Hah, I was speaking glibly, but the fact remains - an LFS may be under constraints which prevent them from ordering any given rare fish X. Availability IS a real thing and so is operating capital. Rare fish aren't rare because of a storefront's prohibition towards making money.

SWEET! I've been waiting for that fish to go on sale for FOREVER!! :biggrin:

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:

In addition to the quarantine process at the lfs; there is also the procurement process at the wholesale and even trans shipper level that adds to the cost of the fish. I'm uncertain regarding this particular species of wrasse but as an example; wild deep sea varieties of fish have to be caught and slowly brought to the surface to prevent air bladder issues. Or at the very least - surgically bled (of air) by experienced hands. Not all the fish collected will survive the process.

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.