Jan replies:
Its a shame that more dealers and aquarists are not this responsible. Too
many species of fish sold for home aquaria cannot be contained in anything
like a typical "home" aquarium. Most tanks sold to hobbyists are 20-gal or
less and some of the larger charicoids, cichlids, and catfishes could easily
require 100-gal tanks or larger after just a few years of healthy growth.
Many retailers will not take such fish back because there is a very limited
market for them. Many aquarists either do not do their homework before
buying such a fish, or are unconcerned (or skeptical) about the effects of
releasing it.
Some of the "tank-buster" websites address this - warning hobbyists of the
extreme sizes possible (one showed a film-loop of a 30-inch pacu swimming in
an aquarium) and that options for disposal of such animals are extremely
limited.
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