STOP THE SALE OF DYED FISH

The term painted fish refers to ornamental aquarium fish which have been artificially coloured through extremely cruel processes in order to appeal to consumers, especially young children. Buying an animal only due to its appearance when one is not sufficiently prepared or willing to take care of it is wrong. The color in the fish fades within months, leaving it undesirable to those who bought only it for its coloring. Unfortunately, most of these fish perish due to dye-related complications far before the color has a chance to fade.

How it's done:
Dye Injection - Large needles are used to inject dye under the skin. Because only a small area is affected, the fish must be subjected to many punctures to achieve the desired effect. The popular painted glassfish are dyed this way, using florescent colored paints. Fish that are injected often contract infections from the punctures.

Dipping - As barbaric as dye injections seem, this practice is even worse. The fish are first put into a caustic solution that strips off their protective outer slime coating. They are then dipped in dye, or injected with dyes, after which they are dipped in another chemical that irritates the flesh to stimulate re-growth of the slime coat. This method is very stressful, and has a high mortality rate.

Colored Food - Young fish are fed treated foods that will temporarily tint them. Once they are no longer fed the treated food, they eventually lose their color. Unfortunately the dye they consume can negatively affect their growth and development.

Some fish, such as Tattooed Mollies, even have designs such as hearts, stripes, and polka dots tattoed on them with needles and lasers.

These methods result in an 80% mortality rate. Of those that survive, most will have an extremely stunted lifespan, as the dye slowly spreads to the rest of their organs and the damage to their outer protective layer causes extremely low immunity against disease. Coloring fish stresses them and makes them more susceptible to illness. Young fish that are not fully grown are often stunted by the painting process.

Some popular dyed fish: Painted Glassfish, Fruit Tetras, Jelly Beans & Bubblegum Parrots, Blueberry Oscars, Painted Corys, Painted Botias

The sale of these fish, usually imported from Asia, is still legal despite some attempts to stop it. With your help it is possible to convince major retailers to stop the sale of these animals, as has successfully been done in the UK. While many retailers do not care about the welfare of the animals, many are simply misinformed. Please sign this petition to help end the sale of these fish in the major pet chains throughout the US. 

For more information on this process, dyed species, and success stories:
http://www.deathbydyeing.org/colormedead.htm

http://www.firsttankguide.net/painted.php
 
http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/show_article.php?article_id=72

http://www.sydneycichlid.com/dyed-fish.htm

The term painted fish refers to ornamental aquarium fish which have been artificially coloured through extremely cruel processes in order to appeal to consumers, especially young children. Buying an animal only due to its appearance when one is not sufficiently prepared or willing to take care of it is wrong. The color in the fish fades within months, leaving it undesirable to those who bought only it for its coloring. Unfortunately, most of these fish perish due to dye-related complications far before the color has a chance to fade.

How it's done:
Dye Injection - Large needles are used to inject dye under the skin. Because only a small area is affected, the fish must be subjected to many punctures to achieve the desired effect. The popular painted glassfish are dyed this way, using florescent colored paints. Fish that are injected often contract infections from the punctures.

Dipping - As barbaric as dye injections seem, this practice is even worse. The fish are first put into a caustic solution that strips off their protective outer slime coating. They are then dipped in dye, or injected with dyes, after which they are dipped in another chemical that irritates the flesh to stimulate re-growth of the slime coat. This method is very stressful, and has a high mortality rate.

Colored Food - Young fish are fed treated foods that will temporarily tint them. Once they are no longer fed the treated food, they eventually lose their color. Unfortunately the dye they consume can negatively affect their growth and development.

Some fish, such as Tattooed Mollies, even have designs such as hearts, stripes, and polka dots tattoed on them with needles and lasers.

These methods result in an 80% mortality rate. Of those that survive, most will have an extremely stunted lifespan, as the dye slowly spreads to the rest of their organs and the damage to their outer protective layer causes extremely low immunity against disease. Coloring fish stresses them and makes them more susceptible to illness. Young fish that are not fully grown are often stunted by the painting process.

Some popular dyed fish: Painted Glassfish, Fruit Tetras, Jelly Beans & Bubblegum Parrots, Blueberry Oscars, Painted Corys, Painted Botias

The sale of these fish, usually imported from Asia, is still legal despite some attempts to stop it. With your help it is possible to convince major retailers to stop the sale of these animals, as has successfully been done in the UK. While many retailers do not care about the welfare of the animals, many are simply misinformed. Please sign this petition to help end the sale of these fish in the major pet chains throughout the US. 

For more information on this process, dyed species, and success stories:
http://www.deathbydyeing.org/colormedead.htm

http://www.firsttankguide.net/painted.php
 
http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/show_article.php?article_id=72

http://www.sydneycichlid.com/dyed-fish.htm