More Sadness from Walmart~Baby GSPs

[purplecandle]

Went to Walmart and saw something really sad today, Green Spotted babies. Smaller than a dime, Smaller than my Dwarf puffer. All in terrible condition, but that is a given at Walmart.

What upsets me most is that they are babies.

When I first started seeing GSPs in my area they were around the 1-2 inch mark. Then every couple of months they would start getting in different GSP variants signifying that the catchers of these puffers were moving around from location to location among the various rivers that house GSPs.

In the past few months, the puffers I see at walmart have been getting smaller and smaller, rarely would I see one at 2inches.

Now today, they officially have infants.

What does this mean now for the puffers in the wild?

I would imagine that bigger GSPs would earn an exporter more $$$, so why now have they moved into getting babies?

Are they catching fewer 2inchers because there are fewer 2inchers to catch? Have the local catchers officially disturbed and over fished enough that 2inchers are harder to find?

And what next? Those poor locals will lose their income if the run out of GSPs...so what exotic fish will Walmart demand from them next?

It just seems so disturbing to me...the whole idea of exotic fish at Walmart's rock bottom prices.

I can understand tank breeding and such..Tetras for $2

But to over fish a habitat to the point were there are none left is far from ethical.

The least Walmart could have done was to realize that these puffers could be over-fished and that they are not beginner fish..they could have charged more for them to prevent most of this situation.

Most beginners won't pay $30 a fish (thus they wouldn't die needlessly)..and lower demand would have allowed nature to keep up...

But, here we are on a train that could have be de-railed. Instead we are heading for extinction.

Ok, off my soap box now! Just very disturbing to see 35 pea sized GSPs

[eieio]

just one of the many reasons i steer completely clear of Walmart

[JRC3]

I've been told by 2 different shop keepers that puffer availability and sizing is a seasonal thing. That hopefully has something to do with them being so small.



It's funny to see this thread because I went in to a Wally World yesterday and went back to the fish. They had both GSPs and F8s listed as spotted puffers. There was about 8-9 of each housed with about 10 albino plecos in one of their little tanks. Not one of the plecos had a dorsal or tail fin left and some of the F8s had ich. Why would someone order in so many puffers...You know 3/4 will die before enough people will come in to buy them. I would bet that not a single one of those little juvenile fish will ever see adulthood.

I'm tempted to go back and buy the worst looking F8 of the bunch just for the challenge, it's only $4.88. You know, give it a rebate on life. Then maybe try and find it a good home on down the road. I have the room. Who knows, if he has a good temperament like my existing F8 maybe my brackish tank will move up from the 46g to the 55g. It would give me an excuse to make my peaceful community tank a 75g.

I might even splurge and get 2. I have a 29g that I was thinking about turning in to a DP tank...Decision, decisions.

[ironbone]

yeah sorry to say but the only way to not get bummed out is not to look--hard to do ,but imo trying to rescue all the fish would be an endless battle.its business for them.awhile back i tried to get some snails for my gsp up at meijers---what a crock had to get this person who had to get this person who told me they dont have a barcode so they cant sell them its stealing in company eyes????i asked if i bought some mysterry snails if i could have some of the pest snails...nope...no barcode cant let them leave the store.and that place is the same way with their fish except they dont do any exoctics,that they know about lol.but i feel u i do the same thing if they had cats and dogs would they be dirty cages?imo again if they want to be that ignorant to fish as a pet than dont sell them....

[JRC3]

I tried the same thing at Meijre when I needed snails to start a feeder tank...They had thousands and I couldn't have any.

And at least for me I'm not trying to "rescue" any fish from Walmart. The way I see it is once you "rescue" a fish from a place like that all you've done is clear a space for the next fish to be moved in to. Same with bettas. I would only get one of the sickly walmart fish for the challenge and to make a difference to that individual fishes life. I know that when it comes to fish this type thing happens at hundreds of stores across the US every day and there is nothing I can do about it.

But I do like this old tale... http://www.changeeverything.ca/blog/cat ... e-starfish

[ironbone]

peeps need to write corporate voice the opinions in ink..worked for andy defrane in shawshank..sorry little joke i guess---let the big wigs know whats up,maybe even get undercover boss and bust the bad fish caretakers

[Flutter]

With the right action it can be done. Walmart no longer carries fish in any of it's Canadian locations and hasn't for quite a while.

[JRC3]

I just remembered something; I have that F8 that died from an IP infestation in a bag in my freezer...

Should I try and "stick it" to Walmart and buy one of the F8's they have on hand and then return the dead F8 I have and get it replaced with another one?

I don't like stuff like that because I consider it stealing, but...IDK.


Reference to the freezer F8. viewtopic.php?f=3&t=24334&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=anus

[midnightsunPuffer]

Yeah I had a upsetting day today as well involing the care of puffer fish. But the ones I saw where actually at a place you would think take care of their fish as it was a fish only store. The poor figure 8 puffers were in a terrable condition as well and one was already dead and had been dead for a while by the look of it. It's just really depressing to see how people/stores treat animals/fish. I wish there was a way to save them all and prevent this stuff from happening again and again. I worry about the GSP's as well. Poor things being so young too.

[midnightsunPuffer]

I just remembered something; I have that F8 that died from an IP infestation in a bag in my freezer...

Should I try and "stick it" to Walmart and buy one of the F8's they have on hand and then return the dead F8 I have and get it replaced with another one?

I don't like stuff like that because I consider it stealing, but...IDK.


Reference to the freezer F8. viewtopic.php?f=3&t=24334&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=anus

lol I think you should! I would if I was you, and you would be doing a good thing as you would be saving a F8 and walmart wouldn't make any money off of it.

[Pufferpunk]

Bad Karma.

[midnightsunPuffer]

Bad Karma.

True but you would be doing it for a good reason, to save one of the f8's. perhaps that can give some good karma as long as your not doing it for personal gain? But then again it is lieing...

[JRC3]

Bad Karma.

Yeah, I know...I was in a mood last might. Besides the fact that they only cost $4.88.

I could still return the dead one and act all mad refusing a refund. IDK; I'm probably all talk.


I also forgot to add that there was a floater in the tank and some of them looked like they had nuts and bolts in their little bellies.

[bigfatfish]

Could the sudden influx of tiny babies mean that the captive breeding is working? Just a thought.

[purplecandle]

Could the sudden influx of tiny babies mean that the captive breeding is working? Just a thought.

I thought that at first. But these babies were starved, skeletons really.

Had they been bred in the US and then shipped to walmarts in the US they would not have been in such a state..

Their low body mass, IMO, is more along a time line of being caught, held for exportation, exported, held in customs, distributed, then distributed again to walmart. Since puffers are so sensitive to bad water, I imagine that not feeding them is an acceptable practice.

Not that I think all breeders are the best, because they are not and you can prove they are not by looking at stunted tank bred discus from "reputable" breeders..

But, had they been bred in the US and distributed here...I would imagine they would have been in better condition.

It takes a month for a super skinny puffer to bulk up to normal..I imagine the reverse is also a month...much closer to a wild caught timeline.