Painted fish

m wrote:
That's crazy... I never knew they painted cories.
I wonder what the economics are like surrounding painted fish... wouldn't that be
really time consuming? Dye probably isn't very expensive, and if the
fish sell like hotcakes to people that either don't mind or don't know
then I'm sure that's a trivial issue. But if it takes a lot of time
then I don't know why they would do it.

It seems counterproductive to me... I want fish that are soothing and
natural to watch. I don't want to look at my fish tank and get confused
and think that I'm on a vegas strip full of crazy neon lights.

maybe
it's because I don't understand fully how they do it? All I've read
says that they inject the fish with some stuff...

There are 2 different types of "painted fish". Some are injected, as
you have read about, the other is worse.
The fish are put into a vat of caustic solution with burns off their
slime coat. 80% die right then...80%!! Isn't that nuts.
Then, after being dipped in acid and had their slime coat burned off,
they are dumped into a vat of dye.
Most fish are so unhealthy from the process, if they're one of the 20%
that made it through the process, that they don't live very long
anyway.
If they do survive, their color will fade completely over time anyway.
I truly beleive this practice should be outlawed. There is no question
whether or not this practice is abusive. It's disgusting, and I ask
every shop owner that carries thewm if they are aware of the process.
If they are, and still buy them, I don't go back, and tell them why.