how hard to find watanabe?

catdoc

catdoc

Premium Member
Has anyone special-ordered watanabe angels? If so, how long should I expect it to take? I'm just getting frustrated b/c I'd put in a hefty deposit for a pair 3 months ago and still nothing. :( If this is a typical wait, I will try to hold out a bit longer but I sure didn't expect it to take this long. (The retailer is an RC sponsor with a stellar reputation, so I don't think I'm getting scammed.) This pair was to be my centerpiece, so I'm trying so hard to be patient and not "settle" for something else.
 
These fish are showing up now, and have been for the past month or two. Liveaquaria has had several females at reasonable prices. I haven't seen any males show up there, but they are bound to be around.

They are great angels.... and worth the wait. Just keep your eyes open as Marine Center, Jeff's and Fraggle Reef have had them as well (both male and female).

-Rob
 
Depends on what kind of connections your LFS has. Fish like these get grabbed up by most of the major California companies and the big online dealers and rarely make it to the midwest or east coast.
Many of the major websites have been getting them in on a regular basis. I believe Marine Center has male and females so there may be a limited supply of this fish being collected right now.
Does your LFS generally sell healthy fish because these do not always show up in real good shape due to the collection method used when they are brought up from the deeper waters.
If the fish come in and they are having a hard time swimming straight then they probably have swim bladder damage which is a very common problem with this fish. If they do arrive in this condition I would recommend putting them in a quarantine tank as they will have a very difficult time competing for food with the other fish in your tank and will slowly waste away.
This is by far my favorite fish and the original pair I got a few years ago had swim bladder damage and didn't make it. I almost gave up my dream of having these fish until my favorite LFS got in a very healthy pair so I had to jump on them. I have had them for over a year and they are doing great.
Good luck.
 
I am actually going to Maui in a month and meeting a friend of mine that is attending grad school there and is working on farming watanabe angels. As a matter of fact, I am scheduled to do a dive and see them in the wild. I just might capture few. He has a collectors license so if we catch anything interesting...its coming home with me on the plane
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8188887#post8188887 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by triggerfish1976
Depends on what kind of connections your LFS has. Fish like these get grabbed up by most of the major California companies and the big online dealers and rarely make it to the midwest or east coast.
Many of the major websites have been getting them in on a regular basis. I believe Marine Center has male and females so there may be a limited supply of this fish being collected right now.
Click to expand...

The retailer isn't local to me, but they are very well-respected here at RC. I don't want to name them since I don't want to make what some would read as criticism. They get in quite a few unusual fish and he does QT/make sure they are eating before selling them. He said they are showing up on his wholesalers lists again but he hasn't been able to grab them yet.

I'm glad to hear that you're happy with your new pair, it motivates me to remain patient that this'll all be worth the wait. :;
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8189485#post8189485 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mjdlonghorn
aquaticbliss.com had some about a week and a half ago. I will post here if I see any others.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I was eying them big-time on their site and even emailed the store owner a bit about them. I was on the verge of getting my original deposit back when someone else spotted them.
 
:dance: I just got an email that my pair have arrived at the retailer and he's got them in QT. :dance: Keeping my fingers crossed that all goes well and I get them in a couple of weeks.
 
you might want to call atlantis they have had a pair for a while now. they ship fast to, and also have a DOA guarantee only on rare/hard to get fish


LINK
 
watanabes aren't found in Hawaii... I dont know where you intend to dive for them in this area. :) You cannot collect them without an individual license (legally anyway) Each person involved in the collection has to have their own license.

The ones coming from indo/phillipines are crap... they are cheap but are collected and handled like crap. Rarely will a male survive the trip to the wholesaler nevermind a LFS and then to your tank.

I will only get them from australia and very rarely are they availble from there.

i would make sure they are QTd for a minimum of 2 weeks at the LFS/online vendor before you buy them. And don't be surpised if the male is DOA. For some reason males are bad shippers.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8200155#post8200155 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rickbirdman
you might want to call atlantis they have had a pair for a while now. they ship fast to, and also have a DOA guarantee only on rare/hard to get fish


LINK
Click to expand...

I just checked that link and while they have watanabe on the list, it's not as an "in-stock" item. Unless they have them but have not marked them on their web site. Either way, my pair is now at the retailer and going through QT before he ok's shipping. (Or I make a road-trip to pick them up in person.)
 
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