General Info
Please, do your homework before committing to a pet fish ownership. If you find you can’t care for your pet fish, please, never, ever release it in the wild. Please, do not merely sell your outgrown fish on classifieds without learning of the buyer’s knowledge and the tank size your fish will go into. Help stop propagation of cruelty to our beloved pets.
If your pet fish is healthy, please, return it to a fish store or donate it to a qualified peer or to a local pet fish rescuer, such as us at Fish Story, where we will house it, use it for education, including that of schoolchildren of Collier County, and find it a new “for life” owner and home that pass our enclosure size and expertise requirements.
We take in large freshwater pet fish only. Any freshwater fish that is large or still small / young but will grow large (1-2ft+). We could take in certain marine / brackish water fish but only if they can also live in freshwater. Smaller fish may be accepted depending on tank availability.
The following are some of the fish we actually work with: South American red tail catfish (SA RTC), Asian RTC (ARTC), tiger shovelnose catfish (TSN), RTC x TSN catfish hybrid, TSN x marbled catfish hybrid, ripsaw or niger catfish, irwini catfish, wyckii catfish, lima shovelnose catfish, sun catfish, marbled catfish, any large South American (Pimelodidae, Doradidae, etc.) or Asian (Pangasiidae, Bagridae) catfish, iridescent shark catfish, paroon shark catfish, synodontis catfish, mystus catfish, pacu, arowana, arapaima, giant gourami, eel, spiny eel, blue catfish, channel catfish, flathead catfish, bullhead catfish, white catfish, gar, peacock bass, datnoid, koi, distichodus species, mahseer, barbel, labeo, black shark, calico shark, bala shark, Chinese high fin shark, tinfoil barb, any large cyprinid and characin, large cichlid, pleco catfish, bichir, knife fish, loach, red hook, silver dollar, dorado, perch, pike, carp, sturgeon, etc.
Anyone is welcome to bring their pet fish themselves (if needed, transport instructions will be provided).
Otherwise, depending on fish desirability, our availability, drive distance, the number of fish, the fullness of a pickup route, etc., we can pick up your fish, sooner or later. Our usual service area is Ft. Myers, Naples, Port Charlotte, Tampa, Sarasota, Lakeland, Orlando, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Homestead. Donors, please, be prepared for a possibly lengthy pickup waiting period for common pet fish, such as goldfish, unrated (low) quality koi, common pleco, pacu, oscar and other common cichlids, iridescent shark catfish, Florida gar, etc.
Fish Currently Available for Adoption
- We adopt out only into properly sized* tanks/ponds and knowledgeable hands. (* See below)
- Pickup. We don’t ship. We can deliver large orders locally, up to 6 hours away; the delivery rate is $100 per hour.
- Asking fees are negotiable for large orders.
| Fish | Size | Fee/each |
|---|---|---|
| Catfishes | ||
| Iridescent shark | 2.5ft | $250 |
| Lima shovelnose, 10 avail. | 1ft | $40 |
| Syno, featherfin, 4 avail. | 1ft | $50-100 |
| Syno, African upside down, 3 avail. | 4″ | $20 |
| Pim, 4-Line, 5 avail. | 6-10″ | $20-50 |
| Pim, pictus, 7 avail. | 6″ | $50 |
| Pim, ornate | 10″ | $50 |
| Sun/eclipse/bullseye | 4″,14″ | $40,$100 |
| Asian bumblebee | 5″ | $20 |
| Striped raphael | 6″ | $30 |
| Spotted raphael, 2 avail. | 4″ | $30 |
| Common pleco, many avail. | 6-20″ | $20-60 |
| Common hoplo | 8″ | $20 |
| Cichlids | ||
| Midas, adult female | 1ft | $40 |
| Midas, adult male | 1ft | $50 |
| Midas, adult male | 10″ | $40 |
| Midas, males and females | 6-10″ | $10 |
| Midas x parrot hybrid | 10″ | $40 |
| African, mbuna | 3-6″ | $10-30 |
| Vieja zonatus x synspillum, 30 avail. | 6-12″ | $10 |
| Dovii, female, 2 avail. | 8″ | $50 |
| Colombian pike, 2 avail. | 5″ | $20 |
| Carp-likes | ||
| Koi std & long fin, 100 avail. | 6-24″ | $10-1K |
| Bala shark | 3″,10″ | $30,$100 |
| Goldfish, comet | 5-8″ | $10 |
| Goldfish, shubunkin, black moor | 6″ | $20 |
| Miscellaneous | ||
| Senegal bichir, 2 avail. | 10″ | $100 |
| Florida gar, 4 avail. | 1-2ft | $20 |
| Fancy guppies & balloon mollies | 0.5-2″ | $1 |
Pet Food
| Fish | Size | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Tilapia, mayan, etc., live, each (treated, QT’ed) | 6″-12″ | $10 |
| Tilapia, mayan, etc., live or fresh, each (not treated) | 6″-12″ | $5 |
| Tilapia, mayan, jewel, etc., live, small, (not treated) each | 2″-4″ | $5 |
| Tilapia, mayan, etc., frozen, whole, per lb | 3″-12″ | $1-$2 |
| Finger mullet, frozen, 1lb, 12 fish, each pack | 6″-8″ | $7 |
| Mullet, frozen, whole, per lb | 2ft | $2 |
| Giant squid wings, frozen, per lb | 2ft | $4 |
| Atlantic herring, per lb | 6″ | $3 |
| Atlantic/Boston mackerel, frozen, whole, per lb | 1.5ft | $5 |
| Shrimp, frozen, whole, 5lb pack | 5lb | $8 |
What’s a properly sized tank?
- If you are looking to adopt a fish from our Rescue (or for general guidance) & wondering how big an enclosure to have now & to eventually provide for your pet fish as it grows, you may find our compilation of links useful. We recommend including this in your homework.
- You will learn about:
- what tank to plan for what fish
- what is stunting
- what is brown blood disease aka methemoglobinemia
https://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=36395
Fish Story, a DIY Aquarium Attraction & Fish Rescue 