Painted fish

The term Painted Fish refers to the practice of some wholesalers selling artifically coloured live fish for an aquarium. This artificial colouring is achieved by a number of methods, such as injecting the fish with a hypodermic syringe containing bright fluorescent colour dye, dipping the fish into a dye solution which removes their outer coating or feeding the fish dyed food.

They do this in order to make the fish more interesting to the unknowing customer.

Many of these fish die during this stressful process and the ones that do survive often are susceptible to disease.
The colour fades within six months.

Some of the Aquarium trade is trying to ban this practise. See external links below.

Types of dyed fish

Indian Glassy Fish, Parambassis ranga
Black Widow Tetra, Gymnocorymbus ternetzi
Oscar, Astronautus ocellatus

See Death By Dyeing for a fuller and detailed list.

External Links

Practical Fishkeeping Death By Dyeing Freshwater Aquariums