BigJay
Well-Known Member
Is this the most expensive fish per body size? $3000.00 ? Thats a grand an inch. Ok whos got one in thier tank?
Availability List from Just Rare Fish
Availability List from Just Rare Fish
Bodianus Sanguenis , sunset wrasse
- Thread starter BigJay
- Start date
blue_eyes53813
Well-Known Member
Im not sure what is so special about that wrasse to be 3 grand.. but they sure do have some nice looking fish on that site...
kathywithbirds
Well-Known Member
I think that's a peppermint angel.
DeepBlue
Member
I don't mean to get on a soapbox here, but I will.
There is a good reason these fish cost so much, they are rare and very few exist in the wild. But by people supporting businesses that make it a practice to extract these rare gems from the oceans, fewer and fewer of these fish will exist in the oceans and the more these businesses will go out seeking these species. I think that it is irresponsible to remove them from their natural environment where they are able to multiply and subject them to a much shorter life span in our reef tanks just so we can say, "this is a very rare fish!". Aqua-culturing has come a long way over the past two decades and we have so many other options of prolific species that are collected responsibly. I think it is best to leave these rare species in the oceans where we can enjoy them in their natural environment. JMHO...thank you.
There is a good reason these fish cost so much, they are rare and very few exist in the wild. But by people supporting businesses that make it a practice to extract these rare gems from the oceans, fewer and fewer of these fish will exist in the oceans and the more these businesses will go out seeking these species. I think that it is irresponsible to remove them from their natural environment where they are able to multiply and subject them to a much shorter life span in our reef tanks just so we can say, "this is a very rare fish!". Aqua-culturing has come a long way over the past two decades and we have so many other options of prolific species that are collected responsibly. I think it is best to leave these rare species in the oceans where we can enjoy them in their natural environment. JMHO...thank you.
myerst22
Member
Deepblue you obviously have done zero research on these fish. You are completely incorrect. 95% of the so called "rare" fish are not rare at all. They are extremely hard to catch, i.e very deep water. Which is the case for Boylei, Sunset Wrasse, and many others. Not many, if maybe a dozen people in the world have the skill to dive to 300' plus to collect these fish properly and then bring them up correctly. Secondly many of the so called rare fish are collected where they are endemic to one are and little if no collecting happens in these areas. Thirdly as is the case with Clarion angels. They are far off places where it is difficult to get permits to collect and transporting them is cost prohibitive. Also many fish that are expensive and so called "rare" are found in mostly protected areas where collecting is prohibted. A conspiculatus angel is a good example. They are found all over the coast of Australia, but collectors are limited to a very small area and fish quotas.
Usually your really expensive fish are the last fish that are in danger. It is your hippo tangs, cleaner wrasses, and all the really common fish that are over collected.
Sorry. I usually don't don't go on a rant, but your statement was completely incorrect and should not mislead people. Tim
Usually your really expensive fish are the last fish that are in danger. It is your hippo tangs, cleaner wrasses, and all the really common fish that are over collected.
Sorry. I usually don't don't go on a rant, but your statement was completely incorrect and should not mislead people. Tim
DeepBlue
Member
Tim, I was just picking up on what BigJay had mentioned in his post when he said "Some people will pay and pay dearly to have a one of a kind. I really want that black angler they have there but the wife would kill me." So, I am not "completely wrong" in what I was saying. There are species that are being captured that are truely "rare". I agree with you on the points you make, however, there are other issues that come from this. First, to use your words,
I started in this hobby in the Mid 80's after I got out of the Air Force. I had served in Japan and Okinawa where I learned to SCUBA dive. I fell in love right then and there with ocean life. During that time, there were advances being made in the aquatic industry that allowed us to keep more delicate species, but there wasn't a whole lot of knowledge about how to keep them alive. Many LFS's were carrying species such as sharks, octopus, eels, Moorish Idols, etc. that nobody was able to sustain and would die within a couple weeks. All this because we didn't have the knowledge of what they needed. In 1986, an LFS owner that I became friends with, got in a rare fish known as Monocentris japonica (Japanese Pineapple Fish). He brought in 12 of these and they were larger adults about 6". He offered one to me for $125.00. I had 4 tanks at that time and had the "perfect home" for it and I grabbed it up. Two weeks later, he was dead. I talked with him about this and found out that the four he had left had died as well, as did all the other one's he sold. Our knowledge at the time was so limited, we did not know the first thing about keeping them other than the fact that they looked really cool!
Granted, today our knowledge and technology has vastly improved, but yet, there are only a few people that have had success in keeping Moorish Idols. They are cheap to buy as they are common on the reefs, but does that mean we should all go out and get one? No. They have very specific needs that no one has been able to successfully replicate. Yet, too many newbies to the hobby jump in and buy them and throw them into tanks they think are mature after only one week! This is my point. There are several people on Reef Sanctuary that have the experience and patience and knowledge to be successful in keeping these fish, but there are many, many individuals out in the marketplace that don't and ultimately kill everything they put in their tanks because they didn't take the time to find out what their needs are. Same is true for these "rare" fish that come from deep waters, we just cannot replicate their natural environment and in turn, shorten their lives considerably. More experienced reefers may have better success with them than inexperienced ones. That is why I just feel that perhaps it is best to just leave these fish where they are, where we can go SCUBA diving and view them in their natural surroundings.
That is part of my point on this, they come from very deep waters where they are in an environment we cannot duplicate in our relatively small tanks. And also, as many skilled divers that are able to correctly capture them, there are 10 more that are collecting with questionable means and also violate the protected areas creating a blackmarket for them because they know they can get some great money from it.
I started in this hobby in the Mid 80's after I got out of the Air Force. I had served in Japan and Okinawa where I learned to SCUBA dive. I fell in love right then and there with ocean life. During that time, there were advances being made in the aquatic industry that allowed us to keep more delicate species, but there wasn't a whole lot of knowledge about how to keep them alive. Many LFS's were carrying species such as sharks, octopus, eels, Moorish Idols, etc. that nobody was able to sustain and would die within a couple weeks. All this because we didn't have the knowledge of what they needed. In 1986, an LFS owner that I became friends with, got in a rare fish known as Monocentris japonica (Japanese Pineapple Fish). He brought in 12 of these and they were larger adults about 6". He offered one to me for $125.00. I had 4 tanks at that time and had the "perfect home" for it and I grabbed it up. Two weeks later, he was dead. I talked with him about this and found out that the four he had left had died as well, as did all the other one's he sold. Our knowledge at the time was so limited, we did not know the first thing about keeping them other than the fact that they looked really cool!
Granted, today our knowledge and technology has vastly improved, but yet, there are only a few people that have had success in keeping Moorish Idols. They are cheap to buy as they are common on the reefs, but does that mean we should all go out and get one? No. They have very specific needs that no one has been able to successfully replicate. Yet, too many newbies to the hobby jump in and buy them and throw them into tanks they think are mature after only one week! This is my point. There are several people on Reef Sanctuary that have the experience and patience and knowledge to be successful in keeping these fish, but there are many, many individuals out in the marketplace that don't and ultimately kill everything they put in their tanks because they didn't take the time to find out what their needs are. Same is true for these "rare" fish that come from deep waters, we just cannot replicate their natural environment and in turn, shorten their lives considerably. More experienced reefers may have better success with them than inexperienced ones. That is why I just feel that perhaps it is best to just leave these fish where they are, where we can go SCUBA diving and view them in their natural surroundings.