Hawaiian Longfin Anthias

mark54321

mark54321

Active member
I have chance to get a beautiful pair of Hawaiian Longfin Anthias that is properly decompressed and eating frozen, now is this pair worth $800 ? That's how much my LFS wants for them.
Trying to decide, I know they are rare and command high price but $800 is kind of steep , what do you think.
 
Thanks, I know all that, did all the research and have special biotope tank ready for Ventralis anthias, and will get Marshal Island and Coral Sea variations, but I am not going for pretty, that's why Hawaiian Longfins appeal to me too, just can't justify the price tag for some reason, and I spend a lot of $$$ for coral and fish :) .
 
It's a lot of money. This hobby is pretty ridiculous. I say get them if it makes you happy. I'm crazy happy with my $50 Saddlebacks. I'd feel bad spending 400 on anthias.
 
Thank you, I thought about $500 was right, my LFS had them last year for $500, this year they want $800. I was not sure if wholesale price went up or just LFS got greedy.
 
Hawaiian Longfin pairs are not worth $800. The acceptable price range is $500. If you are going to pay that much, you might as well buy the 5 female lot from PIA for $600. One of the females will eventually turn into a male.
 
Revilo said:
Hawaiian Longfin pairs are not worth $800. The acceptable price range is $500. If you are going to pay that much, you might as well buy the 5 female lot from PIA for $600. One of the females will eventually turn into a male.
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Yeah, i figured that much, thank you. I did consider buying that lot of Ventralis, but had a bad shipping expierence with last order from PIA and fish come DOA, PIA took care of my refund, but i don't want to risk it with delicate fish like Ventralis, btw. I have great local source for those anyway, thanks again. :)
 
Their sudden price raise is due to the collectors in Hawaii raising there price to about $200 then wholesalers sell them for $400 and you buy them for $800. They used to be $125 a couple years back for wholesalers.
 
I've seen the MI in wholesale lately and granted they are cheap, but I think that $800 is insane for ventralis. Especially given their delicate nature and such. Bottom line is they don't have high success rates for anthias. Most smaller anthias don't in home aquaria. I have bought plenty of $400+ dollar fish, but I'd like them to A) have a decent life span given great parameters, and B) be somewhat hardy to begin with

Ventralis anthias have neither of those qualities
 
I got my ventralis (Philippines) for $100 a piece. That's about as much as I would pay for a small fish.

I would only make exceptions to that if the fish could be bred in captivity or has a long lifespan (>10 years).
 
Healthy, eating, properly decompressed, you can see them in person - sounds like they are worth a premium.
 
jmicky41 said:
Healthy, eating, properly decompressed, you can see them in person - sounds like they are worth a premium.
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Yes, I agree, however they are still very finicky, temperamental and have a relatively short lifespan. But again, to each their own,
The OP was asking if it's worth it for that money. We all have opinions
 
d-man said:
Yes, I agree, however they are still very finicky, temperamental and have a relatively short lifespan. But again, to each their own,
The OP was asking if it's worth it for that money. We all have opinions
Click to expand...

Is the short life span because of the water temp most reefers keep their tank at?
 
solitude127 said:
Is the short life span because of the water temp most reefers keep their tank at?
Click to expand...
I don't think that is the primary reason with Anthias, or at least the smaller ones.
I'm also wondering how valid the claims are that these come from a different temperature zone as the mixed layer goes usually down to 500 m and the temperatures are fairly constant over the first 200 m.
So, unless they are only found in upwelling areas, they should be fine with temperatures between 23 and 25°C.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
 
Hey MARK54321, which local store had the fish? Maybe they can get more?
A collector friend once told me he could catch 12 and that 11 would be dead by the time he got to the surface. Some of the collectors have figured out how to decompress the fish and now they show up for sale once in a while.

$800 for a pair is a lot of money but if you can see them in person before you buy then it may be worth it if there is a next time.
 
John Dawe said:
Hey MARK54321, which local store had the fish? Maybe they can get more?
A collector friend once told me he could catch 12 and that 11 would be dead by the time he got to the surface. Some of the collectors have figured out how to decompress the fish and now they show up for sale once in a while.

$800 for a pair is a lot of money but if you can see them in person before you buy then it may be worth it if there is a next time.
Click to expand...
They can get more, I am sure, this is best store in Chicagoland and I would say Midwest area, Their fish are always top notch and they get all kind of rare fish. I don't think I can post their name here, but if you want send me PM and I can tell you what store it is. They ship as well now.
 
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