Rarity = Attractiveness / Demand

I think it also has something to do with the time spent looking for the fish. The longer one is in pursuit of a certain fish, the more I think they become attached to the idea of having it and wanting it even more. With common fish, this "waiting" period does not exist.

I looked for a chestnut eel for four years, and while it is an inexpensive fish it was very hard to track one down. I'm not going to lie, the length of the search added even more excitement to an already amazing fish.

With the "boring" (whatever that means, it depends on who is judging the fish) rare fish, I think they are mostly for people more interested in the "chase" than they are the actual appearance or mannerisms of the fish. There is nothing wrong with that so long as they take good care of it.
 
I buy fish on how they look not what it costs to me and if i really want a fish that is expensive i just save up for it . People who worry about how much stuff costs in this hobby picked the wrong hobby, to start, we pay $4.50 a pound for rock which my parents look at me like im retarded lol and some 1" frags costing $60 and up. And often times those more expensive fish are harder to get. If you cant fork out the bones take up another hobby like picking your nose or collecting coins so you can save that money you dont wanna spend. ;) lol
 
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I think the equation is more like Rarity = Attractiveness X Demand ^ Availability. Because if anyone of the the three factors increases the rarity follows. Also Demand equals number of corals per 6.0221415×10^23 reefers. Attractiveness is rated on a scale much like joules. For example; an oregon tort is 1 kilojoule and a fuzzy mushroom is 25 joules, the input for this is to be converted to kilojoules. Demand is a constant as we are all always in the hunt for new rare coral to the same degree.
I think that settles it:D
 
I think this is a great thread topic! I think rarity has a key factor, for me its not wanting to havevthe same tank as everyone else. I love the many different possibilities this hobby has to offer. At the same time,money obviously dictates over everything, doesn't mean I can't save! I'd love a clarion probably more then any other fish,but I can't let myself pull the trigger for 2k on a fish. If they ever dropped below a grand, I'd definitely pick one up.
 
LukFox said:
I think it also has something to do with the time spent looking for the fish. The longer one is in pursuit of a certain fish, the more I think they become attached to the idea of having it and wanting it even more. With common fish, this "waiting" period does not exist.

I looked for a chestnut eel for four years, and while it is an inexpensive fish it was very hard to track one down. I'm not going to lie, the length of the search added even more excitement to an already amazing fish.

With the "boring" (whatever that means, it depends on who is judging the fish) rare fish, I think they are mostly for people more interested in the "chase" than they are the actual appearance or mannerisms of the fish. There is nothing wrong with that so long as they take good care of it.
Click to expand...

I completely agree with you! I looked for some potter's leopard wrasses for two years. I could have bought them online, but I wanted to get them at the LFS to make sure they looked healthy and were eating. I finally got two of them three weeks ago and they are worth every minute I waited :)
 
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I go purely by looks or unique personality, unfortunately I find that typically means it's either rare and expensive, not reef safe, or needs a 300g tank.
 
I like owning fish that are unique and won't be found in everyone's tank. Unfortunately, I'm only 17 and have a minimum wage job so I can't.....yet.
 
I would agree that there are a lot of people that confuse rare with endangered and in this hobby rare is more "not often collected" than anything else. I think it is human nature to be drawn towards the unattainable and I would agree that when we see something rare or never seen in the trades we feel the need to acquire it at all cost. I personally have a pretty expensive collection of Wrasses and you will find great examples of the rare over beauty when it comes to wrasses. Take the Rhomboid a very beautiful fish and fairly pricey, then you look at the Marjorie Wrasse a very rare and much more pricey fish than the Rhomboid and not nearly as beautiful. The attractiveness of the Marjorie is the collection process and what it takes to get it to our tanks. I am guilty of putting rare at the front of the line on some occaisons.
 
I do agree with the "I want a unique reef" concept, as long as the specimen is attractive to me. Price has rarely been an issue.
Great comparison with the rhomboid and majorie wrasse. Never quite saw what some reefers see in a chaotti wrasse, but lack of availability does increase intrest IMO...
 
Thanks everyone for the comments on the subject. I also agree with the comments about just wanting to get something you don't see everyday just to seem something different.

I remember when I first got into Saltwater, (live in Michigan so freshwater was obviously my first love) and everytime I went to the fish store I would see something new and exciting that I wanted. Now I have had just about everything, and going to the store, or looking on-line isn't as much of a thrill as it use to be. When I do see something I haven't seen before, or a great specimin of something, you get that thrill again.

I think this is the genius of Diver's Den, it's a daily look into something that might be something you have not seen before, or at least don't see at any LFS on the corner.
 
LOL. I wish price WASN'T an issue! Of course, in that case there would already be a 600 gallon reef in my bedroom, complete with many rare fish, the more beautiful the better.
But I also have a soft spot for the truly weird.
And if it was a RARE angel, it would be there in that 600..

Diver Dan: Love your physics class dude!!

Matthew
 
it seems that every time that i went into a lfs when i was beginning in the late 80s i would pick out the most expensive fish in the store . not because i looked at the price but because of the uniqueness of the specimen .now its the same thing ,i know of most every fish that is sold and the "normal" fish just do twist my arm .my wife also has this same disease ,she has a great eye for the expensive and rare . they do go hand in hand for a reason but even the basic fish do have stunning colors and markings if you really look at them . i think we just like something different plain and simple !
 
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