Balloon this and Balloon that

[Justikanz]

Just returned from C328 for quick shopping during lunch time. I saw something very disgusting... (In my opinion lah...)

We had seen balloon parrot fish, balloon mollies, balloon rams and recently balloon tetras (think lemon tetra or something like them), guess what I saw? Balloon Rainbow fish! And it's not just 1 species! I think we, as responsible aquarists, should be doing something to stop this kind of unethical treatment to fish. The fish is stunted and they can develop digestive problem as well as possible internal organ problems with the balloon body shape.

Does it mean that fish are a lower life form that they can be altered in such ways for our viewing pleasure? What if the same thing is to be applied to some mammals? I am sure there will be a public outcry!

What are your opinions on this issue? What can we do to stop such practice? Your views please.

[michael lai]

Hi Justz,
I personally support your stand on this matter. As such I have never supported or buy any species of fish that has been tampered with in any other manner. The fish with the swollen head, those glowings ones, those that have their tail join to their anal fin.......I have kept fishes for about 30 years and I have bought some with natural birth defect, i.e 1 eye blind but I have never neglected or love them less because of it. Some would have won awards if..... anyway they are still with me now.
The way I look at it is that if there is no demand, then there will be no requirement. I would not hesistate to pay higher for a beautiful specimen of fish or plants but that is only because of the love and care shown to it by their owners. As aquarists and adults, I think all of us have a certain responsibility to this fantastic hobby.
Without prejudice.

[juggler]

I also felt disgusted when I saw the Balloon Red Rainbow at a Yishun LFS.
Nope - I won't be buying such fish. So unnatural.

These days -- trying to find a normal looking black molly is already very difficult. Those used as feeder fish are also balloons!

Hopefully if we stop buying such fish, the demand would drop and the breeders stop production.

BTW - "sail fin" or "fan tail" is another trait that breeders put into fish. For the sail-fin Swordtails, it doesn't seem to affect the swimming but in the sail-fin/fan-tail Serpae Tetra the tail becomes so heavy that it swims like a guppy and will sink downwards if it stop swimming. When it sleeps, it has to rest on leaves for support. So different from its normal cousins who can dart around so quickly and sleep normally.

[MrTree]

Alot of the ornamental(after all this is the key word) fish are unnatural...btw it's not easy to make balloon fish at all.

Cheers,

[Justikanz]

I admit I am a little biased...

If you play with their colour (naturally select colour for breeding), as long as you dun go too far, etc albino this and albino that, I am ok... (albino fish, like mammals are sensitive to light...)

If you play with their finnage, like creating a sword, double swords, lyretails, extra high dorsal etc, I am ok... as long as their swimming behaviour is not disrupted...

BUT, I am against things like:

1) Dyeing, tatooing, injecting colours. This most occur to glass fish and albino corys and tetras... To them, the needle is as thick as a pencil to us! Imagine someone using a pencil to inject stuff under your skin! And I always to keep natural glass fish but can never find them...

2) Extra long fins, eg. lyretail swordtails... The males cannot even breed! My goodness... Imagine we are doing this on some mammals... *Duh*...

Balloons are the worst... At least the body shapes are retained for the above but once the balloon genes are set, the body shape is distorted and the swimming bahaviour is disrupted, internal organs displaced, intestines entwined etc... I think that's most cruel...