# FYI: Fruit Tetras as Seen at Wal-Mart



## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

I had seen Fruit Tetras at my Wal-Mart several times and when I got a second 10g, I considered a few to go along with my panda cories because they were pretty. Hit the web to do research.

Guess what? So-called Fruit Tetras are just dyed - yes, dyed - White Skirt Tetras. Dying is a cruel process and what's worse, the color fades after a couple of months anyway. So if anyone out there was thinking of getting some Fruit Tetras as tankmates for their betta, look elsewhere. Just thought I'd pass this info along in case anyone else had seen them and thought about getting a few.


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## fightergirl2710 (Jun 9, 2011)

I hate it when they dye those poor fish.. They tattoo it on and do all sorts of horrid things, like remove the slime coat and dip them in dye X(.. In fact even a lot of white skirts are "painted" on top of black.. I feel so sad when I see those blood parrots with stripes and lipstick. Its so grotesque ..


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## diablo13 (Jul 1, 2011)

Ya, my LFS sells fruit tetras, i feel really sorry for them and wanted to rescue them, but that would just put more fish in their posistion


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Fish really get the bum end of the stick. It's okay to do all sorts of things to a fish but once, some lady dyed her poodle pink using an all-natural wash-out hair dye and she made the evening news she was in so much trouble with animal rights groups.


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## Pitluvs (Jun 22, 2011)

This is why I like my plain ol Danios.. thankfully Glo fish are not legal here


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Not legal in California either. They sell the Glofish tank but not the Glofish and places aren't allowed to ship them here. Although technically Glofish aren't dyed, they're genetically altered. But still, I like 'em as nature intended 'em. As if a plain old Zebra danio wasn't splashy already.


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## diablo13 (Jul 1, 2011)

I agree, though I wanted to say, Glofish were actually meant to detect toxins in water, which is horrible, but eventually they made them totally neon. But current ones aren't mutated, since the color is what they're born with now


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Right, weren't they trying to mimic the red nose of a Rummynose Tetra? The nose gets washed out if the water quality is poor but bright when it's good. I love Rummynoses but I'm holding out on getting some until I can talk my mom into a big tank. I want a big school of them, more than will fit in a 10g. 

Fortunately, I have not seen any dyed Indian Glassfish around here. I hear there's a real problem with dying/painting them. I feel sorry for the poor Fruit Tetras and even sorrier for the poor sap who buys them without researching them, then ends up with a washed-out, unhealthy fish a few months down the road.


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## diablo13 (Jul 1, 2011)

My mom wanted a fruit tetra for her birthday,and a specific tank( 1.8 gallons). So, as you all know, the only thing that could maybe fit comfortably in there would be guppies or a female betta. And at the store, they had a school of fruit tetras, in the same tank she wanted!!!! But, we went to petco, and we saw Liberty( who I had my eye on for a month) and we got her


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Yay! A happy ending for all. Plus I think skirt tetras get big. If the Fruit Tetras haven't had their growth stunted from being dyed.


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## fightergirl2710 (Jun 9, 2011)

Lots of people dye their dogs, but if its a natural colour and doesn't hurt them in any way, I don't see an issue.. I wouldn't do it though -__-


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Yeah, I like animals in natural animal colors. But dyeing dogs is a lot different from stripping a fish of its slime coat and injecting it. Imagine the hell raised if someone shaved a brown chihuahuah and gave it pink hair implants or something. And I've just never understood why fish need to be dyed. They come in every color imaginable. If you can't find one type of fish in one color, there will certainly be another type that does come in that color.


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## fightergirl2710 (Jun 9, 2011)

Someone decided, they want a green white skirt and no other green fish, so they decided to make their own -____-


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## diablo13 (Jul 1, 2011)

Exactly, its cruel to the utmost extreme. It shortens and harms the fishes life, and as you guys pointed out, if you dipped a cat in toxic pink dye to make it look " pretty", people would explode and it would be on the news and everything...just because they don't make noise doesn't mean they're stupid! In fact, they're probably smarter than most of the brickheads...


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Well said, Diablo! And Fighter, I know, people can be so self-centered. It's like, but there are other green fish, why does it HAVE to be a skirt tetra? Seriously. *shakes head*


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## fightergirl2710 (Jun 9, 2011)

Exactly, idiots.. Someone should tattoo them green all over X(!


