How to Shop For Quality Tropical Fish
Avoid the Scam of Buying Hybrid Fish Advertised as Purebred
Nov 4, 2008
What are hybrid fish? They are offspring of genetically dissimilar parents, usually of different varieties or species.
At one time, when purchasing fish from a pet shop, the buyer knew exactly what he was getting. Take Peacock Cichlids as an example. A three-inch male Peacock showing color would cost between $20.00 and $40.00, which is a lot of money for one fish. If it was a wild-caught Peacock, the price would come close to being double.
Fish prices have risen so buyers are shopping around and think they are getting a good deal on quality fish. Unfortunately, buyers are not always sure what they are getting. With internet stores and improvements in global shipping, it is very easy to get scammed by paying a premium price for purebred fish and finding out the fish are hybrid.
How Fish Breeders Scam Buyers
African cichlids are very prolific breeders and will breed at an amazing rate if forced into breeding. Some unscrupulous breeders are using purebred males of more expensive fish such as Sunshine Peacocks and cross-breeding them with cheaper African cichlids like female Mbunas.
Many pet stores order their fish from farms overseas because they get a good deal by buying in larger quantities. Some farms who advertise purebred fish may sneak in some hybrids in a shipment of purebred fish. Fish that are shipped from farms are very young and have not developed their colors so it’s difficult to identify the hybrids.
Some unscrupulous store owners may be aware that they have hybrid in stock but advertise them as purebred. Most likely the stores originally bought the hybrids at a much cheaper price but want to make a bigger profit. For example, a hybrid may cost the store ten cents but will turn around and sell the fish for a dollar.
Mail order or internet fish sellers can easily ship hybrids to customers. The sellers are usually located in a different city or country. There is little recourse for the buyer because of the distance factor or trying to prove hybrids were sold. Livestock is costly to ship and it stresses the fish so returning the fish to the seller for a refund is risky.
How to Avoid Fish Selling Scams
Check out the credentials of the fish breeder. Many breeders belong to associations that promote quality breeding of fish by establishing standards. Two examples of fish breeding associations are The Angelfish Society or the Goldfish Society of America.
Ask questions about where the fish came from when buying fish from a store. Find out if they were purchased from a reputable fish farm or a local certified breeder.
Exercise caution when buying fish that are priced too low. Most fish dealers know the prices advertised by their competitors and there is little variance in the prices from store to store.
Look closely at the advertising material for fish. There may be lack of information so the buyer doesn’t know if the fish is a purebred or a hybrid.
Shop wisely and check out the credentials of the breeder or pet store.
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