Possible to get WC black o's from down under?

criccio

Premium Member
My LFS told me that they had an opportunity to get a pair of WC black o's. Does anybody know if WC are coming out of Australia at this time, and if so, how would one go about validating the fact that they are WC and not TB (paper trail???)?

Also, are there any physical characteristics one could see to differentiate the TB from the WC?
 
as far as i heard, they are not bringing those out due to the low price. If they have quota, I think they rather export A.lazto. TR black o are so common
 
low price?? are we talking about the same fish?
Black O's from Darwin are running several hundreds of dollars, that is why they are not being brought up very much. if in fact you can afford them buy them. bloodlines here are getting very thin and fresh stock would be very valuable.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7808202#post7808202 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stykthyn
low price?? are we talking about the same fish?
Black O's from Darwin are running several hundreds of dollars, that is why they are not being brought up very much. if in fact you can afford them buy them. bloodlines here are getting very thin and fresh stock would be very valuable.

Sorry maybe I used the wrong term, but here in Micighan, we have local breeder here. They are usually selling for US$100 a pair.

Especially a few captive breeders - ORA, local MI, others are breeding them here in the US, they do come a bit easier.

I do agreed that bloodline is getting very thin as last I heard, most of the bloodline nowadays was coming from the original shipment 10 yrs ago that went to ORA. And heard from multiple breeder (and my poor purchase experience), that a large number of them will develop flared gills.

My original point was wondering on the validity of the claim of the newly imported wild, not whether it is good/bad to import here.:rollface:
 
TR fish are a dime a dozen. a true WC pair would be worth quite a lot to breeders. lately I have only seen misbarred fish for sale. quite depressing when that is all that is available.
as for the validity the price tag will tell.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7808939#post7808939 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stykthyn
as for the validity the price tag will tell.

I disagree in the sense that the supplier can charge the LFS whatever they want, and how would the LFS be any the wiser if he was getting TB or WC. That's why I'm asking about some sort of paper trail, or physical characteristics.
 
Chris,

A few WC ones have been available recently (last 2-3 months), but I haven't heard of any pairs. Most of the ones I've seen have been juveniles or young males with a bit of color still on the nose. While the WC ones have a slightly different body shape (fuller, more "balanced" than the CB ones) and swim with a slightly different motion, there really isn't a "paper trail" from catcher to LFS. The best bet is to work with someone who you know is reputable, and deals with reputable exporters, and they should be able to confirm WC. I will say, though, that you definitely can see a difference in the young WC from the young CBs in the LFSs recently.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7811055#post7811055 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fingerwrinkles
Chris,

A few WC ones have been available recently (last 2-3 months), but I haven't heard of any pairs. Most of the ones I've seen have been juveniles or young males with a bit of color still on the nose. While the WC ones have a slightly different body shape (fuller, more "balanced" than the CB ones) and swim with a slightly different motion, there really isn't a "paper trail" from catcher to LFS. The best bet is to work with someone who you know is reputable, and deals with reputable exporters, and they should be able to confirm WC. I will say, though, that you definitely can see a difference in the young WC from the young CBs in the LFSs recently.

how much are the WC ones going for in CA?
 
Last ones I saw were only $50 each. Unfortunately the tank was empty. This is about the same price the LFS charges for CB black ocellaris. Seems there are a few coming in these days as it was only a week and a half ago or so that I saw them.
 
Thanks fw and Dan.

It's reassuring (for a possible future purchase) to know they are trickling in. I have a CB pair now, and am very curious to see the differences.

FWIW, my LFS cost was $200 for the pair.
 
Dan,

Who had wild caught for $50?? The only dealer that I know had them locally was almost selling them for that much?! Sure that they were not TR??

tyler
 
they were labeled wc from australia and I asked if they reaaly were wc. I was told yes they were. It was at AC
 
If you or your LFS can work with the importer, it is VERY easy to have the paper trail, as all live things imported must be come with the paper work. AU has a lot of paper work...

If nothing else the wholesaler should be able to request a copy of the paper work from the importer, as the importer is required to keep that paper for a period of time (dont remember the exact amount right now, but it is not so short that they would toss it between time you would inquire and they imported them).
 
Oh, BTW the last word I had was that the collector working blacks was eaten by a salty and that no one had started collecting again...
 
One of the more productive collecters was eaten by a saltie, but that was a while ago, the WC black ocellaris are pretty common over here though. I found a breeding pair for $38AU, so there are a few of them being caught.
The most likely reason for a shortage of blacks in the US is the hassle with customs and exportation laws. Aus is very strict, so it probably isn't profitable over all.
 
EDR42 ... when I was down there two years ago in the April / May timeframe I looked high and low for any in NSW and Q'land but came up completely empty. At that time there were a few folks who claimed to have them, but they all turned out to be polymnus. Supposedly a couple collectors out of Cairns could get them, but they really weren't a priority and came in only sparingly.

Chris, hope you can get your hands on a couple ... they have a lot more "waggle" than the CB and the colors appear to be more intense. Their eating, however, is not as voracious as the CBs and they seem to be a bit pickier / hesitant. Retail out here is about the same as what you're seeing, although if there was a bonded (or even better, mated) WC pair I would guess the price would be well above the $200 mark.
 
Robin,

Turns out that I got two good pairs out of the batch that you picked from! No signs of breeding yet, but definately bonded.

tyler
 
There are CB black ocellaris being brought over from Australia. I would want some documentation before I put down a lot of money for Black ocellaris because someone assumes that because they are from Australia they must be wild caught. This week's wholesale prices on CB black ocellaris in SoCal are ~$30. $50 retail sounds about right. If you like the fish great, but just because it says they are from Australia on the invoice does not mean they are wild caught.
 
Well, my lfs brought in two "WC" black o's with his AU shipment, there's no paperwork though. They're small with colored noses still, and they're selling for 2 bills. He got in some nicely colored chrys as well, so I'll be checking them out tomorrow. If they're anything special I'll get some pics.
 
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