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Moderator
 
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Last Login: 6/21/2012 6:30:34 PM
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| For the past six months or so I have been working, with the support of BowTie (FishChannel.com, Aquarium Fish International, Freshwater and Marine Aquarium, and Pet Product News International), Blue Zoo Radio, and some other industry folks (NexPet, SERA, and Hi-Q), at creating the Responsible Fishkeeping Initiative (RFI) . We in the hobby and the industry have to acknowledge that there are some fish that are really not appropriate for all but a very few dedicated hobbyists. The RFI is very simple -- red tail cats, pacu piranhas and iridescent sharks (the "Big Three") all get much too large for any ordinary hobbyist to take care of, and they make up 90% of the fish that stores and public aquariums have offered to them as "donations". When the hobbyist with the 2' long red tail cat finds that the local fish store and nearest public aquarium don't want the fish, they often just release the fish into local waters. Not only is this illegal -- and stupid -- but it is only a matter of time before some politican's mother goes to wade in her favorite local lake, and she finds a huge alien-looking fish, dead, washed up on the shore. She calls her son, and her son initiates a bill to make it illegal to keep any fish that is not native to that state. HR6311 is in the Federal legislative process, and if passed this bill would essentially put the aquarium hobby and industry out of business. California already has a law that bans a fair number of aquarium fish. And I bet you didn't know that it is illegal to sell neon tetras in Massaschusetts? Yep. The law says that it is illegal to keep, buy or sell "piranhas and their relatives", and both piranhas and neon tetras are in the same family, Characidae, which makes neons, technically, illegal. Stores can join the RFI by taking "the pledge" that they will 1) not sell those three fish, and 2) that if a hobbyist has a fish that they can no longer keep, they can bring it into the store, and that the store will try to rehome the fish, and if that is not possible, they will humanely euthanize the fish and dispose of it. Those of you who are successfully keeping any of the "Big Three" fishes, or any other huge fish in a sufficiently large volume of water -- my hat is off to you. I hope that everyone will support the RFI -- to learn more about it, and to sign up all you have to do is to go to:
www.fishchannel.com/rfi
We have RFI posters for local fish stores, and bumper stickers for hobbyists.
Thanks.
David Lass
***************************Local Fish Stores -- "The Heart of the Hobby"
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Senior Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 8/31/2009 8:40:20 AM
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Well that was an interesting post David. Who would have ever thought that any state would even feel that a little neon was any sort of threat to be outlawed....geesh thats abit extreme huh?
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Advanced Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 1/6/2011 5:43:38 PM
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| I mean, if I were a hardcore environmentalist, it'd make sense why I'd vote for neon tetras to be banned. Southern California has its tiny creeks here and there but I would hate it if it were to be guppy infested by the local sewage drains or something. Let's not hope the tropical fish industry won't be effected anymore than it is right now.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Cut HereIf life gives you lemons, squeeze them into people's eyes and run away! }<(((0>
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Average Member
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Last Login: 12/22/2009 12:04:38 PM
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Thanks David!  Your posts are always so wonderful!
Jfish13_________________________________
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Senior Member
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Last Login: 1/6/2012 10:38:47 AM
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| Hi David I have heard of you mentioning this before on bluezoo radio. I think it's a fantastic idea. I think the same should be done with plants was well because they can cause also cause a huge amount of damage to the environment. I know some are already banned in some states but as long as their are some in the trade there is always a good chance that end up somewhere where they are not supposed to be. If we don't police ourselves someone else will.
__________________________________________ 65 Gallon Tank Planted High light co2 injected-2 German Rams-1 Gold Ram-3 Apistogramma cacatuoides Triple Red-10 Otto Cats -1 Gold Angel 30 Gallon Planted low light no co2-1 Electric Blue Jack Dempsey-3 Otto Cats 10 Gallon Tank Planted. low light no co2 (At the office)-6 Class N Endlers Black Bars (Pure Strain)-a lot of cherry shrimp
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Fish Moderator
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Last Login: Today @ 3:41:08 AM
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filipem (11/15/2008)
If we don't police ourselves someone else will.
And that someone will probably know next to nothing about our hobby. I fully support this David. I honestly believe that anyone who can and would build an aquarium large enough for those particular fish would not mind having to get them through special order and jump through a hoop or two. I DON"T believe that they should be banned, but I DO think we should not be stupid, and foist them off on unsuspecting beginners. I bring up the pacu thing to store employees and my friends all the time, hoping the information will filter its way out into the world.
55 gallon
Baby - lionhead/ryukin cross
Westie - lionhead/ryukin cross
Speedy Rodriguez - oranda
Currently searching for a good new tankmate!
planted 29 gallon
3 red eye tetras
4 cherry barbs
2 cardinal tetras
4 albino cories
2 Bolivian rams
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Moderator
Group: Moderators
Last Login: 6/21/2012 6:30:34 PM
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| Thanks for your support -- please go to the RFI page here on Fc.com, and sign up. The bumper stickers are really cool. http://fishchannel.com/rfi.aspx Also, I'm glad to know that some of you are listening to www.BlueZooRadio.com. Live Monday night at 8:00 PM Eastern, and from the site you can also listen to any of the archived shows. Good idea about plants. We are also going to expand the RFI to marine fish, but there the thrust is to get stores not to carry fish that never really do well in tanks -- Moorish Idols, ribbon eels, cleaner wrasses, etc.
***************************Local Fish Stores -- "The Heart of the Hobby"
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Advanced Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 1/6/2011 5:43:38 PM
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| Thanks for letting me know about the Blue Zoo Radio show times. I've forgotten when it goes live so now it's time to up the volume... Awesome bumper sticker! I know what's going to be plastered over the Prius now...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Cut HereIf life gives you lemons, squeeze them into people's eyes and run away! }<(((0>
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New Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 11/15/2011 3:57:04 PM
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| I've been bringing this subject up with fish store employees for years and if looks could kill I wouldn't be here right now. lol The bumper stickers are cool.
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New Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 12/29/2008 1:48:13 PM
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| I completely support the idea of permits to keep certain exotic fish. The "big three" and a few others should only be available with permits from the state or local governments. My biggest concern about responsible or "ethical" fish keeping really centers around the "tattooed" fish, "ballon" morphs, and "giraffe" discus. Tattooed or dyed fish have been around for years and I have always hated the practice! It is being carried to extremes now with little hearts and other stupid things being tatooed on to the fish. Can you image the shock and pain? Reproducing fish with obvious genetic defects like double sized stomach, missing fins/missing vertebrae or other damage to the physical make up is morally wrong in my opinion. I know that others will say that color morphs like turquoise discus and marbled mollies are the same thing, but they are not. Color morphs do not shorten the natural life span of the animal (although it may make it impossible for the morph to survive or spawn in the wild), they do not cause the fish any physical pain nor do they inhibit the animals' ability to swim normally. I would like to see a ban on this type of breeding and importation, but I know that is just a pipe dream. There's MONEY involved and that puts an end to anything called kindness and consideration.
45 years of keeping fish, still don't know nothin'!
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