Grunts in home aquaria

[Catnip885]

My husband is considering getting a trio of grunts for his 8' 240 gallon tank. We were looking at sourcing captive bred juveniles, but don't seem to be able to find any retailers for captive bred French grunts, smallmouth grunts, or cottonwick grunts. Does anyone know of any sellers that regularly have them in stock?

 

[WheatToast]

Gulf Specimen Marine Lab offers Haemulon plumierii and other Atlantic fish species, though the minimum order cost is $70 (animal cost only).
https://gulfspecimen.org/specimen/fish/boney-fish/
https://gulfspecimen.org/order/

 

[dennis romano]

Foxy Tropicals AKA Mysaltwaterfishstore.com and Carribean Tropicals usually carry an assortment of grunts.

 

[WheatToast]

Foxy Tropicals AKA Mysaltwaterfishstore.com and Carribean Tropicals usually carry an assortment of grunts.

I know of a few people who have had good experiences with Foxy Saltwater Tropicals and their macroalgae, but I would be hesitant to purchase there as they also run this service:
https://sealifecenterpieces.com/

 

[Alpha_and_Gec]

Gulf Specimen Marine Lab offers Haemulon plumierii and other Atlantic fish species, though the minimum order cost is $70 (animal cost only).
https://gulfspecimen.org/specimen/fish/boney-fish/
https://gulfspecimen.org/order/

Hoh, wait, they sell lizardfish? How do I register as a public institution?

 

[WheatToast]

Hoh, wait, they sell lizardfish? How do I register as a public institution?

Hold up. They must have added the "GULF SPECIMEN MARINE LAB DOES NOT PROVIDE ANIMALS TO PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS" notice recently. Sorry, I never saw it on the website before.

 

[lion king]

Hold up. They must have added the "GULF SPECIMEN MARINE LAB DOES NOT PROVIDE ANIMALS TO PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS" notice recently. Sorry, I never saw it on the website before.

Wow that is new, I referred them to 2 separate hobbyist just a few months ago, and they placed orders and received fish.

 

[piranhaman00]

i got cotton wick grunts from Foxy, very healthy and eat great. Was very pleased with ordering from them. Fight like crazy though in a 360 so be careful

 

[Alpha_and_Gec]

Hold up. They must have added the "GULF SPECIMEN MARINE LAB DOES NOT PROVIDE ANIMALS TO PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS" notice recently. Sorry, I never saw it on the website before.

Wow that is new, I referred them to 2 separate hobbyist just a few months ago, and they placed orders and received fish.

Is purchasing as an individual still possible? their fish are really cheap and their crab collection is amazing...
or is there another marine specimen distributor I can buy cool stuff from?

 

[lion king]

Is purchasing as an individual still possible? their fish are really cheap and their crab collection is amazing...
or is there another marine specimen distributor I can buy cool stuff from?

I don't know, send them an email and ask. That statement about only selling to institutions is new. I've known many individuals purchase from them over the years.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Hold up. They must have added the "GULF SPECIMEN MARINE LAB DOES NOT PROVIDE ANIMALS TO PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS" notice recently. Sorry, I never saw it on the website before.

Wow that is new, I referred them to 2 separate hobbyist just a few months ago, and they placed orders and received fish.

They have two separate pages about placing orders; one page used to say no individuals while the other did not (it confused me too- I had only seen the one that didn’t state no individuals).

It looks like they’ve changed it no individuals on both pages now though:

Instructions For Ordering -

GULF SPECIMEN MARINE LAB DOES NOT PROVIDE ANIMALS TO PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS. WE ONLY PROVIDE ANIMALS TO EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, RESEARCH LABS, AND PUBLIC AQUARIUMS. OFFICE HOURS: Call to place orders between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. (850) 984-5297 1. Although we...

gulfspecimen.org

Instructions for Ordering -

GULF SPECIMEN MARINE LAB DOES NOT PROVIDE ANIMALS TO PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS. WE ONLY PROVIDE ANIMALS TO EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, RESEARCH LABS, AND PUBLIC AQUARIUMS. OFFICE HOURS: Call to place orders between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday. (850) 984-5297, Fax (850) 984-5233...

gulfspecimen.org

Edit: Both URL’s above are different, and they have different fonts for the “does not sell to individuals” paragraph on each page.

 

[DistressedDamsel]

i got cotton wick grunts from Foxy, very healthy and eat great. Was very pleased with ordering from them. Fight like crazy though in a 360 so be careful