Angnak's Black Tang

AJinNY · 12-28-2004, 01:19 AM

You see the pic of that black tang? Its certainly a handsome fish BUT - and if Im not mistaken - these specimens go for like 200 or 300 bucks. Why are they so expensive?

mps9506 · 12-28-2004, 01:29 AM

Simply a result of collection difficulty and the care that goes into shipping these guys.
Same goes for all fish. I'm not sure of the location the black tangs are collected from but I will give you some examples here of what determines a fish's price.
First off, collection difficulty. If a fish is hard to find or hard to catch, then it is more expensive. If the diver has to risk his life to catch the fish, then you can bet he wants to get more for it.
Second, location. Fish from the Phillipines and Indonesia are typically cheaper than fish from Fiji, Bali, Red Sea, Australia or Hawaii. there are several factors in this. One, fish collection in Phillipines and Indo are not as regulated as the other locations. The collectors are not paid as much in some cases (not always, don't want anyone jumping on me for saying that). Cyanide is still commonly used in some locations whereas, I doubt you will see cyanide being handed out in little squirt bottles in Hawaii. Lots of training programs have taken place in Fiji and other locations, trained collectors are going to get paid more, fish collected in the Red Sea typically come from a VERY proffesional collection outfit. you are basically paying for quality.

But with the black tang, it is mostly due to rarity... Try to get your LFS to special order one for you and see how long it takes them to get it in. Unless they are really well hooked up in the wholesale industry it will take a while most likely unless you get the right place at the right time.

Mike

Woodstock · 12-28-2004, 09:41 AM

Good info Mike! The black tangs are cool looking...but I think purples are prettier.

angnak · 12-28-2004, 02:00 PM

Yeah, they are expensive. I paid 129.99 and that was on sale. The LFS was having a moving sale. I like to have fish I don't see all the time so I went with the black tang because they are rare. Also I went with the Orange shoulder because I thought, "wow I have never seen one in person. I bet very few people have that." Matter of fact I had to order it from the LFS. Well, now everytime I go in there they have at least two in the tanks. Oh well, maybe I started a trend in my area. I noticed a picture of one on this website the other day so I know at least one other person has one.

mps9506 · 12-28-2004, 06:30 PM

lol. I'm the same way in general. I like to have fish that no one else has. That has only resulted me in having a fishless coral tank. Oh well...

Doni, I'm a huge fan of the purple tang as well. The color and subdued lines are beautiful. I have ajuvenile in my display tank at work. He is my favorite to look at, plus he eats anything with the name algae in it.

I think Chevron's are my favorite out of all the tangs I've seen in person. They aren't big, they are colorful, and as adults have kind of a hidden coloration on them. I lke em best... I'm sure there are some super rare tangs out there that I have never even seen that I might like better.

12-28-2004, 01:19 AM	#1 (permalink)
AJinNY Plate Coral Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: New York, NY Posts: 722 View Gallery Karma Komment	Angnak's Black Tang You see the pic of that black tang? Its certainly a handsome fish BUT - and if Im not mistaken - these specimens go for like 200 or 300 bucks. Why are they so expensive?

12-28-2004, 01:29 AM	#2 (permalink)
mps9506 Totally back Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Wilmington, NC Posts: 8,525 View Gallery Karma Komment	Simply a result of collection difficulty and the care that goes into shipping these guys. Same goes for all fish. I'm not sure of the location the black tangs are collected from but I will give you some examples here of what determines a fish's price. First off, collection difficulty. If a fish is hard to find or hard to catch, then it is more expensive. If the diver has to risk his life to catch the fish, then you can bet he wants to get more for it. Second, location. Fish from the Phillipines and Indonesia are typically cheaper than fish from Fiji, Bali, Red Sea, Australia or Hawaii. there are several factors in this. One, fish collection in Phillipines and Indo are not as regulated as the other locations. The collectors are not paid as much in some cases (not always, don't want anyone jumping on me for saying that). Cyanide is still commonly used in some locations whereas, I doubt you will see cyanide being handed out in little squirt bottles in Hawaii. Lots of training programs have taken place in Fiji and other locations, trained collectors are going to get paid more, fish collected in the Red Sea typically come from a VERY proffesional collection outfit. you are basically paying for quality. But with the black tang, it is mostly due to rarity... Try to get your LFS to special order one for you and see how long it takes them to get it in. Unless they are really well hooked up in the wholesale industry it will take a while most likely unless you get the right place at the right time. Mike __________________ Mike Reefkeeping Since '99 Help Build Reefpedia Premium Memberships Available! Support Reef Sanctuary Sponsors

12-28-2004, 09:41 AM	#3 (permalink)
Woodstock The Wand Geek was here. ;) Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 25,501 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Good info Mike! The black tangs are cool looking...but I think purples are prettier. __________________ ~Doni Marie~ *GOT ICH???* *My Victorious Battle with ICH* 120 Reef Chronicle ~ *Breeding Picasso Clownfish~* *Massive 300 gal growout~* *My Anemone & Picasso Tank ~* *Picasso & Snowcasso for sale~* "Energy and persistance conquer all things." Benjamin Franklin __________________________________________________ ______________________________________________

12-28-2004, 02:00 PM	#4 (permalink)
angnak Torch coral Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 556 View Gallery Karma Komment	Yeah, they are expensive. I paid 129.99 and that was on sale. The LFS was having a moving sale. I like to have fish I don't see all the time so I went with the black tang because they are rare. Also I went with the Orange shoulder because I thought, "wow I have never seen one in person. I bet very few people have that." Matter of fact I had to order it from the LFS. Well, now everytime I go in there they have at least two in the tanks. Oh well, maybe I started a trend in my area. I noticed a picture of one on this website the other day so I know at least one other person has one. __________________ 210gal AGA SW tank. 3 250w MH 4 160w VHOs, 30 gal refuge, ASM Skimmer, Orange shoulder tang, Black tang, Naso tang, 2 orange percs, 2 black percs, 1 lawnmower blenny, a pair of scooter blennies, 5 cleaner shrimp, 5 peppermint shrimp, zebra crabs, halloween crabs, scarlett crabs, various other crabs and snails, 1 rock anemone, 2 colonies of button polyps, 3 colony of star polyps, 3 BTAs, monti cap, various acros

12-28-2004, 06:30 PM	#5 (permalink)
mps9506 Totally back Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Wilmington, NC Posts: 8,525 View Gallery Karma Komment	lol. I'm the same way in general. I like to have fish that no one else has. That has only resulted me in having a fishless coral tank. Oh well... Doni, I'm a huge fan of the purple tang as well. The color and subdued lines are beautiful. I have ajuvenile in my display tank at work. He is my favorite to look at, plus he eats anything with the name algae in it. I think Chevron's are my favorite out of all the tangs I've seen in person. They aren't big, they are colorful, and as adults have kind of a hidden coloration on them. I lke em best... I'm sure there are some super rare tangs out there that I have never even seen that I might like better. __________________ Mike Reefkeeping Since '99 Help Build Reefpedia Premium Memberships Available! Support Reef Sanctuary Sponsors

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