Zebra tang for sale on DD today!!

[OrionN]

Also no matter what others think I believe the Zebra is worth the more expensive price. Once your in this hobby for awhile the everyday fish aren't nearly as appealing anymore since everyone else has them... Rare fish are what I gravitate toward without question. Call it what you like but I'm sick of seeing flame angels and hippo tangs in everyone's tank, oh and let's not forget "Nemo". Talk about overpriced fish look at designer clowns!! Biggest scam there is and people gladly pay for them

What you like then 1200.00 fine. And what you don't like then 250.00 is a scam. Come on!!!!!
A fish is worth what ever someone willing to pay for it without regrets 6 months later. To each his own

 

[Dmorty217]

What you like then 1200.00 fine. And what you don't like then 250.00 is a scam. Come on!!!!!
A fish is worth what ever someone willing to pay for it without regrets 6 months later. To each his own

You took what I said too literally. To each his own indeed. For the record just because I like it doesn't mean I can afford it.

 

[Dmorty217]

What you like then 1200.00 fine. And what you don't like then 250.00 is a scam. Come on!!!!!
A fish is worth what ever someone willing to pay for it without regrets 6 months later. To each his own

I put a Ornate or Meyers BF with that group, so not just based on "rare and expensive". So yes I differentiate between the two

Just to back up what I'm actually saying... 30$ fish... This has nothing to do with cost of fish.

 

[ca1ore]

Affording the fish or not just not a wise investment.

Indeed not. Lots of things get collected for lots of reasons that have nothing to do with investment though. I certainly don't consider the resale value when I buy livestock for my tank :lol:

 

[deleau]

I get what you are saying Dmorty.

I've always felt similarities to the "101 Dalmatians" syndrome. Every time that movie is re-released, there is a surge in Dalmatian puppy sales followed by a surge in Dalmatians at the shelters in 6 months because they do not behave like the movie in real life.

Same with clowns. (This includes my own conjecture which could be off base, but until corrected it's my perception of things.) After "Nemo", there's a huge demand for clowns. Wild clowns have issues and soon some folks are breeding them in captivity (a good thing, mind you), then pretty soon genetics and probability take over and genetic mutations occur. Then marketing takes over and instead of "rejects", you now have "designer" clowns and can charge 10x over the price of a "normal" one. (n.b. nothing really here is wrong, and if a designer clown ever caught my eye, I'd have no problems having one)

The other aspects of this thread regarding rarities, preference and such has been insightful. Thanks everyone.

 

[ca1ore]

I meant no disrespect.

Oh, none taken. I simply decided maybe I'd been unclear - maybe still am :lol:

 

[WayneL333]

All that you mentioned are investments and have resale ability. I saw a show where they had a Koi that cost the guy 60M USD. That fish may live 30 years and can be resold in that show environment. A 1200.00 fish in a tank has no guarantee of longevity and would have limited or no resale value.

Affording the fish or not just not a wise investment.

I wasn't giving those examples becuase I meant buying a rare fish is an investment. I was citing those examples becuase the original poster didn't understand why people would buy rare fish in the hobby that only look slightly different than much cheaper, more common fish.

How about this anology: what do you get for buying a ticket and watching a movie? It's for entertainment value right? It's the same for a collector who affords such rare fish.

 

[Dmorty217]

How about this anology: what do you get for buying a ticket and watching a movie? It's for entertainment value right? It's the same for a collector who affords such rare fish.

Great anology. I would add college, NFL and NBA would fall under this all of which I also enjoy.

 

[WayneL333]

Great anology. I would add college, NFL and NBA would fall under this all of which I also enjoy.

Exactly! Would you pay $2k for the nosebleed seats for the upcoming mayweather fight that'll only last a few hours for the whole event? I certainly wouldn't but there are people who would pay a hundred Or a thousand times more because they love boxing.

 

[Dmorty217]

Exactly! Would you pay $2k for the nosebleed seats for the upcoming mayweather fight that'll only last a few hours for the whole event? I certainly wouldn't but there are people who would pay a hundred Or a thousand times more because they love boxing.

Well put Wayne.

 

[brett559]

Hey, I like my flame angel and blue tang....

Question for Dmorty217, you've got me curious. If it's not too much trouble, what is your stock list?

 

[OrionN]

Rare or not does not come into my equation too much but how challenging they are to keep does. Of course how beautiful or interesting is primary.
I love my flame angels. Imagine if flame angels are rare, many reefers would murder for them.
BTW. I love my Yellow tang just fine. Red fish yellow fish.... I love them

 

[CoralsAddiction]

Anyone has seen Zebra tangs in the wild? Curious what their numbers are like in the ocean and whether or not they shoal in large numbers like regular convicts. Or are they more solitary grazers?
The more I think about it the more fascinated I get with this glorified convict tang. Haha.

