I agree. I thought I would add this little info below, it comes from the Death by Dyeing website.
About the list (of known dyed fish) - it is in no way complete, as the breeders are continuously trying to come up with more exotic (gaudy and cruel) varieties. It is very frustrating as there is so much ignorance about
this issue. I've put forth a lot of personal effort, and the best I
could do so far is to get my local fish stores to at least label the
dyed fish as being such. But people don't seem to care very much. The
serious hobbyist will usually make the right choice, but the majority
of people buying at the stores seem to be novices - families and
children buying fish on an impulse, with no intention of doing much
research and therefore they don't have great success. I was in a store
yesterday and was appalled when a young child, on a whim, pressured
her mother to choose a freshwater ray for their tank because she liked
the fish. I don't like to be nosy, but I had to step in and advise
them of the unique requirements of such a fish - and it turns out that
they were going to put it in their 20 gallon tank!
Anyway, I only mention that to illustrate that people don't have the
emotional sense of responsibility they feel for other pets - like dogs for
instance. Although even still there are many ignorant people who buy pets on an impulse and provide them horrible homes. People still buy puppies from mall pet stores - those puppies come from puppy mills and suffer horrible treatment!
Well, before I write you a novel, I will say you shouldn't have much worries
about buying Platies - the colour forms are the result of selectively breeding
desirable genetic traits over many generations. I have not heard accounts of
them being dyed. This holds true for guppies, bettas, swords.
As to spotting a dyed fish? Well, I would say you're on the right track.
Blotchy colour can be a good indication. But I would suggest it's always good
to do some research on whatever fish you want to buy. You'll come to know what forms occur naturally in a species in the wild, what forms have been
selectively bred by man (for instance, long-finned varieties in many fish are
the result of noticing fish with longer than normal fins in a group of fry and
trying to bred that trait into the next generation many times over), and what
forms are clearly cruelly dyed. The various methods of dying, of which we still
do not know enough about, are obviously invasive and cruel. It's estimated that scores of fish have died for every one that makes it to market.
I'm very happy you have found this info, and I hope you do your best to let
your friends and family know. The best way we can do our part against this is
to set a good example.
> Thanks you for your note, and good luck!
> Corey Cormier.
Hope this gives some helpful information!
