Does anyone else hate these fish prices these days

[Malum Argenteum]

... IDK I think that people will still do the same thing. Especially the people with too much money

You're not wrong. But, it will slow down those who gotta have a Dori and a Nemo and have a dirty 20g stored away in the basement.

 

[JustAnotherNanoTank]

I hate housing prices.

I hate new car prices.

I hate used car prices.

I hate boat prices.

I hate gas prices.

I love reef tanks. Take my money.

 

[slythy]

I think most the fish pricing is decent. I am more than happy to pay $200 for a captive bred yellow tang. Now that wilds are $500 its insane. Gem tangs use to be 1500+ now they are $500ish. It just depends what you get. My LFS sells fish for about 1/3rd of liveaquaria. I also get more finicky fish from Dr Reef QT which his prices QT'd match Liveaquaria.

My LFS is also about 15-20% of online coral retailers. I got a 2" homewrecker for like $75 lol

 

[VintageReefer]

This wasn’t even that long ago…a few years

I bought one head of the green tip purple head torch for 20$ and it was great. Then I got 3 heads for 40$ a few months later

 

[Spare time]

I have enough money set aside for college but still I want some extra but reefing is preventing me from it. Reefing is my current priority tho

Reefing should never be your priority for where to spend money when young. As a woman in her late 20's I kinda wish I didn't spend as much money on reefing as a did in my late teens and early 20's lol. Mainly because surprises happen in life which can caused your savings to take a hit (speaking on my behalf and others I know).

 

[Sophie"s mom]

My dad, when he had a reef tank 20ish years ago, would always tell me, " I remember when yellow tangs were the cheap fish to buy."

Ha ha, I remember that too. My last tank, about 17 years ago I had a good size yellow tang, I think it was 3 or 4 inches and I paid like $40 dollars for it.

 

[ErikVR]

Personally, I think marine fish prices should go up, maybe 4X current prices -- at least enough that the WC ones are noticeably more expensive than CB. They'd be less of a disposable item then, and folks would think twice about cutting corners on their care and be less likely to jam too many of them into too small a tank.

I agree!

 

[NanoNana]

It’s not just fish prices or the reefing hobby. I used to raise chickens for eggs, I sold eggs cheaper than grocery store prices. No way I can do that now with the price of supplemental feeding. The same horse that would have cost you $2500 15-20 years ago will cost you 10k now. 5 years ago I could get 5’x5’ round bales of horse quality hay for $25 a bale, it’s $80 and above now ( I go through 3 a week in winter) 50 pound bags of feed have gone from $14 to $40. Farrier charges were $45 to shoe all four feet, it’s $60 just for trims now. $110 just for the vet to show up at the farm. Last bottle of wormer I bought for the sheep was $130 and horse wormer is just as bad when you can find it.
It’s all relative. For me, reefing is a cheap hobby comparatively speaking.

 

[metro6775]

I used to buy a colourful torch small colony say $50.

Now you can buy 1 head of the nuclear neon green super star splatter torch for $300 head.

Same torch..

I wonder when they will call GSP Super Ultra OG Radioactive Isotope Orgasmic Explosion Carpeting Grass Coral and sell it for $250

 

[Malum Argenteum]

It’s not just fish prices or the reefing hobby.

To be fair, hay prices are variable with the year's regional climate, and local prices can be very erratic. National average of grass hay is same as 2019.

A hay price year like few others

Hay prices typically don’t trend higher in the middle of summer, but that’s exactly what is happening in 2021.

hayandforage.com

I've kept sheep for almost 15 years, and up until last year I bought from the same guy who raised prices from $80 to $100 for a big square over that time (switched because I got sick of dealing with big square bales), I think because he has really nice hay and was responding to local demand.

 

[TardWrangler]

Personally, I think marine fish prices should go up, maybe 4X current prices -- at least enough that the WC ones are noticeably more expensive than CB. They'd be less of a disposable item then, and folks would think twice about cutting corners on their care and be less likely to jam too many of them into too small a tank.

