Once again someone on aquabid is selling a fish that grows way to big for most aquariums, thus all the money being spent will end up at a local aquarium.

Anyone want a "sterlet" sturgeon??

http://www.aquabid.c...c...

Nothing new IMO. Large fish are consistently for sale on aquabid. Heck go to your LFS, red tail cats are still common place. I've even found these sturgeon at my LFS on two seperate occassions. People love megafauna. I wouldn't say these things typically end up at a local aquarium, they typically end up in the local stream.

See and that is the problem I have with the fish hobby in general. Too many people dont do the research before buying fish, thus causing them to purchase the "cute" fish and then having it become a monster. I had a scat tank and I donated them to the zoo for their display tank because they needed them.

Nothing new IMO. Large fish are consistently for sale on aquabid. Heck go to your LFS, red tail cats are still common place. I've even found these sturgeon at my LFS on two seperate occassions. People love megafauna. I wouldn't say these things typically end up at a local aquarium, they typically end up in the local stream.

Actually they typically end up dead...

Actually, typically, EVERY creature on this Earth ends up dead. (Except for ME!)

Nothing new IMO. Large fish are consistently for sale on aquabid. Heck go to your LFS, red tail cats are still common place. I've even found these sturgeon at my LFS on two seperate occassions. People love megafauna. I wouldn't say these things typically end up at a local aquarium, they typically end up in the local stream.

Don't you think it's a little bit extreme to suggest that unwanted aquarium fish typically end up in a local stream? I know some do but I think the number that do is very small. Most people take these back to their local pet shop if they mange to live to out grow a tank. I am all for educating people not to release their fish but so few are really found in the wild compared to the numbers sold I think it's a bit sensational to suggest that most do.

Don't you think it's a little bit extreme to suggest that unwanted aquarium fish typically end up in a local stream? I know some do but I think the number that do is very small. Most people take these back to their local pet shop if they mange to live to out grow a tank. I am all for educating people not to release their fish but so few are really found in the wild compared to the numbers sold I think it's a bit sensational to suggest that most do.

I'm not sure I agree with you, but we're speaking in relative terms (most, more, typically), so it's hard to say. Nationwide, the occurrence of introduced aquarium fishes is low. In those states where aquarium species, which are almost exclusively tropical, can survive the winter (i.e. Florida and Hawaii), they are found in much higher numbers. I would argue that, for most of the USA, unwanted fish that do end up in local streams quickly waste away, so their prevalence remains hidden.

If you find White Clouds in Georgia, you can be reasonably sure they trace back to an aquarium release. If you don't find and White Clouds, they might still have been dumped, but left more insidious and inconspicuous evidence, like exotic disease. While dumping may not be the most common first choice for folks who are unwilling to maintain their fish, it is common enough to be a serious problem.

Further, I think it is very likely the first choice for large, aggressive and possibly illegal exotics like Oscars, Pacus, Green Iguanas, and venomous snakes. Pet stores are most likely legally or at least financially obligated to refuse to take on everyone's unwanted large, predatory fish. Those animals may fall into a category, too loved to kill but not enough to keep, that practically guarantees dumping. On the other hand, inexpensive fish like White Clouds and Zebra Danios may not even warrant a trip to the store, especially when the ditch is so close at hand.

The word "typically" in Ashtonmj's post may seem like an exaggeration, but replacing it with "often" gets you a fairly conservative statement. Anyhow, sorry for the screed, but it's to be expected when this topic come up on the NANFA board.

Sterlets are popular fish with the ponding crowd

No reason you can't keep a couple of sterlets in a big koi pond

You all know the answer that will work, and what some have pushed for:

Ban all fish keeping. That will stop the release of unwanted fish, right? Or would it then result in a mass introduction of pets people don't want to kill, but are afraid to get caught with. More afraid of being caught with than being caught releasing them.

Any wonder snakeheads had started popping up across the nation when the knee jerk reaction with the two genus wide ban on them was imposed? People who would have just kept them in their aquariums became worried - contraband fish. Everyone has seen movies with what happens with drug busts and that paranoia sets up to imagine that happening with their fish. Even though I think most places allowed those who had them to keep them. They just could no longer be sold or transported anyplace.

Regardless of my opinions above, be careful what you wish for. So long as totalitarian rule in the U.S. does not come to pass, fish that some find inappropriate will be for sale and bought, and kept.