Tropical Fish Painting Juicing
I have owned an aquarium for many years now, I try to give my fish the best possible environment to live in. Until recently I was un-aware of the process known as fish painting or juicing and quite honestly I am shocked that this process is allowed. What attracted me to this hobby was the 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.
Which Fish Are Painted
Painted Glassfish – Created by injecting dye into the nearly colorless Indian Glassfish
(Chanda ranga), These fish naturally have no color and therefore the addition of
fluorescent injected dye does make their appearance highly striking.
Fruit Tetras – Created by dipping the White Skirt Tetra, an albino morph of the
popular Black Skirt Tetra. They are normally colored as fruit and given fruit names like
strawberry tetra, blueberry tetra, grape tetra.
Jelly Beans & Bubblegum Parrots – Created by dipping the Bloody Parrot, (cichlid).
The hybrid fish are dyed bright colors, such as blue, purple, green, and red.
Blue Oscar - Created by injecting the Albino Oscars. Sometimes called BlueBerry Oscar
Painted Corys – Created by injecting their tails or other parts of their bodies.
Painted Botias – Created by injecting. There are natural occurring blue botias
but some are being manufactured a more brilliant blue to achieve a higher selling price.
There are some fish actually called painted like the Painted Platy these fish are not
modified at all. This is very confusing for the armature aquarist. There is no need to
buy painted or juiced fish as many species like neon, and black neon tetra, cardinal and
glolite tetra, Cichlids, guppies etc etc exists and have wonderful naturally occuring colors.
Many other fish who are not bright colors still look good in an aquarium. Therefore the only real
way to stop this despicable trade is to stop buying them and boycott any fish store that still
supplies or offers to supply them. Always ask your dealer if the fish are painted or juiced before
buying.
