Purple tang "season"

S

screamin 99

New member
Does anyone know when purple tangs are readily available? Is there a collection season for them like there is hunting and trapping seasons for wild game? Seems like I have been looking for a good while for one now with no luck.
 
I read that the turmoil in Yemen, a main shipping point for Red Sea fish is making it hard to get many Red sea animals right now. I have 3 of these great fish, got them in Nov., several years ago.
 
MrTuskfish said:
I read that the turmoil in Yemen, a main shipping point for Red Sea fish is making it hard to get many Red sea animals right now. I have 3 of these great fish, got them in Nov., several years ago.
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This is true. Happened after the bombs were found there.

Expect Red Sea fish to be more scarce, and I wouldn't be surprised to see pricing similar to that of years ago (~$200-300 purple tang).
 
stunreefer said:
This is true. Happened after the bombs were found there.

Expect Red Sea fish to be more scarce, and I wouldn't be surprised to see pricing similar to that of years ago (~$200-300 purple tang).
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This is absolutely heartbreaking news : ( I really wouldn't mind dropping the coin for one but dang near double the price that's a bummer.
 
I agree with the above, have heard that the general turmoil across the region and the fact that so many US warships are in the area will make availability sporadic, and of course prices will go up.
 
What MrTuskfish says is true about the area's current state. I saw several purples available earlier this year (prices were high and availability was spotty back then, too), but thinking on it now it could have just been a coincidence. Just keep your eyes open I suppose.
 
Does this problem with Yemen and the sporadic availability of red sea animals have any adverse effects on the health of the fish that do get shipped in during these times?
 
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screamin 99 said:
Does this problem with Yemen and the sporadic availability of red sea animals have any adverse effects on the health of the fish that do get shipped in during these times?
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The main problem is that Fed-Ex, (and probably other companies) are not servicing Yemen. I sure don't know for sure, but that could delay holding times by collectors; take it from there.
 
MrTuskfish said:
I read that the turmoil in Yemen, a main shipping point for Red Sea fish is making it hard to get many Red sea animals right now. I have 3 of these great fish, got them in Nov., several years ago.
Click to expand...

Bummer, but perhaps my Asfur Angel and Sohal Tang are now worth more....JK
 
I have seen Purple Tangs throughout the year in Egypt and Jordan (although illegal). There is no seasonality. But from what I have been told in Egypt, the smaller ones are seasonal and are usually caught in the same place (south of Egypt - North of Sudan). Regarding Yemen, I have no clue as we have never received any shipments from thereng, but I would imagine the scarcity is due to the cargo ban and not anything else.
 
kirkaz said:
Bummer, but perhaps my Asfur Angel and Sohal Tang are now worth more....JK
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I would have sold my Sohal for a song about a month ago. It raced across the tank and took out the eye of my Spiny Box. We just happened to see it; no warning or reason. The box needed some amateur surgery, antibiotics, and a few weeks of TLC in QT. He's doing well, lost an eye, and living in a quieter tank.

On the subject: I believe most PTs are collected in the southern Red Sea area and Yemen has great reefs.....and HAD good air service. I'd think collectors would find a way to use Saudi Arabia as a base; but who knows.
 
i saw several at a wholesalers in LA recently but they said they were holding onto them since it looks like for the foreseeable future it will be almost impossible for them to get red sea fish. I guess they are going to wait for prices to get sky high before they sell the two dozen or so I saw they had.
 
NCSUsalt said:
i saw several at a wholesalers in LA recently but they said they were holding onto them since it looks like for the foreseeable future it will be almost impossible for them to get red sea fish. I guess they are going to wait for prices to get sky high before they sell the two dozen or so I saw they had.
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A futures market for SW fish, great! It sure sounds more exciting than dealing in soybeans and pork bellies!
 
coralreefhq said:
I didn't know there was a seasonal collection date for purples, does this apply to all fishes then?
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An interesting question. This is just an educated guess; but I think the farther from the equator, the higher the chances of a seasonal collection period. From years of buying and looking at SW fish, it doesn't seem that most fish are seasonal. Most reef fish don't migrate and reef water temps vary very little in most places, but weather could keep collectors at the dock. BTW, I don't think PTs are a "seasonal" fish....several Great Barrier Reef fish, like harlequin tusks are seasonal. The same fish (but not as pretty, IMO) from Indonesia is not.
 
coralreefhq said:
I didn't know there was a seasonal collection date for purples, does this apply to all fishes then?
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Yes, it does to some degree for all corals and fish. Depending on location, most equatorial regions where livestock is collected experience monsoon seasons when the seas can be rough and the water turbid for weeks at a time. That makes collection very difficult. It tends to be the northern hemisphere summer season when the tropics experience their monsoons, so it's not uncommon for availability to be limited during those times.
 
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