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]

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.

 

[fijiwigi]

I always wonder about wild caught fish. for all we know it could be at the end of its life expectancy. it could be 3500 dollars spent on a fish that has already lived its life and may not live very long in our tank.

 

[Fish_King_25]

check out YT for some sweet videos of those Gem or Spotted Tangs eating...4 of them one ONE TANK!!

 

[Dave66]

I always wonder about wild caught fish. for all we know it could be at the end of its life expectancy. it could be 3500 dollars spent on a fish that has already lived its life and may not live very long in our tank.

Adult specimens usually do not do well when captured, and thus aren't the focus of the collectors. If you look in shops, the vast majority of fish you see, freshwater or marine, are juveniles, which adapt better to captivity. For example, say you're shopping for a Queen Angelfish, Holacanthus ciliaris. The one you'll buy will be between two and four inches long, which is a youngster. You'll have that 200 gallon tank ready to keep it. It'll take some time for that little juvenile to grow to an 18-inch beauty, and will live for many, many years after.
It'd make no sense for collectors to capture adults, because they do so poorly, they'd just lose money if they sold 'old' fish, or they died right after capture. Very quickly consumer confidence would falter, and the collectors' livelihood would suffer.
They aren't stupid. They capture young or immature fish because they are easier to ship, take less room in wholesale tanks, and do better adapting to home aquariums.

Dave

 

[leewardislands]

You're right, it seems crazy, but there are people that spend $8,000,000 for a painting for their pricate collection, $450,000 for a cigar humidor that used to belong to JFK, $60,000 for a dress that used to belong to Lady Diana or $88,000 for a lock of Abraham Lincoln's hair. There are a lot of people out there with a lot of money. If blowing the money away makes them happy, so be it.

 

[FiveSix]

There are a lot of people out there with a lot of money. If blowing the money away makes them happy, so be it.

It's all relative. Let's use Blackjack as an example. If you make 500,000 a year you could gamble with a $50,000 bankroll and it would be the same as someone who earns $50,000 Gambling with $5,000. In another aspect everyone has something they spend a lot of money on. Athletes with their supplements, Car people and their modifications and customizing and everything else. So if you're worth a few million why have a Percula Clown or yellow tang when you can have a $5,000 fish that nobody else does

 

[myerst22]

Finally got my new trigger. Still a bit shy.

Hello all i finally got my new trigger last week. He is a bit shy but eating well. I think he is scared of the big black tang. Here are some pics and some new ones of the others. Let me know what you think? Regards. Tim

 

[myerst22]

I'm sorry i meant to start a new thread but was looking at this thread and mistakenly posted mine on here. Mods feel free to remove my post. thanks Tim

 

[black hills tj]

For expensive freshwater fish, check out the prices on L046 Zebra Plecos

 

[myerst22]

Freshwater have by far the most expensive fish. They make 3500 look like chump change. There are platinum arowanas and koi that sell for well over 250,000. zebra pleco are around 50.00

 

[chris127]

That is why i stick with tetras 8)