Zebra tang for sale on DD today!!

I've learned over the years that most commercial entities have "back doors", and it is possible to get direct communication to people who can affect "non-standard" situations (like giving a discount on an advertised online price). I've notice that there's a group of posters who are on a first name basis and have met "industry insiders." It would not have surprised me if such a process existed with LA/DD (even with the Petco purchase).

This is a terrific example of supply-demand and 'willingness' to pay. I'm all for it, even if, at the end of the day, it precludes me given my personally imposed limits.

Last week DD sold a Ctenochaetus flavicauda almost immediately, now there is another for sale that's been there a few days at a higher price. I suppose there is a limited market even among the reef community, so it's possible for the prices to come down or at least lower.

Has LA/DD ever done any kind of auction (live, silent) for rare items? That might be fun to do on occasion.
 
Has LA/DD ever done any kind of auction (live, silent) for rare items? That might be fun to do on occasion.

Umm, no it wouldn't! :sad2: LA/DD never has, but I remember a wholesaler (I think it was Quality) 'auctioning' off the last batch of captive bred hybrid pygmy angels that Frank at RCT bred. It was kind of weird and I don't think it went well because the lfs basically had to find out what the max their customer would pay and then bid. Or the lfs just had to guess and place their own bid. Their starting wholesale bid was pretty high and I think most of the brood eventually sold for less.
 
Tell them you want 3 feminus females and the Lanceolatus. You could probably get someone on the phone...

Ha! I think just a person willing to spend their asking price on the Lanceolatus would do it! I've noticed not as many crazy fairy wrasse people out there compared to crazy angel people!
 
Umm, no it wouldn't! :sad2: LA/DD never has, but I remember a wholesaler (I think it was Quality) 'auctioning' off the last batch of captive bred hybrid pygmy angels that Frank at RCT bred. It was kind of weird and I don't think it went well because the lfs basically had to find out what the max their customer would pay and then bid. Or the lfs just had to guess and place their own bid. Their starting wholesale bid was pretty high and I think most of the brood eventually sold for less.

A wholesaler doing an auction seems fail...for the exact reasons you list.

I meant LA/DD having an auction more in regards to a special promotion preceding a big event or as a fund raiser.
 
I swear somewhere I saw the CB Clarions going for 2500$, Im sure you can get them directly from Wen for less than 3600$.
 
I believe I've seen two $3,000 fish on DD (Gem tang and Conspicuous Angel). Has there ever been anything higher than that?
This thread comes to mind: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2225237&highlight=narcosis

a year or so ago there was a trident tailed Achilles tang that was in the preview for DD but didn't show up on the for sale list. I mentioned maybe someone called and bought the fish before it was put on the site. Kevin responded saying they don't do that so I was assuming the same would be true if your on a tour there but I understand the differences involved. It was another 5 or 6 days before the fish actually was for sale on DD.
That doesn't happen very often, but does a few times a year. My understanding is that typically it's due to not being able to get an acceptable photo.

Plus, they're only going to 'haggle' once it is concluded that a particular fish is overpriced and will not sell. Even then, its usually just a posted price reduction on the website.
Exactly; much less hassle from the retailer's standpoint too.

It was big. I am not certain, but wouldn't have called it a juvenile. It didn't show itself much compared to the much smaller Philippine version also in the tank. They were in one of Kevin's office tanks.
Are you sure it was a lanceolatus, and not a cf. lanceolatus or a lunatus? When you say "the much smaller Philippine version also in the tank" this makes me think one of those two labels instead.
 
Are you sure it was a lanceolatus, and not a cf. lanceolatus or a lunatus? When you say "the much smaller Philippine version also in the tank" this makes me think one of those two labels instead.

I emailed Kevin for more information but he's out of the office until tomorrow. Hopefully he comes back with some insightful info!

I remember Kevin saying he had one or two c. lanceolatus juveniles before. I can't remember if he said they made it or not.
 
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I emailed Kevin for more information but he's out of the office until tomorrow. Hopefully he comes back with some insightful info!

I remember Kevin saying he had one or two c. lanceolatus juveniles before. I can't remember if he said they made it or not.

They weren't labeled because they were in his office. I saw the cf lance almost immediately(being the significantly smaller one) and started talking to him about it, that is when he said the much larger one in the tank is a true lance from Japan.
 
I saw both of them this weekend as well at the tour and they were stunning. They caught my eye and of course they were well above what I would pay for a fish.
 
They weren't labeled because they were in his office. I saw the cf lance almost immediately(being the significantly smaller one) and started talking to him about it, that is when he said the much larger one in the tank is a true lance from Japan.

Once again...oh man, oh man!
 
Well we will see how much the other one goes for in the next week or two but at this point Im betting on over 1K for sure probably closer to 1200$ like the last since it wouldn't make any sense to sell it for anything less being that it was for sale for less than 24 hrs:mad::eek:
 
They weren't labeled because they were in his office. I saw the cf lance almost immediately(being the significantly smaller one) and started talking to him about it, that is when he said the much larger one in the tank is a true lance from Japan.

False alarm guys...

Per Kevin's email: "Perhaps I confused some of the folks on our recent Open House event when I was babbling about my passion for Fairy Wrasse, and some specific fishes in my office aquariums. The first fish which comes to mind is my large Philippine Pintail Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus cf lanceolatus) which I have had for quite some time now, which resides in the same aquarium as a very large, and very shy terminal phase male Cirrhilabrus rosefascia with a nice lanceolate caudal fin. I was stating how C. rosefascia resembles C. lanceolatus from Japan so perhaps that is where the confusion lies"

Total bummer. Back to dreaming about the fish. And it was Kevin who had a juvenile C. lanceolatus a couple of years back that he got from Koji. It did well for four months and died one day out of the blue. He hasn't had another since.
 
D, how do you know there's another one coming?
I'm guessing that was based on this earlier statement in the thread:
This tang was an awesome size, saw it cruising the tank and looking good this past weekend. They had one more only slightly bigger than this one as well. Don't remember the price on that one offhand.


Total bummer. Back to dreaming about the fish.
Wayne, if you really want one, you'd best talk to Koji.
 
I'm guessing that was based on this earlier statement in the thread:




Wayne, if you really want one, you'd best talk to Koji.

He's the first person I asked! He's only had a small few that were usually accidentally caught by deep water trawlers. He hasn't had any in the last couple of years.
 
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