Sweet Fish

[Lobstercrazy]

I went to an aquarium store and saw three amazing fish.

1. Genetically mutated yellow tang that is white but not albino. It is considered priceless given its the only know one.

2. Jewel tang. Price of 2,999.99 USD. It is only found around 3 islands in the world.

3. Zebra Tang. Price 4,999.99 USD. It is one of two ever imported to the U.S. It does have a sickness and may die.

 

[Lobstercrazy]

Anybody else seen cool fish post.

 

[bettaowner]

My LFS was selling a spotted mandarin fish for about 12 dollars.

 

[Lobstercrazy]

That's a pretty fish. It's one of my favorite.

 

[aquandrew]

mine had a conspicuous angelfish for almost 4 grand i think it was 3800

 

[Lobstercrazy]

Just put of curiosity what makes them so much. Not ritorical.

 

[bettaowner]

I'm assuming it's a rare species. Sadly the mandarin at my LFS had a thin belly.

 

[Lobstercrazy]

That's unfortunate they are awesome fish.

 

[aquandrew]

yeah they are pretty rare and it was only three inches the smaller ones are up to 4500 dollars and when they are 8-9 inches they are like 1500 dollars

 

[Lobstercrazy]

All the fish on the first post are over 4 inches. One was SICK and still 5 grand.

 

[aquandrew]

i would be scared to spend that much money even on a healthy one can you imagine if it died? lol i would be devastated

 

[Lobstercrazy]

Talk about burning holes in your pocket.

Two bites of sushi
BILL
5,000

 

[bettaowner]

On Ebay there is a lightning maroon clown for about 6,000 dollars.

 

[Lobstercrazy]

I don't understand why people spend so much money on things that die eventually.

 

[Gregcoyote]

If its that rare it was criminal to collect it unless it was part of a breeding program. Our hobby will get shut down if we keep this up. A fish worth $4000 because of rarity and its sick and dying in some LFS fish tank? That's as bad as keeping white rhinos.

 

[Andy Sager]

A heads up on White Yellow tangs:
Back in the late 1980s I received a white yellow tang from my supplier. Paid a good deal for him. At that time, we frequently fed Romain lettuce to all our Tangs so his tank got the lettuce along with the other Yellow. After about a week of constantly eating lettuce, the fish started reverting back to yellow. Within a couple of weeks, the fish was all yellow.
I can't say for sure that the fish was caught wild and was white or maybe a leftover from a diver's holding tank and turned white from not being fed properly, all would only be a guess now. Point is, it came in white and turned yellow.
Buyer beware on this fish.

 

[Andy Sager]

I went to an aquarium store and saw three amazing fish.

1. Genetically mutated yellow tang that is white but not albino. It is considered priceless given its the only know one.

2. Jewel tang. Price of 2,999.99 USD. It is only found around 3 islands in the world.

3. Zebra Tang. Price 4,999.99 USD. It is one of two ever imported to the U.S. It does have a sickness and may die.

Common names came sometimes be tricky as I was trying to look up which fish these might be. I'm assuming the Jewel Tang is a Z. gemmatum? If so, they do have a limited area of collection so that raises the price.
As for the White tang, besides my other post about mine, there is also a pic of a partially white "yellow" tang in the book "Dr. Burgess's Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes, plate #506. While rare, this white yellow tang is not unique as I can now say I've seen 2 ( and owned 1 of them) beside this one you describe. Buyer beware.

Assuming, again, the Zebra tang is A. polyzona, again, because of where it comes from is what makes it so expensive as well as a rarity to the trade. It may very well be common in it's natural habitat. It might also be a mutation of the convict tang which has been localized to the far corners of the seas. With so many mutations coming into the trade, especially in Tangs, ( i.e. white cheeck/ achillies hybrids, powder brown/powder blue hybrids, etc) as well as the mimic tang A. pyroferus, I'd like to see a few more before spending that kind of money on this fish.

Keep in mind that what's rare today may be old hat tomorrow. I was blessed to be shipped one of the first 2 C. declevis Butterflies that entered the U.S. back in the 1980s. ( The Wiakiki Aquarium got the other one.) It had a price tag of $1,000 on it ( and that was in the 1980s.) We got it on our local news program as well as it was the buzz in the rival aquarium stores. It was purchased by a foreign hobbyist visiting the U.S. Today, you can pick that fish up almost daily and for a lot less money. Sometimes, patience pays

Hope this enlightens