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

You said it, Fighter. And they didn't even dye the fruit tetras an unusual, hard-to-find color like purple or green, they dyed them orange-red so they looked just like a serpae tetra. Grrrrrr. If you're going to make them look like a serpae tetra, why not carry serpaes in the first place?!


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## fightergirl2710 (Jun 9, 2011)

*headdesk* Wow. Dumb! I googled the fruit tetras and found orange, blue and green.. Poor things


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## diablo13 (Jul 1, 2011)

Poor fish


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

You found green? My Wal-Mart only had the orange. Stupid Wal-Mart. Stupid fish dyers.


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## diablo13 (Jul 1, 2011)

Hey, let's get a bunch of walmart employees, and dip them in green toxins! yay, they look pretty now! It's really no different, yknow?


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

I agree wholeheartedly. I'll get the green stuff, you hold them down.


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## diablo13 (Jul 1, 2011)

Good plan, meetcha there XD


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Should we dump them in dirty water afterwards?


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## diablo13 (Jul 1, 2011)

No, we should do it before! Aw, poor walmart peoples, we be' plotting your demise,lol


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## Silverfang (Mar 25, 2011)

I think they'd feel at home in the sewer...


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

:lol: Silverfang, wanna help? There's plenty of Wal-Mart employees to go around.


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## diablo13 (Jul 1, 2011)

For some reason, I delight in making painful plans...maybe we can put are bettas in large, heavy glass bubbles and use the employees as bowling pins... Wouldn't want to leave our fish buddies out


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## Alex09 (Aug 9, 2010)

It's always been obvious to me to know when a fish is dyed. It looks that unnatural.


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## Silverfang (Mar 25, 2011)

I know a lovely spot they'll never find the bodies.. erm!


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

diablo13 said:


> For some reason, I delight in making painful plans...maybe we can put are bettas in large, heavy glass bubbles and use the employees as bowling pins... Wouldn't want to leave our fish buddies out


I'm guessing that's why one of your bettas is named Diablo. :lol: 

Alex09 - It is obvious, isn't it? It's like, "Why can't other people tell if we can?" 

Silverfang - :shock: You're scaring me. Hehe.


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## thePWNISHER (Jun 18, 2011)

because the average joe sees neon fish on television all time. Cartoons ruin everyone's perception of reality.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Reality, what is that? Haha, reality shows ruin everyone's perception of reality.


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## bettaloverforever16 (Jan 14, 2011)

Guys, I don't the petsmart people dye them. I think they get them that way. i'm gonig to go dye the breeders


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Hey, bettaloverforever is right. To the breeders! *grabs dye can and tattoo tools* Picture the angry mob with pitchforks, only with dye.


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## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

i saw those on another forum. horrid things. i'm SO glad the only altered fish Pet Lover's sells(besides the may goldfish, balloon mollies, ect) are GloFish.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

:shock: Are those . . . platies? What the *bleeeeeeeep* did they do to those poor things? Getting mad, getting very mad now. And yeah, I'm glad I haven't seen any other altered fish either. I'm not too keen on the genetically altered fish because those goldfish and balloon mollies have sooo many swimbladder issues and glofish are . . . glofish.


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## fightergirl2710 (Jun 9, 2011)

They're mollies.. Poor things.. See! See! Grotesque X(


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Ugh, those poor wretched things. That's awful!


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## fightergirl2710 (Jun 9, 2011)

I know, they look so twisted.. It's actually creepy! You should google blood parrot images, it just makes me sad!


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Don't wanna, sad enough about the mollies. :/ But I will just so I can keep my righteous indignation all fired up.

Edit: Well, I did look at them and my righteous indignation should be fired up for at least a couple of years at this rate. Those poor things, especially the blue and pink and purple and . . . ugh. So cruel!!!!


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Dipping them in acid, shortening their lives just to make a sale. And because they shorten their lives and remove the slime coat (making the fish prone to sickness), it's no different than purposefully selling sick fish!


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## fightergirl2710 (Jun 9, 2011)

Humans are sickos -___- I had an argument with Neil a few days ago, he was complaining about slaughtering animals for food and stuff.. I think this is a million times worse, at least those animals we kill so that we can fill our tummies but this is just sick..


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## diablo13 (Jul 1, 2011)

Exactly, at least the others are for a purpose, if you can't sell a fish like it is, then why sell it?


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Animals that are raised specifically for food are one thing, altering and mutilating an animal for a profit is entirely another.


