Silver Dollars And Baby Piranha

[Byron]

These fish should not be sold as pets.
 

 
I completely agree with you on this, no question.  [And I am fine with most of what you have posted [#14], some of what I previously said was misunderstood, but we move on.]
 
There was a movement in the UK to have a ban on these "monster" fish, without some sort of license, but certainly stores would not be able to just stock them and sell to whomever.  There are many fish that fall in this category...some not so obvious at first, like clown loaches.  I don't know what happened to this initiative.
 
In fairness to the store, however, it is possible that this lone pacu was simply caught with the SD in South America and made its way with the hundreds of fish to the exporter, importer, store.  And in the latter, chances are less observant/knowledgeable staff would not even notice it.  This happens with wild caught fish.  I have spotted rare pencilfish in shipments of rummy nose tetra, and the false green neon in with cardinals, etc., now and then.
 
Byron.

 

[snowflake311]

Well I thought I found him a home but the dude flaked on me. Chomps had Ich but after treatment he is all better. I say this guy grows an inch a month. He is in the 100Gal now with some adult 7" silver dollars. The Silver dollars look like they adopted the little guy. He Swims with them from time to time it's cute. He is going to grow up thinking he is a sliver dollar.  
 
Still looking for a home for him. I am also keeping my eyes open for a larger acrylic tank. There is a fish store not far from me that has a 300gal tank. Years ago they had 2 big black pacu in it. If I can't find a better home for them that pet store will take him.

 

[Lillefishy]

Interesting read http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=4871

 

[eaglesaquarium]

These fish should not be sold as pets. 

 
That's true... nor should they be bought as pets.  Stores will stop stocking anything that doesn't sell.  There's really only one way to get the stores to stop stocking the biggest species of fish... and that is on the consumer end.  Hobbyists need to stop buying them.  And no matter how good intentioned the purchase is - the altruistic motivation of 'saving' this one little fish - the reality is that a sale is a sale, and the store can't differentiate the difference.  All they see is that Fish X came into the store, and Fish X went out of the store.  If Fish X were to languish there for months and/or years (a very sad fate for that particular fish, perhaps) then no more Fish X would be ordered by the shop because it would be a money drain, not a money maker.  And if enough stores stopped being able to sell Fish X, then the wholesalers would stop having them available as well.  
 
 
But, ultimately, it starts with the consumer... each and every one of us.

 

[snowflake311]

My fish was bought as a silver dollar not a Pacu he was mislabeled. So the Store just saw it as a nothing silver dollars sale. 
 
maybe some day I will live some place warm and I can make a Pound for unwanted fish. 

 

[eaglesaquarium]

My fish was bought as a silver dollar not a Pacu he was mislabeled. So the Store just saw it as a nothing silver dollars sale. 
 
maybe some day I will live some place warm and I can make a Pound for unwanted fish. 

 
That wasn't directed at you snowflake, just a general statement on the state of the hobby in general.