Sadly, this is not about tattoos on people of fish, which I encourage if you're so inclined (although seriously people, there are other fish to get tattooed on you besides koi). No, this is about injecting fish with dye/paint under their skin to make fake varieties of fish. If you've visited your local Wal-Mart aquarium lately, you've probably noticed some guys that looked like this:
Often marketed as "painted tetras", "painted skirt tetras", or "painted glass tetras" it's a literal name - color has been injected into the fish (which is not a tetra, by the way).
The following sites provide information on this phenomenon better than I can, including details on other ways fishes' colors are altered:
Even my beloved corydoras are not exempt from this treatment. So yeah, just say no. I'll freely admit that I had a pink painted skirt when I was 11 and didn't know any better; I think its name was Nun. There are plenty of naturally vibrantly colored tropical fish that can grace your aquarium that haven't been subjected to sketchy procedures. Know your fish ethics!
Hello! I am A. and this is my blog about ocean life, which is probably longer in coming than it should be.
First, some relevant info: I am not a scientist. I have been called a "science guru" before by a fourth grade teacher, which I guess means someone who knows some science stuff and really enjoys it but don't actually do science. Don't get me wrong, I would do it if I could, but I can't hack the math so I instead I study geography and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). However, I like science better and make no secret of it.
Here are some recent posts from other ocean blogs I've found of interest:
What some fisherman are saying about the spiny dogfish, courtesy blogfish.
The ecological disaster that is dolphin-safe tuna, from Southern Fried Science
FUTURE TOPICS:
- Fictional fish
- Creepy/scary fish that don't usually show up on scary/creepy fish lists
- Being angry about fish marketing/labeling practices; I rant about incorrectly labeled red snappers in my dreams, so you know it's serious business
- Love for batoids and pretty much anything that lived in the water during the Devonian period
- Freshwater aquarium fish
- Catfish fansites from the Middle East
- The mysterious Oxyrhynchus fish
- The exciting world of competitive betta breeding and showing
- And more!
I welcome suggestions!
Often marketed as "painted tetras", "painted skirt tetras", or "painted glass tetras" it's a literal name - color has been injected into the fish (which is not a tetra, by the way).
Corydoras are cuter than harp seal pups and you know it.