I think it's funny you guys are picking on Designer names for some big ticket fish but you don't think anything about Storm Clowns, Platinum Clowns, Wyoming Whites, etc.
20 years ago when clown breeding was just becoming commercialized I worked with an east coast company, I would pay for shipping and a couple of times a year they would ship me all their imperfect fish. I donated the fish out to schools and those in need.
If not for me finding them homes, these imperfect fish would be culled (killed). Then someone started labelling them Mis-Bars, Naked, and breeding for the misbar patterns - And 20 years later we have designer clownfish.
Some of the tangs we are talking about are one of a kind. They are variants in nature that aren't reproduceable. No different than a Mis-barred Regal Angel - Each one is unique.
When Koi Tangs first were found years back I was involved with selling several hundred of the first ones to make it to the US. "Koi" describes a pattern. Koi fish, Koi Swordtails. And When you have a tang with several colors patterned on it, its a Koi Tang - Is that a designer name? There are 1000's of this fish available. But they only come from one lagoon, they only come in large sizes, and it's a fish only attractive to some people. Being it's limited range this fish deserves a premium price. Is it a designer name or a descriptive name?
In 2019 I was given this sailfin tang. Your eyes do not deceive you, that's a hole thru the middle of the fish. It goes all the way thru, there is no scarring of the stripes of the fish. Just a clean hole thru it. Having been in this industry for decades and decades at both the wholesale, retail and collection level - I have never seen another fish with a perfect hole thru it. I have heard of a few being out there, but haven't come across another photo.
Does this fish deserve a special name to denote it from the rest of the sailfin's out there? I call him the "Rabbi" Tang - because it's the holiest fish out there. He got a write up on Reef builders several years back. Does this fish deserve a special name? If it's one of a kind and I name it the Rabbi tang... is it a designer name - Even if it will never be for sale?
(You can see the Rabbi Tang alive and well in our new 750g tank, watch it on the live webcam at o2manyfish.com)
Some fish deserve special notice. When you have a creature that has been reproducing to look exactly the same for the past couple hundred thousands of years when you come up with a one of a kind - Then it demands a special price. Back in the 90's I handled the sale of an Albino Imperator angel. A one of a kind fish, that garnered a special price, and has yet to be seen again. Does it not deserve a special name and demand a special price.
Now, to be fair some of these fish it would be immediately apparent to a child the fish is different from the norm. Things like a Milkyway Pattern, or a Bar-Code pattern - that you have to explain to a fish afishinado what makes it special - If you have to squint and defocus your eyes to see the 'uniqueness' of it - Does it deserve a special name?
And if it's a Unique Fish, is it a 'designer' name or just 'descriptive'.....
Dave B
reefprostore.com
