Mystery Wrasse Help

L

Laura Senchuk

New member
I am in love!! Saw a Mystery Wrasse at the lfs. I can't believe I am considering a fish for this much $$$ but it is SOOOO beautiful!! What do you all think, are they worth that kind of price? Are they hardy, shy, do you see it all the time? My lfs puts all his fish through weeks of quarantine so believe me when I say this fish looks great, very healthy looking. I like the way he does his fish, you can buy them when they first come in at 30% off or full retail once they are done in quarantine with a garantee. Anyway any help or advise before I take the plunge??
 
how much is he asking?? anything over 200$ is a rip off IMO...

they are very hardy, will eat anything, and are very active and out all the time. They will however become very territorial in time, and will kill many small fish when later introduced (most notably fairies wrasses).. so if you do get it, make sure its the last Smaller fish/wrasse you add. :)
 
He wants 200.00 so I guess I'm at the top of the price range. However he has gone thru quarantine and is healthy and eating very well. I am really not into fish as much as corals and all of my tanks have very few fish. Mostly just something to swim past once in a while. This fish would be the only fish in the tank if I get him, so no worries there. I don't think I have ever seen a fish I like the looks of more than this one. I guess I'm worried because it's more than I ever thought of paying for a fish. However that being said I would spend that in a heartbeat on great blasto or lords. But they have a higher chance of living and multiplying. What's a girl to do?
 
I just bought one stright out of the bag for 110...had him a week and he is doing fine. I would stright up ask the LFS if they can order you one for a much lower price if you buy it out of the bag.
 
out of the bag at $100 they are still making decent money. I have a store by me that sells them for 250 but another oen that the owner is a little better and sells them for <100. I wouldn't pay over 150 but that is me. I do like mine though. out most of the time just like my six line he bumped out of my rotation.
 
As for everyone quoting prices and how much you should be paying... well where is animal collected? The purple/lavender ones out of the Marshall Islands are far more common these days and command a cheaper price tag, meanwhile the ones from Vanuatu are red in the body and therefore fetch a higher price tag. The Vanuatu ones are definately worth the price tag but that's just me! It's like comparing what you should pay for a regal angel... is it an Indo or Red Sea? Also how many hands is it passing through before you get it?
Just my 2 cents!
 
I have a Vanuatu mystery wrasse and they are not THAAAAT much nicer than the MI ones. They are however, more $. Also, the Vanuatu ones aren't anymore red than the ones from MI. There are redder mystery wrasses, but that just has to do with the particular specimen and not from where it comes from. I've had MI mystery wrasses that were much more red than my current Vanuatu ones.

They are one of my favorite fish, incredible personality and looks. They've always looked like mini-dinosaurs to me. FWIW, making sure it is eating, and QT'd properly is important, especially for the MI ones. A lot of them have been coming in lately in very poor shape, with cloudy eyes. If you can acquire a healthy one, they are nearly indestructible.
 
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.... I prefer the Vanuatu ones! Having dealt with nearly 3 dozen specimens between the 2 locales the ones we get straight from Vanuatu mature with a nice cherry red body... the others develop the lavender body... maybe its just my sources...
 
the deeper the mystery is collected the more purple as well. Not just location. The average wholesale price for a mystery is around 80$. some have specials if they have to many. 200$ is actually a decent price considering they are only making 150% profit most of the time on mysteries. 110$ out of the bag is great, and the LFS is saying YES! since he doesn't have to chance it in his tanks and lose the money.

I would say go for it. they are awesome fish. Tell him you'll buy an acan colony if he lowers his price to 175 :)
 
the east coast is higher priced. I see them lately at $50 wholesale. The dinosaur thing is funny because they do have wierd looking faces. I love my wrasse and I didn't before I owned one.
 
Well I got him down to 180 and I love this fish!!!:D
Yes, I have nanos but he is now in a 24 gal all by himself, i won't be adding any other fish. The more I thought about it I realized that because I don't have many fish in any of my tanks mostly corals then why not get a fish that knocks my socks off!! I have a 7 day guarantee, he looks wonderful and is eating very well.
 
thant is awesome. mine didn't eat everything at first and still doesn't eat as much dry stuff as my blue tang or clown. he now eats mysis, prime flake, frozen formula one and two. formula one pellets. Still doesn't eat formula one pellets well and formula two pellets at all.
 
went out to Ocean Reef Aquatics in my area yesterday and Mario had probably 8 Mysteri's one has a blueish tint and looked really cool. never seen that before. another was more redish. the rest were the standard purple. all $95.
 
they will be cheaper if people aren't having them shipping in. im sure The place in Seattle is driving to the wholesaler and picking them out. So he has virtually NO overhead. 95$ is the cheapest retail price i've ever seen out side of Hawaii.... must be nice to live on the west coast :)
 
id say go for it but i guess $200 is really expenisive
BTW there was a linneauts (sp?) at our LFs today but i was mad cause i didnt have the $135 needed to buy it :(
 
you guys are being deceived. I was looking at a wholesale list with available mysteri's for $50. wholesale. That is not saving they are all that much. I could easily see $75 wholesale. out of bag it is easy to sell for $100.

And no he doesn't go pick them up at the wholesaler. most stores if they are smart have stuff shipped in to the airport and pick up orders there instead of fedex.
 
you dont find them for 50$ wholesale often, if ever. Most times they have to many and need to dump them off. I've seen them as high as 95$ wholesale. Cheapest i've seen is 40$ and the wholesaler only makes maybe 5-10$ on them. I know what most LA wholesalers sell them at and they aren't even close to 50$.... they can sell them for 50 if they are getting them straight from marshalls... or are buying 40+at a time. I know the divers price as well for mysteries, and 50 is not making much on them at all...
 
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