MUST READ!!! responsible SW hobbiests needed!

[afboundguy]

I'm sure a lot of people on this forum also recieve the saltwaterfish.com emails. It is about those that I have to vent. I'm sure a lot of you have been getting the $5 daily fish specials. I believe this is totally contradictory to responsible SW hobby-keeping. Please don't buy these fish!!! These $5 fish will prompt people who are not knowledgable with the fish that are on sale and "buy them because they are cheap." There is alreay a problem with proper collecting of SW fish and this will just lead to the problem getting worse. There will be A LOT of dead fish because of this "oh well it's cheap let's buy it" attitude.
We all need to do our part in being responsible... So please don't purchase these fish unless you are able to keep them and be responsible.

 

[t316]

That is rediculous. You need to be responsible before you even get into this hobby. I watch the specials just waiting on my particular fish to go on sale, but that doesn't mean I'm irresponsible b/c I bought a cheap fish.

 

[m0nk]

Originally Posted by afboundguy
http:///forum/post/2537815
I'm sure a lot of people on this forum also recieve the saltwaterfish.com emails. It is about those that I have to vent. I'm sure a lot of you have been getting the $5 daily fish specials. I believe this is totally contradictory to responsible SW hobby-keeping. Please don't buy these fish!!! These $5 fish will prompt people who are not knowledgable with the fish that are on sale and "buy them because they are cheap." There is alreay a problem with proper collecting of SW fish and this will just lead to the problem getting worse. There will be A LOT of dead fish because of this "oh well it's cheap let's buy it" attitude.
We all need to do our part in being responsible... So please don't purchase these fish unless you are able to keep them and be responsible.
While your purpose may be admirable, I believe it might be a little over-zealous. The minimum purchase amount on the saltwaterfish.com is $79, so people can't just get fish for $5. Plus, cheap fish doesn't always make for sales to less than knowledgeable hobbyists.
Every fish store has deals like this from time to time and while it may spark someone buying a fish they're not truly able to care for, there is nothing sinister here and this sort of thing happens at other fish stores all the time. There also isn't anything keeping someone from buying a more expensive fish that they can't care. Everyone simply needs to do their own research and come to their own conclusions.

 

[amyandbrandon2]

Well I have to disagree with you...you have to remember there is a minium order, so in order to get the "cheap fish" your going to have purchase more than the fish. There intentions are good, and I think you just took it the wrong way.

 

[spiderwoman]

You are really underestimating us hobbiests.
I think the irresponsbile buyer is a minority in this hobby, usually it's the newbie to the hobby, but will learn very fast.
I don't see anything wrong with super sales, it's up to the hobbiest to decide whether to buy or not.

 

[afboundguy]

Originally Posted by m0nk
http:///forum/post/2537825
Every fish store has deals like this from time to time and while it may spark someone buying a fish they're not truly able to care for, there is nothing sinister here and this sort of thing happens at other fish stores all the time. There also isn't anything keeping someone from buying a more expensive fish that they can't care. Everyone simply needs to do their own research and come to their own conclusions.
My main point was just this. Don't purchase fish if you can't care for them properly. I realize this happens with cheap fish and expensive fish. I just feel (and a ton of people on my local forum) that this will prompt even more people being unresponsible. The last three fish I saw for daily sale were not the best fish for people who "buy things because they're cheap."
Copperband butterfly: Not the greatest shipping species
Koran Angel: Get's a lot bigger when they grown up and need a bigger tank.
Seahorses: Seahorses are hard enough to keep for even the most experienced hobbiest. I've had a tank for 5-6 years and I didn't have great success starting a seahorse tank.
If you know the specific requirements of these daily sales and can meet them I am not bashing you. I'm just urging responsible behavior when purchasing SW fish. Don't just purchase it because it's cheap.

 

[m0nk]

Originally Posted by afboundguy
http:///forum/post/2537846
My main point was just this. Don't purchase fish if you can't care for them properly. I realize this happens with cheap fish and expensive fish. I just feel (and a ton of people on my local forum) that this will prompt even more people being unresponsible. The last three fish I saw for daily sale were not the best fish for people who "buy things because they're cheap."
Copperband butterfly: Not the greatest shipping species
Koran Angel: Get's a lot bigger when they grown up and need a bigger tank.
Seahorses: Seahorses are hard enough to keep for even the most experienced hobbiest. I've had a tank for 5-6 years and I didn't have great success starting a seahorse tank.
If you know the specific requirements of these daily sales and can meet them I am not bashing you. I'm just urging responsible behavior when purchasing SW fish. Don't just purchase it because it's cheap.
I understand, though you took a rather alarmist state with this thread and it's not something to be so overly concerned about here. The majority of the people who visit the forums will already know not to make such purchases; hence why they're here: knowledge gathering/sharing. They'll likely have the insight to look for threads concerning the specific species and decide for themselves based on existing threads, or even open new ones.

 

[1journeyman]

As pointed out, these specials go out to the email list. Those recipients, you have to assume, have access and knowledge of this forum.
With that, I'm going to lock this thread. Out of respect for SWF and it's owners who provide this forum let's not post sensationalized threads telling people not to purchase from them.