Tanks. In. restaurants.

[Supalah17]

I have never, ever, ever seen a single fish tank set up in a restaurant that didn’t make me want to pull my hair out...

For instance: my favorite Japanese restaurant in town has a 75g tank with an albino Oscar in it. On its own that doesn’t sound bad. Except for the dozen angel fish in with it. And the fact the water looks like milk. I don’t think it’s ever been changed, and they never even top off the tank so it’s regularly at least ten gallons short of full... then the poor fish are next to the waiting area so they get the bonus of having obnoxious kids pounding on the glass all day.

None of these fish are over 3” long and they’ve been in there for at least 2 years. Is there a place or a way to report people for cruelty to aquatic friends in the US??

 

[squint]

pH crashing and nitrates through the roof. People call it old tank syndrome. I call it Chinese restaurant syndrome. Obviously not limited to Chinese restaurants though.

PETA will take complaints about fish or at least possibiy advise you on a course of action.

 

[krichardson]

I haven't seen many that were done very well either....most of them had so much algae in them due to the long hours of bright ceiling lights that it looked like Easter basket grass.
One tank I can recall in a Caribbean take out eatery was a twenty gallon with an Oscar and some overworked Whisper type hang on filter.

 

[TwoHedWlf]

All I remember seeing here were 100Lish 4 foot tall hexes, handful of tetras, a few goldfish and random other fish. Same kind of setup everywhere.

 

[Supalah17]

Gotta give props in the middle of this rant, Pho Lantern, a local Vietnamese restaurant, has three salt water tanks that are really well cared for. I think they use a service, wish everyone else who wanted a tank (but not work), would do that...

 

[Gourami Swami]

Couple months ago on the lower east side NYC I saw this in a Chinese spot, called "diner pizza". These fish were about 2' long each, in a 90 gallon.

 

[krichardson]

Dinner Pizza?

 

[Ogertron3000]

In our local Chinatown most of the fish in tanks can be purchased and eaten. Looking at the state of some of them it isn't very appetising though. My wife did complain about some goldfish in a glass vase at a cafe once and next time we went there they were in a happily small filtered tank so maybe speak up as no business wants to be associated with animal cruelty. Possibly you might end up with an angry chef chasing you out the door with a meat cleaver too I guess.

 

[Supalah17]

In our local Chinatown most of the fish in tanks can be purchased and eaten. Looking at the state of some of them it isn't very appetising though. My wife did complain about some goldfish in a glass vase at a cafe once and next time we went there they were in a happily small filtered tank so maybe speak up as no business wants to be associated with animal cruelty. Possibly you might end up with an angry chef chasing you out the door with a meat cleaver too I guess.

The place we just ate at tonight (one mentioned in the OP) has been complained about before and they just keep changing the stock every couple years...

 

[Supalah17]

Couple months ago on the lower east side NYC I saw this in a Chinese spot, called "diner pizza". These fish were about 2' long each, in a 90 gallon.
View attachment 1301372

“Sir, why do you have a giant plastic bag?”
“Nothing. Uh... I’m gonna eat near the tanks...”
*steals all the fish*