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I have seen hundreds of fish that were mistreated and abused, including painted fish. The worst ive heard of fish abuse is...... Intentional organ/body damage. People will poke or cut a fish(the ones that you dont eat) just because it will go against a fellow fish mate that is incompatable, and totally is the person's fault! The most abused fish would be the albino parrotfish. Their lips look like lips of a human, and they are the "perfect" valentine gift.......Poor souls........

I thik that there should be a group who will check up on the people and their fish. It will be a volunteer group of dedicated fishkeepers. They would hae the right to report animal abuse if they see it.

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I'd have to say either common goldfish, oscars, shovelnose cats, arrowanas or anything else that gets huge. People get these fish when they're small and 'cute' and then don't realize how huge they get. Many get stunted, or are forced to live in crappy water conditions because of the sheer amount of waste they produce, if they get fed properly at all.

Yeah im with fallout here, all the worst abuses are the general neglect issues, they cause the longest suffering for the longest possible time, all those fish in tanks that are too small usually have owners that are complicit in a whole range of abuses, often including failure to treat the ineveitable disease that such circumstances usually bring about. General neglect is the most pitiful. It usually requires people of such ignorance and lacking conscience that they are unwilling to read even the simplest of information, or be mentally so rigid so as not to see the sufferrring. We dont need to know much about fish to be a ble to visually assess one thats languishing, its instinct that gives us the first clue. Someone lacking that primordial instinct is to me, practically sub-human. I used to do animal rescue, and I have met many of them and the startlingly arrogant defensive attitudes many have and the degree to which they will lie to prove their innocence in obviously abusive situation never fails to stagger me with the sheer gall some of them have. My personal tip- put em in the back of a large truck, and drive it off a 1000 ft cliff.Unwitting mistakes I can handle, we all make em, but persistant failure to recognise bad conditions over periods lasting many months? Thats just wilful, and those responsible need a touch of smiting.

Then theres institutionalised abuse (which icludes dyed fish et). This is the sort of thing, particularly prevalent in a number of LFS's . The kind of places that tell you tanks cycle in a week, and do anything to sell you the fish. It spreads bad fishkeeping of a level that can be abusive,because unfortunately , many people trust the advice that shops give then. If I was god on high bringing down the law on such miscreants, id either insist that they have one week to change the advice to a national standard of truth and excellence, or be shut down, and all concerned individuals be fired , and probably given a kick in the backside by a giraffe. There really isnt an excuse. For people who dye fish im sure the devil has a new layer at the bottom pit of hell just waiting for them.When I die , I shall ask to be transferred there, to meter out the punishment. Youd be amazed at what an LHG can do with a blunt pencil and some household chemicals


Then you get those very special people who revel in watching their fish fight, or maim, by either putting aggressive species together,so that they must inevitably fight , often to the death, or by giving predators fish that are too big to finish off easily, so that they can watch the prolonged sufferring. These people are akin to badger baiters, people who watch dog and cat fighting, and cockfighting. There is a cure for this, it involves three words. Head, Groin, Nailgun. I myself have a few large predatory fish, and at no point will I be giving them food that cant be snapped up in one with a minimal chase , or otherwise giving them prekilled food. So many people with large predators use the "its natural excuse" , and yes sometimes nature is cruel, but that in no way validates what happens in aquaria which is often a single fish mercilessly persecuted till it dies. Most predators go for the small easily injested prey over big ones, and usually aquatic predation is a oneshot deal. They either miss or they get it, either way a fish will not be subject to the stress of attack for long. A lot of predatory fishkeepers never even try to acclimate their fish to dead food, which is probably completely doable in 90% of cases, and prevents the suffering in confined cases. I like to use the human equivalent of the sufferring to try and open their eyes. Like an eample of maybe putting them in a sealed tank with an 8 foot tiger shark, and smacking them in the head with a paddle when they try to leave, while shouting out "its natural , its natural" Maybe in the first hour, theyll only lose a foot, maybe an arm.


When most of them say "my fish wont take dead food" im acutely aware that most of them never try.They enjoy the sufferring too much. Its the same in reptile keeping, you show me someone who says their animal cant take dead foods outside of the insectivorous groups, and ill show you someone whos basically a bit stupid. (obviously exceptions for people who have the rarer wild caught species that really cant take live obviously) Ive always managed , and its all part and parcel of being good at what I do, and I have kept thousands of species over the years.

You only need to watch one video of pirahnas being given a live mouse and being picked apart for several minutes to realise many of these people are sick in the head. I cant imagine a death with more fear involved. Bash mouse on head, chuck it in the tank, the pirahnas will eat it. Many piranhas in the wild never actually make a kill in their lives. Most survive from picking up the stunned and injured fish from the attacks of larger fish, and as for the big predators, snakeheads, clown knives, polypterus, peacock bass, arowan, most big catfish, oscars etc, nearly all will take dead food. Maybe one specimen in 50-100 will really not, and lets be honest those specimens will be lucky to ever get to a petshop, because when held at stockists and importers they will have been given dead foods- and if they didnt eat it, they wouldnt have made it In a business context live feeding takes too much time and effort. Pavlovian training of humans by animals is not uncommon, and it is a recognised diffuclty, but ive always managed to break the trend, so why cant others? Its more a case of wont than cant methinks.

