wonderful colors and movement of the tropical fish that contrasted the green plants and the dull bubbling sound of a friends fish tank. It is the colors of the fish that attract the eye, but unfortunately not all tropical fish come in these bright colors. The process of painting started in the late 1970's with the Glass Perch (Chanda ranga or Chanda wolfii ) and was soon noticed by the aquarium keepers of the day, protests followed and it seemed that the process had been stopped. However in the late 1980's early 1990's the process started again but this time spread to many more species. The rather worrying fact is that most people who buy these modified fish are totally unaware of the disgusting process involved to juice their fish or are unaware that their fish have been modified at all.

The Process Of Painting Fish

There is more than one method to alter the color and appearance of tropical fish. Some are more barbaric than others but all have some significant health consequences. Coloring fish stresses them and makes them more susceptible to disease. Young fish that are not fully grown are often stunted by the painting process. The mortality rates are a staggering 80%. This process shows another example of man's disregard for nature and is obviously fuelled by greed. The methods for painting are :-

Treated Food - Fish, normally young fish are fed treated foods that will tint them. This dye certainly stunts their growth. Once these fish have been purchased and is no longer fed the modified food then its color eventually fades.

Dye Injection - Needles are used to puncture and inject dye under the skin, like a tattoo. This process can only color a small area each time so fish will receive many, many injections to achieve the desired effect. The dye remains as liquid until the fishes immune system removes it. Many fish will succumb to other infections cause by the puncture wounds. The fish who survive this process will begin to lose their color after six months. Only 10% of fish that survive this ordeal will keep their color for any length of time.

Dipping In Dye - If you thought injecting was barbaric then dying is even worse. The fish are bathed in a caustic solution that strips off their protective outer slime coating (mucoprotein coating), dipped or injected with dye and finally bathed in another chemical that stimulates re-growth of the slime coat. Again the fish undergo extreme stress and not surprisingly the death rate is very high.
It is rumoured that foreign breeders have even offered to dye words or emblems onto fish with a laser. Sickening.