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I was shocked, saddened, and angry all at once when I was in a fish store today. I had to pick up filter pads and went to a place close by since I'm sick. I don't like going there, but didn't have a choice.

As always, I just walked around, looking at livestock. Boy do I regret that.

In a 20 gallon tank with two black pirahna's, both about 2.5 inches, were several small (about 1 inch) goldfish - at least they may have been 1 inch at the start. The idiots put in fish that couldn't possibly be consummed with one good bite. The result was 3, still living goldfish with their back ends missing almost up to the vent. It hadn't hit vital organs yet. They were swimming around with their half body stubs. In the tank were as many as 5 half eaten goldfish, all with the front half of the torso left and dead.

I have no problem feeding live fish to carnivores that require it. But couldn't they have put smaller fish - like guppies and guppy babies in there? At least they would have killed the fish, more than likely, with the first bite. I can see that they don't want dead meat, but to me, the size prey should have been small enough to get past mid-torso with the first bite.

It was awful looking at those 2/3 fish bodies still swimming around. I didn't even know a fish could continue living with that much of him gone. ]:|


Last edited by Cory_Di at 01-Feb-2005 21:22

That is horrifying! Can you imagine how many children have been traumatized by that scene?? I'd be traumatized and I'm an adult!

Did you say something to the store manager? Probably wouldn't do any good, but sheesh! How could they not notice???

I won't buy any fish from my local store either, since they leave dead fish in the tank for days at a time (often half consumed by the other fish). But while it's bad enough letting them be eaten after they are dead, letting them be tortured is another thing all together!

Kathy

that is horrible! Its heartbreaking that some people have such lack of respect for animals (feeders or not).

---

I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.
~ Mae West

Errr "hopefully" that was the result of some stupid teenagers pulling a prank. When I worked at PetCo we fed the turtles pellets. But there were hooligans who would put the goldfish from the feeder tank in with the turtles. They were trouble, let me tell you... (that's not all they did either. I'd see them in the store from time to time trying to do anything they could)

*nervous twitch*

><>

Nope - that's what this store does. Their feeder tanks were among the most disgusting too. There were so many dead and dying fish in the feeder tank I wouldn't be caught dead buying anything from those tanks to feed my fish. It as pure pathogen soup. There's got to be a better way to keep feeders. I don't even know if they bother to feed them. How nutritious can they be? Some of the other feeders I saw in other carnivore tanks looked so emaciated, like they had worms. They probably just hadn't bothered to feed them.

I didn't say anything to the staff. I should have and I'll tell you I was traumatized as it was like something out of a horror movie. I had no idea a fish could continue to live in that condition.

I mean, if I had Pirahna, there must be something better to feed them. Wouldn't they eat strips of fish flesh or meat?

Last edited by Cory_Di at 02-Feb-2005 10:47