Expensive fish!!!

[fijiwigi]

Drs. Foster and Smith Diver's Den® - Zebrasoma gemmatum I saw this and about had a heart attack. Why would someone spend this much on a fish? they would have to be really rich or extremely stupid

Drs. Foster and Smith Diver's Den® - Holacanthus clarionensis

Drs. Foster and Smith Diver's Den® - Holacanthus clarionensis

[Innovator]

Either money is no object or their "status" demands it. As long as someone is willing to buy there's no need for them to bring down the cost

[melosu58]

I agree with James that as long as their is a demand they will keep selling them.

[An t-iasg]

Wow - that's crazy. But regardless of the price, I hope whoever buys it can take care of it well.

[Zagz]

You would certainly hope that the person(s) that bought any of these fish would have a well cycled healthy tank.

[JoshsReef]

I kinda wonder if these fish are as rare as they are said to be ! Or if they are just charging that amount bc there are people willing to pay that price, do you know James ?

[Innovator]

There are so many marketing terms out there, "rare" is one of them. For the most part, nothing is rare, invertebrates included, and if it is then it isn't for sale (endangered species). Most fish markups are at the very least 100% and the pricier livestock stemming from locations that are not of the distributor/wholesaler's normal route or requiring deep water dives. The same goes for "super color," "ultra color," and "limited edition."

[Dave66]

Originally Posted by JoshsReef

I kinda wonder if these fish are as rare as they are said to be ! Or if they are just charging that amount bc there are people willing to pay that price, do you know James ?

Josh,
Its usually where the fish comes from and the effort it takes to ship them to stores. For example, say a fish only exists 150 down on some reef slope. A diver has to dive that deep, capture the fish, then ascend ever so slowly so the fish doesn't get the 'bends' (nitrogen bubbles in the blood) and dies from them days or weeks later.
The fish aren't rare, it's just the effort taken to get them from the more difficult or remote capture zones safely to the wholesaler and on to the stores that's a large part of the cost. That, and the demand for them based on the illusion that they are rare in nature and the mindset of some folks that they must have that 'rare' fish at any cost that makes up those extraordinary prices you see.

Dave

[ccCapt]

Dave hit it on the head. When I saw Kevin Kohen's (Dir. of Diver's Den) presentation, this was one of the things he talked about. It's not how "rare" the fish is, it's how difficult it is to capture it, keep it alive until it's ready for transport and then transport it.
He talked about the clarion and had some great pics of it. If anyone ever gets a chance to see Kevin Kohen, it is well worth it.

[pitt420dude]

Wow, that is just completley insane that somebody would spend that much on something that is so fickle and could die so easily.