Rare clown?

[velvetelvis]

No. I'm not kidding. Your post confirms what I was saying. You list what you do, and how expensive it is, then state how cheap wild fish are. How are you to produce fish of the same quality as Mother Nature, and still be competitive?

I applaud what you're doing. Every fish you sell is one left on the reef. That's a great thing, and I really hope you make some good money doing it.

...The big companies are producing low quality fish, at low prices. High quality Wild fish are entering the country at low prices. How can you compete with this if it costs you more to produce the fish, than it does them??????

With all due respect, we hobbyists bear the brunt of the responsibility here. If we're willing to pay a little more for high-quality CB fish, knowing that we're helping to save wild populations and their commensal anemones, instead of always trying to get a bargain, it will become more profitable for aquaculturists to breed and sell high-quality fish. Demand drives the market.

 

[auem]

With all due respect, we hobbyists bear the brunt of the responsibility here. If we're willing to pay a little more for high-quality CB fish, knowing that we're helping to save wild populations and their commensal anemones, instead of always trying to get a bargain, it will become more profitable for aquaculturists to breed and sell high-quality fish. Demand drives the market.

problem is,i am sure that 80% people who own a marine/reef tank,see it as a 'ornament' or 'showpiece' literally....easily replaceable..it's a package to them and lower the cost,better the bargain...market thrive for them...:debi:

 

[DeathWish302]

I visit LFS's all over central Florida, and beyond. Most of them get their CB clowns from large companies. (That shall remain nameless) Most of these fish I see are malnourished. They're skinny with bones sticking out everywhere. They simply look sickly.IMHO

I don't know about malnourished, as all fish I have seen from such un-named companies appear fine for the most part (read: for the most part) IMO. Are some stragglers sent out for sale....sure. I've grown many of the same big 3 breeders' juvie stocks to finally find a 'perfect' specimen for my broodstock.

There's a thread, in this forum, taking place right now, where someone is showing off their new CB clowns. Both clowns are deformed. This isn't the exception. It's common place with CB clowns. You will have a very hard time trying to find a deformed WC clown.

I've seen the threads and not willing to step on feelings for the sake or winning the argument. So, I will say they are some perty fish and some not-so-much.

Practice and money. Large systems, man power, high quality foods, and water changes, all cost money. If you're in this for the money, the less money you spend on these things, the higher your bottom line will be. Unfortunately most hobbyists don't know a deformed clown when they see one, or they simply don't care. IDK????

I understand what your saying, as I ceased growing out the common clowns since I was tired of unloading some 100+ fish at $2-5/pc. The electricty, water bill, salt, food & other dry goods weren't covered by that amount. That's not even considering my time investment. I did it to prove it was possible. If you want a $100 common clown that's perfect and YOU are willing to show the green, we can talk. The market will not support that when most small mom and pop shops hold fish sometimes for 6+ months before moving clowns. I'm looking to buy a Fire Clown from a LFS just b/c the poor thing has been in that tank for over a year. With that kind of overhead, whom would hold $100 'perfect' common clowns...? NO ONE!

You can have your bottom line as much as you want, but the problem is not the breeder. The problem is the consumer that is buying these fish at lower and lower prices. Why else would anyone shop at Wally World? (And for your info, I DON'T!)

TO finalize my comments, I think some breeders have not mastered the art of culling. Yes, there are some clowns that are sold that should not be. I've grown out a few myself to find more perfect specimens. Is that the fault of the breeder when some defects are not nearly enough visible until the fish reaches 2-3 years? I don't think so. I'm not breeding for money, but as a hobby and buyer beware I do care what I sell to the general population. That's also why I'm not mass breeding like others' but really only when the fancy hits me to raise another clutch.