Help me get cheap Marine Fish.. [Archive] - Canreef Aquatics Bulletin Board

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eisa

08-19-2011, 06:49 AM

Hey Guyz,

set up a 90 gallon Tank, already spent lot's of money on it... wondering if any of you guyz selling fish or fishes, as we know store's are kind a expensive & most of the time fishes are not established.. Plz let me know were i can find cheap fishes...

Thanks of reading..

scherzo

08-19-2011, 07:59 AM

daniella3d

08-19-2011, 11:40 AM

You're not on the right track with this attitude as keeping a saltwater aquarium is kind of a money pit.

I know some people order their fish from the US for quite cheaper than what we get in Canada, but I never done it mystelf. Plus finding a store that is willing to ship here with the custom and all...not easy. I am not sure what store he was ordering from either. I did not pay much attention since I did not want to go that route. When I buy fish I choose carefully what I buy...not really looking for "cheap" fish rather than looking for a fish with a good personality (not shy, not aggressif, not destructive etc...) so money is not my first concern.

Often people will sell their fish if they are causing problem, so buying fish from people is always a gamble. Not saying they will all end up with bad behavior, but often it is a risk.

I bought a kole tang from someone who had the fish in his frag tank for 2 weeks and said that fish never had ick...surely enough when I put it in quarantine alone in a new tank, he was full of ick in a few day. Never trust what people say and quarantine!

Hey Guyz,

set up a 90 gallon Tank, already spent lot's of money on it... wondering if any of you guyz selling fish or fishes, as we know store's are kind a expensive & most of the time fishes are not established.. Plz let me know were i can find cheap fishes...

Thanks of reading..

reefwars

08-19-2011, 07:19 PM

blah blah blah...yak yak yak.... to the first 2 posts....

if you wanna save a buck by all means place an ad thats a small part of the reason this site exists is to trade and find homes for fish/corals and gather info and discussions with other hobbyst.....

with that said alot of people sell fish that are perfectly healthy for alot of diff reasons and doesnt mean it will be a "problem fish" fish out grow,tanks go in different directions,people have life problems soooooo?????? sometimes people have a fish they are considering selling and dont have time or want to place an ad...they see your ad and send you a pm;)

for the record owning a saltwater tank doesnt mean you should or have to throw your money around aimlessly and buy all the top notch toys and gadgets,ive helped numerous people start tanks on shoestring budgets and its not that hard :):)

cheers and good luck with the fish hunt:):)(but dont eat them lol);)

reefwars

08-19-2011, 07:21 PM

Well.. Rule number 1 of this hobby... Open your wallet. This is not a cheap hobby.

You should just wait on this site and watch it over a few months. People are selling livestock all the time. You have to be patient.

How long has your tank been setup? You may have to wait a while longer if you just set it up before you add fish.

since when is rule number 1 "open your wallet"???? they must really see you coming at the lfs....pretty sure rule number 1 is read and gather info;) all the money in the world cant buy you knowlege:):)

eisa

08-19-2011, 07:25 PM

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences guyz... i will keep looking. all your suggestions were a great help.

dsaundry

08-19-2011, 07:37 PM

Being in Bby , check out J+L Aquatics and King Ed pets, They have some good sales on and if you are patient it wont empty your wallet...but please ask for advise and ideas if you are new and it will keep your costs down more than just slammin fish into a tank without research....:biggrin:

cwatkins

08-19-2011, 07:47 PM

It would help if you put a post over in the Buy/Sell/Trade forum. Just prefix it with "LF:". :)

Bloodasp

08-19-2011, 08:18 PM

It doesn't hurt to ask if someone is willing to sell things for cheap or at least know somewhere they could buy.
As far as I know, at least the ones I have dealt with will not sell the fish if it has just arrived so the ones that are for sale were at least in the lfs for a few days already. Also if you saw a fish you want and unsure whether it has been acclimated or not or you just happen to see and fell in love with but don't know anything about it and would like to research more about them you can ask the lfs to hold it for a few days, most of them will be ok with it. This is just to make sure the fish is healthy and eating and you have gathered enough information before you take it home.

scherzo

08-20-2011, 01:19 AM

Ok.

I was kinda joking with my post...

But I have to admit, after keeping freshwater fish for many years that keeping saltwater fish isn't cheap. You can get many freshwater fish for under $5.00 but you don't see that very often in the SW world. I would never spend $400 on a powerhead on my FW tanks. $40 at most!

I also have bought most of my equipment and livestock used. Some of the people who I have bought stuff from were getting out because it was too expensive.

In any case. If we were going to write an official rulebook for keeping saltwater fish then rule #1 would definitely be, do your research. (which I love to do.. I read far more non fiction than fiction... And my wife makes fun of me for it)

You don't have to spend money tonnes of money on livestock and hardware. You can always buy used.

You are local, so if you want to swing by and have a look at my in wall 90 I can show you what I have done. It is in my music room/ kids play room and I can show you where I have saved some money. I'll maybe even sell you a fish that I would't mind moving for cheap. If I can catch it. Just a warning... He is an aggressive tomato clown.

Anyhow, this is a fun hobby that is more expensive than freshwater but doesn't necessarily have to cause you to open a 2nd mortgage on your house. You did the right thing by posting. This is a real answer. Sorry if I offended some.

intarsiabox

08-20-2011, 04:11 AM

The best way to save money is to decide exactly what you want, research compatibility and care of the animals then make your final list and stick to it. You can find all sorts of good deals but if one of these "deals" kills the other fish or eats all the corals or invertebrates then it's just false economy. Resist the urge to buy something because it looks nice or is cheap without checking into it first and you can save a pile of cash and frustration. 90 gallons is a nice size and you can get a good variety of fish in there.

ScubaSteve

08-20-2011, 04:59 AM

Ya, just plan well and that'll save you a bunch. I really like king Ed pets for getting me the fish I have trouble finding and they do it for a good price. JL alsways has a good mix of fish. OA will give you a pretty good steal now and them, keep an eye on them.

eisa

08-20-2011, 06:49 AM

Thank you so much for your piece of advice, it's amazing to get opinions from experienced guyz,
That is a motivation by itself & to be honest it's easy to shell out cash for a lot's of ppl & not for lot's of ppl too... m patient & will look for deals... but I would love to stp by & check out your stuff.... Thanks for the invite..

Thank you again

Isa Q

JTang

08-20-2011, 06:13 PM

I have 2 large (2'') green chromis to spare. They are the first fish in my 120gal. Take both for $5.

mike31154

08-21-2011, 04:41 AM

If you're ever in the Kamloops area, sick lid would be a good source for fish, he breeds a number of species. He put up a couple of posts recently and will deliver to Vernon/Kelowna, not Burnaby though, I reckon.

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=77839

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=77841

Wayne

08-22-2011, 08:40 PM