Am I alone or there are people who don't like GEM tang too?

O

Ostri

New member
My budget for an high-end fish went to clarion, bandit, and joculators.

I've looked on gem tang many times and had several chances to get them but every time I compare it with my purple tang the purple wins.

Does this happen to other people too? Say if the gem is not a rare fish and it is 150$, the same as a purple tang. Which one is your choice?

I've had a lot of people talking to me about how they liked gem tang and all they really talked about was the price tag. Status symbol or true liking?
 
I don't "dislike" the Gem Tang, I just don't like the look of it for the price. I'd rather get an Achilles or a Naso, but that's just me :)
 
I like the gem tang, maybe it's because of the price.

But in all honesty there are a lot better looking tangs. Desjardini, purple, Achilles... Even hippo.

I think even at wholesale prices I'd be reluctant to get one.
 
While I think that the gem tang is a very pretty fish, I definitely would not trade my purple tang for one. Now, if the purple didn't exist, and there was a gem for $150, yeah I might consider buying it.
 
Spork3245 said:
I don't "dislike" the Gem Tang, I just don't like the look of it for the price. I'd rather get an Achilles or a Naso, but that's just me :)
Click to expand...

Same for me too. The price of a gem tang is about the same with a juvenile clarion and the clarion I saw looked so much better than the gem tang which is why I went to clarion.
 
It's claim to fame is that it has a restricted distribution to just a few islands and is therefore a bit harder to get and considered rare and pricy (most of this would also fit the yellow tang). I've seen several and simply don't get the appeal. Any healthy powder blue is nicer to look at and way cheaper.

Though I wouldn't put any of these ich bombs into my tanks - I prefer calmer fish that can actually feel at home in a tank.
 
Nice choice in the joculaters. I have a pair and love them.

I've had a purple and loved my purple but I couldn't pass up a Gem. So the purple was sold and I now have a Gem.

In my experience my purple was more of a jerk to every fish around it. The Gem seems to be better. The purple was a constant beautiful jerk, the Gem is not.

My thought is there aren't that many fish (at least I don't know any besides a wrought iron butterfly) that have the white spotted pattern.

Either way both are beautiful.
 
I truly like it. It's not a status symbol for me. Show me a Bentley in a driveway and now we are talking status. Even people with moderate income can acquire an expensive fish. It's not that hard to do if you save.
I like the colors and rarity of Gem tangs. If it retailed somewhere what black tangs go for I'd get one even if there was a purple tang for $125 right next to it.
 
I have never seen a gem tang in person, so that might change things. But I really love the way they look. Not for that price, but more than any other tang except maybe tomini/clown/purple.
 
Its all about the cost. People want stuff that cost a lot.
Cake
Food
Men
houses
technology
games
and Fish.....

Humans will want anything if it cost more, Hell a turd on a plate could sell for $2000 if you compared it with a turd for only $20

Now if the Gem tang were $10 a piece, no one would want one accept for the few that actually love the look of them.
 
It's all just about personal preference. Some people are very discriminatory when it comes to stocking their tanks, wanting to keep only the most rare and most expensive, while other folks could just keep what appeals to and what works for them. There's plenty of expensive, highly sought after fish that don't appeal to me at all, for one reason or another. Bandit angels, Griffis' angels, flame wrasses (and a lot of the pricier fairy & flasher wrasses actually. I much prefer a McCosker's flasher or Lubbock's fairy) etc. I don't judge the way people stock their tanks unless of course it's at the expense of the animal's. I like the gem tang though, not as much as a purple, but I still think it's a nice looking fish :D
 
Yes gems are expensive, yes gems are fairly rare in the hobby due to the restriction on collection.
I have always loved them for these reasons, plus the coloration of the fish itself. Their almost uniform spots, elongated fins, yellow tail against the black body, slight blue tint along with a very moderate temperament compared to most zebrasomas.
Now, I wouldn't pay retail for one. And I do really like purple tangs, but they are just too mean to worry about my current fish and any new fish.
Most of my favorite fish are either crazy colored wrasses, or black and white fish. Like GP, bandit angel, black tang(white scalpel), gems, convict tang, polyzona tangs, and yes, kingi Angels as well.

To each their own!!!
 
d-man said:
Yes gems are expensive, yes gems are fairly rare in the hobby due to the restriction on collection.
I have always loved them for these reasons, plus the coloration of the fish itself. Their almost uniform spots, elongated fins, yellow tail against the black body, slight blue tint along with a very moderate temperament compared to most zebrasomas.
Now, I wouldn't pay retail for one. And I do really like purple tangs, but they are just too mean to worry about my current fish and any new fish.
Most of my favorite fish are either crazy colored wrasses, or black and white fish. Like GP, bandit angel, black tang(white scalpel), gems, convict tang, polyzona tangs, and yes, kingi Angels as well.

To each their own!!!
Click to expand...


Whatever Derek!!! I won't tell them you used white out to paint spots on your purple tang!!!!


J/k Derek has a gorgeous gem tang.
 
I for one prefer the Polyzona to a Convict tang any day of the week and they are nearly identical except for the number and thickness of their black bands.(also yellow hues) One cost $30 the other closer to 1K, I certainly don't like the Polyzona because it will cost me what I would get 35 Convicts for...
 
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