soooooo this is a 40$ fish?

smartwater101

smartwater101

New member
I really like a lot of small fish in a reef tank. Things like eviota gobies are a great addition IMO. But they always seem to be so pricey. Am I missing something? Is there a "little fish" that I have overlooked? I'm not talking small chromis (lol though I am hoping for chromis pricing)

0913131-103.jpg

http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemDisplay.cfm?c=2733+3&ddid=201470

20$-40$ for this size fish just seems silly. Surely there is a cheap saltwater "minnow type" fish that would do well in a 10-20 group?

Okay... rant over. :) Any thoughts?
 
Most of the tiny fish like that live solitary lives. And they live in the rock work. So collecting them is not an easy or quick task.

Unfortunately for something to get to you at under $15 it has to go through usually 3+ sources that all have to charge for their services and then also the cost to transport the fish.

So the costs go up quite a bit.

However, both ORA and Sustainable Aquatics are breeding the neon gobies here in the states. The fish are very healthy and strong. And if you can get your LFS to buy direct from either of those suppliers you might be able to get the fish you are looking for at a reasonable price.

Dave B
 
I figured it would sell quick (they usually do)

Its too bad. I have a few eviota gobies and would like to get more. These small fish can be a really neat addition.
 
myst said:
Do they exhibit any schooling behavior?
Click to expand...
No they perch in the rocks and some corals. Darting in and out (much like neon gobies) they do stick together though which is fun to watch. Minor aggression from time to time but otherwise in the same area.
ta6.jpg
 
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o2manyfish said:
Most of the tiny fish like that live solitary lives. And they live in the rock work. So collecting them is not an easy or quick task.

Unfortunately for something to get to you at under $15 it has to go through usually 3+ sources that all have to charge for their services and then also the cost to transport the fish.

So the costs go up quite a bit.

However, both ORA and Sustainable Aquatics are breeding the neon gobies here in the states. The fish are very healthy and strong. And if you can get your LFS to buy direct from either of those suppliers you might be able to get the fish you are looking for at a reasonable price.

Dave B
Click to expand...

Do neon gobies do well in larger groups? I've only had 2 at a time and even they wouldn't get along.
 
smartwater101 said:
I figured it would sell quick (they usually do)

Its too bad. I have a few eviota gobies and would like to get more. These small fish can be a really neat addition.
Click to expand...


I love me some little micro-gobies! Not enough to spend 40 bucks on one though. :D

I've had good luck with neons pairing up, perhaps just luck of the draw getting male/female, who knows. I do have two in the QT right now who are totally ignoring one another, so perhaps my streak has come to an end ...

I had two masked gobies (Coryphopterus personatus) who TOTALLY didn't get along. The larger one very quickly harassed the smaller one to death. I won't own those again.

Trimma gobies (T. cana and T. rubromaclatus) get along fine in groups. They are so small though, I don't think I would have them again in anything bigger than perhaps a 20. They're really more a pico fish than nano.

I always wanted a pair of those Eviota pellucida gobies like the one pictured above! Never was able to find them locally though, and I'm too cheap to pay shipping.

Right now my quest is a pair of yellow line gobies (Elactinus figaro). ORA is the only source, so finding them has been a challenge.
 
I wonder if the fact that Japanese fishes are temperate water critters makes a difference to their availability. I know there are a couple of Japanese fishes I've been after for awhile now, but I'm getting "closer"...
 
dixiedog said:
I love me some little micro-gobies! Not enough to spend 40 bucks on one though. :D

I've had good luck with neons pairing up, perhaps just luck of the draw getting male/female, who knows. I do have two in the QT right now who are totally ignoring one another, so perhaps my streak has come to an end ...

I had two masked gobies (Coryphopterus personatus) who TOTALLY didn't get along. The larger one very quickly harassed the smaller one to death. I won't own those again.

Trimma gobies (T. cana and T. rubromaclatus) get along fine in groups. They are so small though, I don't think I would have them again in anything bigger than perhaps a 20. They're really more a pico fish than nano.

I always wanted a pair of those Eviota pellucida gobies like the one pictured above! Never was able to find them locally though, and I'm too cheap to pay shipping.

Right now my quest is a pair of yellow line gobies (Elactinus figaro). ORA is the only source, so finding them has been a challenge.
Click to expand...

The red striped and red spotted gobies are pretty cool. I'll have to do some digging and see if I can't find something in bulk.
 
I had a pair of redheaded gobies for a couple years. They were cheap back then, haven't priced them lately. Not sure how a group would do. They were always watching me, perching on whatever was available close to where I was sitting, even the glass LOL. We want small fish in our 140 that still hasn't been set up, so I'm glad to hear ORA is working on some breeding.
 
Are those gobies commercially bred? a farm bred chromis would probably cost 3x more than a wild one.

@ Smartwater101, why don't you do some snorkaling at catalina island or La jolla cove and see if you can net something interesting? I remember seeing lots of algae blennies in the rocky intertital zone at Long Beach also. Saw lots on grunions in the water (not on the beach). As I recall, only the garibaldi damsels were protected because they are visible in the public eye, don't know about other tiny fish like catalina gobies.
 
You also have to consider that it's $40 for THAT particular fish, not just one of that species. You pay more in the Diver's Den portion of Liveaquaria because you're buying a particular fish, the one in the picture.
 
homegrowncichli said:
Are those gobies commercially bred? a farm bred chromis would probably cost 3x more than a wild one.

@ Smartwater101, why don't you do some snorkaling at catalina island or La jolla cove and see if you can net something interesting? I remember seeing lots of algae blennies in the rocky intertital zone at Long Beach also. Saw lots on grunions in the water (not on the beach). As I recall, only the garibaldi damsels were protected because they are visible in the public eye, don't know about other tiny fish like catalina gobies.
Click to expand...

I like this idea. I was scuba certified last Nov so I prob need a refresher. I haven't gone diving in Los Angeles yet. Snorkeling would be fun too.
 
Garf.org sells their mollies for $1 a piece plus shipping. They are pretty cool and affordable and Sallie Jo is super nice to deal with.
 
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