Very pretty fish! Having worked in the import export tropical fish for five years in Miami, I can assure you that the release of non-native exotic fish is not only the result of pet owners wanting to get rid of unwanted fish in their aquariums. Many of the "fish farms" have large outside tanks that empty into draining ditches that ultimately connect to smaller canals which connect to the larger canals. When it's time to clean a tank out, there may be one or two small fish still in the tanks. They usually simply remove the stand pipe to empty the tank so they can scrub it out and prepare it for the next batch of fish. That coupled with the occasional flooding that happens in south Florida has resulted in many, many exotic species being released into the environment, usually at the detriment to the local species. That said, I'd love to fish those canals now for peacock bass which were not there when I lived in Miami.

Jim Smith