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## diablo13 (Jul 1, 2011)

I love animals, wanna be a vet,etc. Etc., but humans have eaten meat since the beginning of time, and even though I love animals, steak taste pretty good


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Yup, I agree, I love meat (sorry, vegetarians, sorry!). I love animals to bits but I also accept the inevitable fact that there are some animals that pretty much exist only for food products. I expect those animals to be well-treated during their life, though.


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## fightergirl2710 (Jun 9, 2011)

Sakura8 said:


> Yup, I agree, I love meat (sorry, vegetarians, sorry!). I love animals to bits but I also accept the inevitable fact that there are some animals that pretty much exist only for food products. I expect those animals to be well-treated during their life, though.


Totally agree!


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## diablo13 (Jul 1, 2011)

Yup, thats how I think, but I was thinking and cows are like the ultimate animals: they are food, make drink, and if you have them from a young age I suppose they could be affectionate


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Cows can be, just not the bulls. Course, uh, aren't cows sacred in India? Sorry, Fighter. >.<


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## diablo13 (Jul 1, 2011)

I don't like bull very much, and they don't like me, long story. I do like goats, though, I've fed them at petting zoos( a nice one, they mustve given like an acre to these two goats) and their little tongues are so soft! Oh, and Sakura, I believe cows are sacred in the Hindu religion


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## fightergirl2710 (Jun 9, 2011)

They are.. I eat beef though, I'm not very religious lol! Actually in the Vedas cows were worshiped because of the various things they give us... Meat, leather, milk, bulls til the land, bones are used for animal feed, poop is fertiliser etc.. The number of cows people had showed how wealthy they were.. Now the whole religious stuff is just warped.. End history lesson


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Thank you for the history lesson. I always worry about offending people of other religions. My brother's Jewish friend is not very religious and eats some pork but I still am always like, "Why are you guys ordering the pork chow mein, what about Nick?" And he laughs and says, "No, it's fine, I'm fine with it." It's the US's hyper sensitive political climate these days, I think. 

Goats. Goats are cute. I like goats.


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## fightergirl2710 (Jun 9, 2011)

Yeah, even I'm pretty cool with it.. I think religion just causes problems.. Just be the best person you can be and have a clean conscious ...


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Religion's fine, it's the crazy zealots I have issues with. And every religion has got 'em. Except maybe Buddhism. But I agree with you, just do your best and don't do anything you wouldn't want done to you. Like dyeing fish. Unless you wouldn't mind being dipped in acid and dyed. And in that case you're a sicko. Poor blood parrots!


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## diablo13 (Jul 1, 2011)

Ya, I'm fine with religion, just not religion freaks. I've been somewhere and cussed( not even a real cuss word!) and all the people gasped and one said I was going to the devil. Really?


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

And if they only knew your fish was named Diablo, imagine what they'd be saying now. Weirdos.


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## diablo13 (Jul 1, 2011)

They'd probably say my fish harbored to spirit of the devil and if not disposed of immediately will rise from the water with air breathing abilitys, grow to 6 ft tall, start speaking latin, and attemp to kill me.


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## fightergirl2710 (Jun 9, 2011)

I met conscience lol! I is deprived of rest  But yeah, do unto others and all that .. My mom is a Hindu by birth but she's more of a Buddhist...


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

diablo13 said:


> They'd probably say my fish harbored to spirit of the devil and if not disposed of immediately will rise from the water with air breathing abilitys, grow to 6 ft tall, start speaking latin, and attemp to kill me.


:rofl: Just carry a cross around, I guess.


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## diablo13 (Jul 1, 2011)

Exactly, now if my animals start speaking Latin or another language they should, i know what to do! Lol


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Hmm, Latin-speaking parrot, that would be fun.


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## diablo13 (Jul 1, 2011)

Exactly. EGO sum Diabolus. EGO mos attero vos iam. Lol


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## fightergirl2710 (Jun 9, 2011)

I'm scared..


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## diablo13 (Jul 1, 2011)

Hmm, weird thing is I don't even know Latin....UH OH


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## thePWNISHER (Jun 18, 2011)

I know this was talked about pages back but....
coming from a person with a their Degree in Genomics(genetics) genetic alteration isn't really a terrible thing. I mean hybridization and selective breeding is always apparent since the beginning of man. Genetic altering is just fast forwarding something that would have taken generations and wasted a whole lot of offspring just to get the end product. So imo glofish are lucky since they got to their genetic stability so quickly instead of being a crude breeding experiment for 100 years. Virtually all of our dog breeds are thousands of years that could of been wrapped up in a few genetic alterating experiments.