Primary causes of abuse. Lack of empathy, persistant avoidance of knowledge, greed, vanity, and sadism. I can spot em a mile away.
Some folks respond well to re-eduction, the ones that wont , basically need a smack. I wish the law was more on the fish's side. The worst words ever spoken in this hobby were: "Its only a fish".

If you take on a pet, you have the full responsibility for its wellbeing ,and the wellbeing of othe animals it may come into contact with, and that includes feeder items. End of.


Large fines, a few short custodial sentances and lifetime bans on animal keeping should be the way to go methinks.

Pangasius Catfish/Irridescent shark.
You will find most people who buy arrowanas seem to know what they are doing (at least over here) because of the price tag.
Pangasius cats are about £1.50 each though, and get over 4 feet long. I have them on the menu at work..Big Pangasius Cat
James

Actually, i change my mind. Bettas are the worst, most mistreated fish to me! If you think about it, they are sold in small, quarter-pint cups, and even have specially made 1 liter betta bowls. The poor souls must have died because of muscle and fin porblems, as well as ammonia buildup and lack of oxygen. If you have kept one before you started learning about the well being of fish, for example, im sure that most of us have unknowingly tortured and killed at least one before. I was lucky because i have had a 2.5 gallon eclipse tank when i had my first betta, and then i kept on moving the tank around, so it might have been dropsied. I also forgot to turn on the filter every day so you know.........

Another way is that the people actually put the fish in the same bowl to see them fight! Its so sad....... Thats why i decided to save a betta i saw, my dear friend "watcher".

They should make people hold pet "licenceses", and have it computer tracked to see is theyre able to be trusted with a pet. They should have an animal as a "test of reliability" as in a virtual pet, and make sure it is taken care of. The virtue-pets will be diffucult to take care of, and will have diseases as a regular treatment. If the animal survives after a couple of weeks, then he/she will be granted permission to purchase a pet.

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Bettas and Goldfish because
a)both are sold as "can stay in small bowals
b)bettas are sold as"feed sparingly 2-3 times a week"
c) kept in poor conditions most of the time.

Yup. I'm that crazy Twilight/animal/music girl

Good reasons there Shadow, but i thik that the betta can be fed once every 2 days. But this is not good for them. I guess i see where youre going......

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betta's

and any fish sold to an under-educated person by any money hungry store or person. and nothing can be done to completely prevent this. sad to say it.

but stupidity is one of the major downfalls of humanity

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

Goby,it can,but it won't last as long as one who gets fed 6 days a week.[this is what i do with all my fish to give their digestive track a break,it will make them live longer]

Yup. I'm that crazy Twilight/animal/music girl

Yeah, bettas, especially females should be fed daily, or they may wane, the larger males can get by for a bit longer, but small daily feedings suit them well.

In bigger tanks especially, as oppose to those kept in tiny tanks, they will use those calories, and will need daily feeding. A swollen belly on a heavily fed betta often returns to normal size in an hour, they digest food quickly and therefore need reliably frequent feeds for good health. You can tell a fit one has a high metabolism.

I think the goldfish, piranhas, and like you guys say: the bettas are one of a few most abused fish. One way we can help them is establishing a research facility to help these poor fellows and learn more about their habitat, behavior, etc.

People who have not done enough research are most likely to buy (or win) a goldfish.

Being unprepared and ill informed means lotsa goldies are living in less than ideal conditions.

By the time the goldfish keepers graduate to being aquarists they are starting to find things out and get serious about researching (but not always )

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~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

In terms of numbers, the poor old Goldfish is probably number one on the list. Oscars and Bettas fairly close behind (but for different reasons), followed by unwisely bought tank busters such as Pacus, Lima Shovlenoses, Pangasius etc. Dyed fish are close behind this on the list.

Incidentally, I wrote this piece a while back on the poor benighted Goldfish. Those who are relatively recent newcomers to the Board, go take a peek.



Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

I remember when I was younger and won a 1 inch gold fish from the carnival. but lucky for us, we had a 55g tank already at home. when we finally got rid of it, it had got up to like 7 inches long... i think, i dont remember, i was only like 10 and that seems like decades ago

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

bettas.

frankly i love it when i find people at lfs buying around 6-7 males an i know they only have one tank.

i dont consider injecting or stunting to be themain problem with "abuse" fighting is what i consider IMO.

Definitly the goldfish

I want to kick the person who invented the goldfishbowl. I also hate it when people say things like "I had a goldfish in a bowl for 2 years. Im gonna go get anotherone coz it died. I guess the fish was old. They usually only live a couple of months right?"

Dont get me started...

Inky

I have to say the betta, then goldfish. And as regards to feeding bettas. I guess it does have something to do with tank size. Because I keep mine in 7 - 8 gallon tanks, and they move around them all day long. So, everyday for their feeding, they come to their feeding spots so excited and are practically shaking with anticipation for their food. Other bettas I have kept in smaller tanks, didn't seems to be as excited (hungry) every day.

I wish there was more legal regulation when it comes to fishkeeping. I would happily apply for a license, because i know i would be approved if anyone saw the lap of luxury my bettas live in. I wish I had another 20gL to divide and save two more bettas.

-pam