It's not ironic at all, Ls6 Tommy. Well, I guess it could be interpreted that way, but all LFS are there to make $$. That's why businesses exist. I worked part time at a LFS for about 9 months and, while most of the staff and owners, manager cared about fish, they cared about making money even moreso. The fact is, those painted, fake-looking fish SELL. Aquarists like you and I would never buy fish like this in a million years, but Joe-schmoe and his kids come in and they go "ooo! daddy! I like that neon green and pink fish! That's cool!" The natural-looking fish that many of us put in our planted tanks because - you guessed it - they look more natural are simply too boring for the majority of people. A plain silver fish or plain white fish, etc aren't exciting enough for a child or a noob who just wants a bunch of pretty colors in the tank.
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