Also on the dying the breeders, why Tatoo them, lets just shoot them up with Botox, that's the latest craze right? I mean a little nerve shredding doesn't hurt that much you won't feel a thing once its started.


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## fightergirl2710 (Jun 9, 2011)

I don't actually have a problem with genetic alteration and selective breeding unless it just screws up a creature in some way.. I bring the blood parrots in as an example again, their weird vertical mouths make it so difficult for them to eat..  Otherwise I have no problems with the whole idea..
Also, yes! Lets botox their butts!


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## thePWNISHER (Jun 18, 2011)

Yah I have to stress the point that genetic alteration that does not provide a viable species with a great fitness level, i.e. the blood parrots, is not the way I'm sure they had planned them. Sadly they will be extinct if left in the wild long enough unless they find some niche to fill from their new alterations, which would be rare indeed.


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## fightergirl2710 (Jun 9, 2011)

Definitely, I don't see that happening at all.. They barely manage living normal lives in tanks, in a river they would have to catch their own food and somehow I just see them starving before any breeding occurs :/


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## diablo13 (Jul 1, 2011)

Yes, poor fishes.


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## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

GloFish were actually an accident. x: they injected jellyfish DNA in some baby Zebra Danio, to do tests and such on the way they grow and stuff, and the babies ended up being all neon and stuff. x:


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Yeah, my fish breed book mentioned that they do a lot of genetic testing on zebra danios. Why them and not other types I'm not sure.


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## thePWNISHER (Jun 18, 2011)

More than likely they are easiest to breed and maintain a pure strain, they know the full genome of the species, they also can probably take more strain from the testing and experiments, etc... Usually your model organisms for certain tests. If it wasn't for tests on these organisms then modern medicine would be bunk, we'd still have issues with small pox, the plague, etc... Cancer and other major diseases that it is more common to survive would be major killers without these tests. 

I really enjoyed my bioethics classes because you can see the people that care about the animals and plants vs the people who are just douches and you want to inject them with their own stuff.


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## Arashi Takamine (Mar 3, 2011)

Luimeril said:


> i saw those on another forum. horrid things. i'm SO glad the only altered fish Pet Lover's sells(besides the may goldfish, balloon mollies, ect) are GloFish.


 How horrible!


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## MaggieLynn (Jun 24, 2011)

Its funny I came across this thread, Just today at walmart we saw the Fruit Tetras and my mom fell in love, cant wait to tell her they are dyed =/ I didnt know that Glofish were illegal in parts of the country too. My walmart and petsmart have glow fish


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Yeah, it's so weird. I think GloFish not being legal in CA may have something to do with fears that people will release them into the wild. We have a huge problem with a local lake where someone released pike into and the pike are killing all the native fish. Also a lot of non-native vegetation causing problems, so I think import laws for CA are super strict now. For that same reason, a lot of aquatic plants that I want can't be shipped here either. :/ Sheesh, I couldn't even order blueberry plants from a Burpee seed catalog. They were cool, pink blueberries and I haven't seen the plants offered anywhere but that catalog either.


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## diablo13 (Jul 1, 2011)

Ya, we have a problem like that where we live where someone released a snakehead fish in a local lake and it turns out they could walk on land for short periods of time and populates all the local water bodies :/ and did I mention they Are super aggresive? They kill everything!


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Oh yeah, I saw an episode of River Monsters on the Animal Planet channel that was about snakeheads. People actually were afraid the things could eat their kids. Fortunately they can't but they can eat pretty much everything else like you said. And what's creepier is they're legal to sell if they're on ice because there are several Asian cultures that think snakehead blood is some kind of curative/aphrodisiac. So all these shops in Florida were selling them half-frozen knowing full well the snakehead was still alive. Apparently they have a high resistance to being frozen.


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## diablo13 (Jul 1, 2011)

Exactly, not only do they eat everything but they're nearly impossible to kill. Actually, now my states law requires you to kill a snakehead if you catch one


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

I'm not fond of fish that can walk around on land. Something kinda creepy about that. Walking catfish, mudskippers, they all are weird. But at least they aren't as aggressive as snakeheads.


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