seen Glofish, as they are (thankfully) illegal over here.

I thought that Glofish are illegal in Lithuania too, since we're in EU too and the same law should apply, but I often see them in local forums and groups. I'm afraid those might be dyed fish, which is much worse, but I'm not sure.

 

Tattooed Fish. I dont get it...

Is that real??

 

Is that real??

Yes. I actually owned a few tattooed white skirt tetras when I was a grade schooler (my dad did most of the fish purchases and we didn't know better).

I haven't seen any in recent years, probably because glo-fish have taken over the unnatural color market and genetic manipulation is less viscerally nasty and lethal than the alternatives, but people have and do inject dyes into fish for aesthetic reasons.

I can understand why someone would keep blind cave tetras, simply because they're very unusual. Plus, their strangeness is completely natural, no mutilation or genertic shenanigans requires.

 

I completely understand the appeal of wild-caught aquarium fish. It's actually prevented some fish from becoming extinct. At the same time I feel that it may be more "sustainable" to only purchase tank bred/raised fish. I am wondering if anyone knows of a (fairly) comprehensive list of aquarium fish that are mostly captive bred locally/within the US (or maybe regionalized for people in other countries) vs. wild caught fish that are shipped 1/2 way around the world only to die because my tap water is too hard. Any links, ideas, or advice appreciated!

I really like wild angels, they look so much cooler than regular ones, with all the red and from what I've seen bigger dorsal fins.

Is that real??

Yes, sadly...

 

I really like wild angels, they look so much cooler than regular ones, with all the red and from what I've seen bigger dorsal fins.

Yes, sadly...

That’s terrible! - I mean about the tattooed fish.

 

Chinese Algae Eaters. I don’t see what could be appealing about them, especially since there are a number of similar looking less problematic alternatives.

 

I am someone who likes to "know an animal personally" so I am not really into tetras for beings so small and shoaling fish. Sure cardinal tetras make for great darts of color in a planted tank and black skirt tetras look really beautiful to me but other than that I can't really see the appeal.

 

That’s terrible! - I mean about the tattooed fish.

Yeah, I was talking about them. It's really prevalent in asian countries.

 

Yeah, I was talking about them. It's really prevalent in asian countries.

Never seen them here, though there plenty of glofish, and I am sure they are not permitted in Europe?

 

At a swap meet I saw a blueberry silver arowana, which I was really intrigued by being a blue and all, but turns out it was dyed. I was pretty disappointed and somewhat irked, but its whatever I guess. If it was a silver arowana that was actually blue, I probably would have bought it.

 

Long finned serpai tetras.

 

Chinese Algae Eaters. I don’t see what could be appealing about them, especially since there are a number of similar looking less problematic alternatives.

I think they're a thing mostly because newcomers don't know better. Chinese algae eaters are extremely common and cheap, which makes them easy to keep in stock at all times and very easy to sell to a new tank owner with an algae problem whose only sources of info are the Petsmart employees. Other algae-eating alternatives are not stocked in big box stores, are significantly more expensive, or extremely delicate and frail. Heck, even a mystery snail costs more than a CAE at Petsmart!

So yeah, they exist for the same reason that fancy quart sized deli cups are marketed as "tanks." Exploitation of customer ignorance through a veneer of convenience and cheapness. That's my theory anyways.

 

I think they're a thing mostly because newcomers don't know better. Chinese algae eaters are extremely common and cheap, which makes them easy to keep in stock at all times and very easy to sell to a new tank owner with an algae problem whose only sources of info are the Petsmart employees. Other algae-eating alternatives are not stocked in big box stores, are significantly more expensive, or extremely delicate and frail. Heck, even a mystery snail costs more than a CAE at Petsmart!

So yeah, they exist for the same reason that fancy quart sized deli cups are marketed as "tanks." Exploitation of customer ignorance through a veneer of convenience and cheapness. That's my theory anyways.

I propose a name change to Chinese Slime Coat Suckers.

 

I propose a name change to Chinese Slime Coat Suckers.

Would that confuse people if we just start calling them that?

 

Would that confuse people if we just start calling them that?

It shouldn't