Are they that rare? (Earles wrasse)
So over the past year or so I've like a bunch of pages, channels, forums etc. on the FaceTube. Most are recent and national due to this forums macna exposure (which having "local" guys on site sharing photos is awesome, Derek's reef store particularly stands out)
But I digress. A forum which I liked and joined, although rarely go to, reef2reef (I'm not sure if forum sharing is ok) but they post some pretty neat things on Facebook. One recent post was of a retailer selling some pretty expensive wrasses, among other nice fish. So I understand rarity, his quarantine process and 4 week guarantee. But are they the only factors Involved with the price here? Given that there are more beautiful wrasses out there, especially to the American market. http://www.nicewrasse.com/fawrcfa.html |
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There is nothing special about the 'American' market. If you want a fish go to your Lfs and tell them the name size and sex of the fish and they will order one in for you. If disinterested go to the next lfs |
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I have no such luck with LFS.
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If they are not interested in serving you speak to the owner manager. |
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Here's how it actually works: Your store will get a list of availability from a wholesaler or transhipper. The fish you want will either be there or it won't. If it doesn't and your store has the resources to deal directly with the specialty collectors, they can then assess whether or not it makes financial sense to put in an order through one of them. If they want to deal with some of the super high end dealers out of HK, for example, they need to pony up a $10k+ order. If that isn't within the means of your store, then that's the end of it. There's no stigma against rare/expensive fish. They just aren't available through the common channels and the means to acquisition may be beyond the reach of your average store. |
I understand the list process and I'm pretty sure at least some kind of SPS are on there but one LFS refuses to bring it in (because they always arrive brown and nobody has good enough lighting) and the other doesn't bring them in because THEY don't have good enough lighting. I've offered to meet them on delivery day to take what's mine, brown or not. I haven't seen sps in kelowna since I started. So I get most of my livestock online. Which then has a knock on effect to my LFS which aren't getting my money and can't improve.
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Pet City is great for quality fish that have been properly quarantined, and Harold is able to order from a few different wholesalers. His business is not around reefs, so he does not get into inverts or sps. I've tried to convince him a few times to learn more about sps and the demand for inverts, but he wasn't sold. J&L was happy to take a few hundred dollars from me yesterday :) |
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But this thread isn't about what we can or can't get locally. I was just amazed and wondering why this fish was so expensive. |
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http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden...+3&ddid=188631 |
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The real point I was going make whether any fish or coral is that if you don't see what you like in the store, ask the LFS to order one in for you.
I agree that rare fish add another problem but the LFS and their suppliers are more likely to help find one for a reefer than a reefer looking for one himself. |
*Beginning of rant*
One of the things that some folks in large urban centres don't realize is that us folks here in the sticks, there is no "other store". Sometimes there is no store, period. The closest marine store for moi is 8 hours away. EIGHT fracken hours. And shipping, yeah, I might as well sell my first born to pay the air freight which I still have to drive 2.5 hours to the receiving airport. I can't imagine what it is like for other more remote reefers. So we can't "just go to the next store". Please appreciate the circumstances that fellow feefers face. *End of rant* Thank you for your attention and have a great day reefing.:mrgreen: |
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Some fish....also just don't ship well and unfortunately won't make the trip. As an example; if an lfs orders 5 fish and 2 don't make it - the final cost may be adjusted accordingly for the survivors. Distant locales will also add to the cost of the fish. Certain species will be endemic to one ore two very remote places. Perhaps there is also a short time window or season in which divers can attempt to catch the species. Not to mention a limited quantity of licenses/permits for specific species or geography. It's also worth mentioning the employment standards and speciality of divers within a region. Are they being paid in Indonesian Rupiah, Philippine Peso, with no minimum wage standards? Or is the collector being paid in Australian Dollars with minimum standards? This will also affect price. Finally; the price will be determined by what the market will tolerate. Everyone will have their preferences and opinions of what is considered beautiful or awesome. There will be fish and coral that cost much less and will be more attractive in your eyes as opposed to someone else's. The U.S. market and German market thirst for corals and fish have driven prices to some pretty lofty levels (im my opinion) as of late. |
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