 

[Dmorty217]

Hey, I like my flame angel and blue tang....

Question for Dmorty217, you've got me curious. If it's not too much trouble, what is your stock list?

It starts and ends with a Melanurus wrasse and that's the only fish I have in my 220g. Before my stock was wiped out I had things like a Declivis, and Mitratus BF. Red Sea Regal, blue line angel, false personifer juv, Quoyi parrotfish, sargassum trigger, pair of potters angelfish, juv Aussy tusk, Bellus female... And a few others I'm sure I'm leaving out. Nothing overly expensive or super rare. Wednesday I get a Bandit and a Crosshatch male

 

[ca1ore]

Anyone has seen Zebra tangs in the wild? Curious what their numbers are like in the ocean and whether or not they shoal in large numbers like regular convicts. Or are they more solitary grazers?
The more I think about it the more fascinated I get with this glorified convict tang. Haha.

I don't know it you'll find an 'expert'. As far as I know, the Zebra is a regional variant of the Convict that occurs in the waters off Mauritius Island. Whether it is common there, or not, I cannot say (though it's one of my bucket list dive spots, so maybe some day). That it is 'rare' in the hobby may simply be a function of the logistical difficulties in collecting them - or maybe they are not that common. However, that they are a 'species', rather than aberrations, suggests that they must be common enough to have a sustainable breeding population. I'd imaging they form grazing shoals like most (all?) acanthurus do.

Somebody needs to go there and check it out!

 

[CoralsAddiction]

Somebody needs to go there and check it out!

Thanks! Yes somebody should go and report back to us

 

[brett559]

Dmorty, how did you lose all those AMAZING fish? Those are all incredible. What are your plans after your bandit and crosshatch? (Allow me to live vicariously through you...)

 

[Dmorty217]

Dmorty, how did you lose all those AMAZING fish? Those are all incredible. What are your plans after your bandit and crosshatch? (Allow me to live vicariously through you...)

Used bad CP off of eBay then dosed ich shield powder at the same dose (didn't follow directions) and lost them all to secondary infection. The Regal and Mitratus died within 2 days of treatment everyone else within a week or so. Lesson learned make sure the chloroquine phosphate isn't crap... After those two nothing until my house is built (should be September sometime) then moving and setting up the 625g FINALLY! Then is when the fish buying starts... There is a Conspicuous angel and some butterflies in that list but not really sure what exactly. I would like pairs and trios in the 625g. Another Bandit and some Regal angels. Should have everything to force feed by Wednesday also so I'm going to keep trying with Ornate and Meyers BF until I get one eating prepared foods

 

[evolved]

If a fish is hard to collect, is it hard because they come from such a remote location that it is expensive to get there and retrieve them? Is it hard to collect because that species is delicate, and the collection process makes survivability to our tanks low?

Sometimes it's one of these reasons, sometimes it's because of the depth at which the species is found. And sometimes it's some combination of some of those.

Also bear in mind, for the species which are collected at considerable depths, part of the price is paying for the risk the diver is assuming. And at those depths, the diver has a very limited amount of time to find and collect those fish; as few as ten minutes.

And to take those ideas a step further, part of the expense in the fish which require a rebreather to collect is paying for what's essentially skilled labor. There's only a small subset of re-breather divers which collect ornamentals.

So my question is, and really for people who are collectors of rare fish, what is it about the rare fish that is attractive? Is it because no one else in your club, state, country has one? Is it because it is a very difficult fish to keep alive in a tank? Is it because it has some aesthetic quality not seen in other similar fish?

Yes, yes, and yes. It just depends. Depends on the species and the collector, for that matter.

A fish is worth what ever someone willing to pay for it without regrets 6 months later. To each his own

I understand your point, but I just have to point out there's more to the pricing model than that. Most of the rare/expensive fish are not just high priced because the "can" be and someone will pay it.

To bring the focus back here, a good chunk of the price on polyzona is simply in the logistics and freight to just get them into the states.

 

[brett559]

Saw your tank on the Reefer of the Month thread. Looks amazing. Can you keep any corals with those fish? SPS maybe? Actually, it looks like most of those are "with caution" angels.

I've been following the recent Conspicuous thread, what an awesome fish.

Did ATM make your tank? Since it's not in the shape of a BBQ or a covered wagon, I'm guessing they didn't. You should add a shrimp and goby pair (just for irony).

Please do a build thread (if you have one already, please link). That would be a fun one to follow.