This will destroy the hobby. Opinion discarded

 

[PeterC99]

I will never go to college if these prices stay the same... They should start giving out a stimulus check for aquarium owners

Maybe forgo college and start selling corals?

 

[Malum Argenteum]

This will destroy the hobby.

Eh, more useful things have been wrecked for worse reasons. If cheap toilet-fodder is necessary for some luxury pursuit to persist, so much the worse for that extravagant hobby.

 

[TardWrangler]

The insanely high prices are already having a massive effect on the trade/hobby and the end result of that isn’t fully realized or understood yet. What is certain is that if prices keep going up, this hobby will become out of reach for most people and this will cause a further retraction, which will further effect supply/logistics making it worse. I often hear some people say “I’ll pay more” well, that’s you and your situation, but I’ll counter with the fact that most people are struggling and reef tanks are luxury items. When you need to make cuts in your household budget, the Ferrari has to go

 

[TardWrangler]

Eh, more useful things have been wrecked for worse reasons. If cheap toilet-fodder is necessary for some luxury pursuit to persist, so much the worse for that extravagant hobby.

Ok, so you don’t understand the real value of this hobby and don’t really care what happens to it. Just want everyone to be clear where you’re coming from

 

[NanoNana]

To be fair, hay prices are variable with the year's regional climate, and local prices can be very erratic. National average of grass hay is same as 2019.

A hay price year like few others

Hay prices typically don’t trend higher in the middle of summer, but that’s exactly what is happening in 2021.

hayandforage.com

I've kept sheep for almost 15 years, and up until last year I bought from the same guy who raised prices from $80 to $100 for a big square over that time (switched because I got sick of dealing with big square bales), I think because he has really nice hay and was responding to local demand.

There is a LOT of hay baled in my area. Issues we run into with horse hay is ppl from drought states offering an arm and a leg for every bale the hay growers have available. If they don’t sell it out from under their regular customers they hike the prices to make up for “but I could have sold it for this if I hadn’t been looking out for you”. Other issue in the past 3 years has been too much rain. Can’t get enough clear days for it to dry. I had a bale that was baled too wet catch fire in my pasture a couple years ago. (Thankful it was in the field and not in my barn!)
I pull off my horse rounds for the sheep. It’s cheaper than buying small squares at $14-$25 per 40 pound bale. But gosh throwing flakes is soooo much easier than pulling off those big bales.

 

[Malum Argenteum]

There is a LOT of hay baled in my area. Issues we run into with horse hay is ppl from drought states offering an arm and a leg for every bale the hay growers have available. If they don’t sell it out from under their regular customers they hike the prices to make up for “but I could have sold it for this if I hadn’t been looking out for you”. Other issue in the past 3 years has been too much rain. Can’t get enough clear days for it to dry.

Yes, that's kind of my point -- the upward trend in some local prices (even most local prices) can't be used to make an analogy with another supposed trend (since the market forces are very different in the case of hay and marine life), and some price trends are contingent on factors that vary drastically over time (such as regional weather).

What is certain is that if prices keep going up, this hobby will become out of reach for most people and this will cause a further retraction,

Except that's not actually how demand works in this situation. Look up 'Veblen Goods'.

 

[Doctorgori]

How much were they when they were the "cheap fish"

I recall $10 - $20 for tangs in the 90’s , used to be a Saltwater shop near ASU in Tempe that sold em for that all the time, Lionfish were $20, firefish and clowns under $10
before that Philippine fish were super cheap, of course 50/50 if they lived

 

[TardWrangler]

Yes, that's kind of my point -- the upward trend in some local prices (even most local prices) can't be used to make an analogy with another supposed trend (since the market forces are very different in the case of hay and marine life), and some price trends are contingent on factors that vary drastically over time (such as regional weather).


Except that's not actually how demand works in this situation. Look up 'Veblen Goods'.

You should stick to the hay market. Lol

 

[William Chiavetta]

I recall $10 - $20 for tangs in the 90’s , used to be a Saltwater shop near ASU in Tempe that sold em for that all the time, Lionfish were $20, firefish and clowns under $10
before that Philippine fish were super cheap, of course 50/50 if they lived

That is crazy