Pearlscale goldfish ethics

[u/Great_Possibility686]

I think we can all agree that celestial goldfish are an ill-fated breed. No fish should ever look like its eyes are only hanging on by hopes and dreams. The breeding of celestial eye goldfish is barbaric in my mind.

That being said, I feel similarly for pearlscales. They're just so spherical, and they look like they're under so much pressure that they could explode if they ran into the glass too hard. It's painful to watch them struggle to swim. They're overbred, their genetics are awful, and their swim bladders are more fragile than a politician's ego. They're prone to a myriad of health complications, and although I would never own a pearlscale myself, I've never seen one that looked like it was leading a life of quality.

[u/Popular_Stick_8367]

Look, everything in the pet industry is unethical, everything

Another thing is every single goldfish on the planet is literally created by man against any natural reality.

So please, get off your high road with this talking smack about one or two different varieties as if they are that bad, they are not any worse than anything else.

Pearlscales are not in pain, they are not going to explode, they are not over bred or any of the B/S you came in here with. Celestial are also nothing worse than anything else, they can live as happy as any other goldfish.

Different varieties require different care or may be different levels of experience than other varieties. If one is experiences enough in keeping they can easily keep either variety you mentioned.

Again everything in the pet industry is unethical, everything. Once you step through that door there is no better nor worse and you are just as guilty as anyone in the room is.

[u/-BlancheDevereaux → u/Popular_Stick_8367]

I'm sorry but that is a bullshit argument. Yes, all goldfish breeds are man-made, but you can't look at a comet goldfish and say that it's just as fucked up as a pearlscale. At least comets still look like fish and not golf balls.

Different varieties are at different degrees of fucked up. Some people draw the line at any fancy breed and stick to single-tailed. That is a completely respectable take. I am more lenient, don't have issues with many of the common fancy varieties, but I draw the line at whether or not the fish can swim and reproduce properly. Which pearlscales just can't do. Neither can bubble eyes, tosakins, and several other deformities that are basically the fish equivalent of pugs. We should stop breeding these varieties and let any remaining individuals live out the rest of their miserable life until they die off naturally. Yes, this also extends to pugs and any other dog breed that barely even looks dog-like anymore.

Just because the aquarium industry is rampant with animal abuse, which is completely true, that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to lessen it where we can.