This fish cost How much now ?

[AC1211]

My local wholesaler still has some fish under $10 mostly chromis and some fish at about $20 mostly clowns and yellow coris wrasse. This is the cheapest local store for me. All the others are either of low quality or very expensive. I saw a store selling coral beauty angels for $100 and watchman gobies for $70. Only like 20 or so fish out of their whole stock were under $100. Domino damsels were $20 and where the only fish under $50. The quality and size has also gone down. I visited 4 stores that day and didn't buy a single fish. Given gas money and time spent checking each store I might as well have just not bothered.

The freshwater side is getting more expensive but is still manageable so I now have more freshwater tanks up that saltwater.

 

[Gundy]

The biggest reason for the increase in fish is the cost of shipping. In addition, the economy has been booming and people are willing to pay so prices increase. With a possible recession in the future, it will be interesting to see what happens if the economy tanks with people losing their jobs. Will less fish be imported to keep prices high or will fish prices dop?

 

[Flatearth]

The biggest reason for the increase in fish is the cost of shipping. In addition, the economy has been booming and people are willing to pay so prices increase. With a possible recession in the future, it will be interesting to see what happens if the economy tanks with people losing their jobs. Will less fish be imported to keep prices high or will fish prices dop?

The cost of shipping has gone up, but not at the same rate these prices have increased that is for sure.


Last time the economy got bad I recall fish stores near me cutting employees, and no longer offering store credit for trade-ins. I imagine that may happen again while prices remain the same.


Although as we can see they are not necessarily following proper supply and demand. If they think they can price gouge they will, and if every business does it then they get away with it simple as that. I think we are currently seeing that.

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

I happened across an interruptus angelfish and peppermint angelfish while researching dwarf angels... I'd love to have one of either, but DANG! Also I can't believe the price of the hybrid "yurple" tangs. I just don't think thousands of dollars for any fish is justified.

 

[Gomez Adams]

The cost of shipping has gone up, but not at the same rate these prices have increased that is for sure.

Everybody took advantage.

Used cars, groceries, pretty much everything. A dozen eggs was 8 dollars just a few weeks ago.

 

[Cichlid Dad]

I just ran into this, Copperband from papa new guinea 80.00 Australia 209.00

 

[Esox]

I remember mowing my neighbor's lawn for $15 in the late '80s and dropping that cash on a yellow eye kole tang. I occasionally see them listed in the $70-$80 range now, but more often for double that or more. I don't think I spent more than $30 on any fish back then. I get inflation, but man . . . feeder guppies are starting to look attractive.

 

[GARRIGA]

Dragon morays were a grand in the 90s but no clue how much now since reef keeping has dominated and items like that harder to find locally and not something I'd want online. Banana morays from Brazil was another favorite from the late 90s/2000s then only two grand. I'm guessing way more now. I'm not paying $500 for a yellow tang. Purple cheaper and preferred. I understand cost of fuel getting everything here have increased and claim they don't profit from fish and just price loser to obtain foot traffic yet in the 90s when I was in the industry fish made money so I question that logic. Unless moralities have risen.

 

[Esox]

I understand cost of fuel getting everything here have increased and claim they don't profit from fish and just price loser to obtain foot traffic yet in the 90s when I was in the industry fish made money so I question that logic. Unless moralities have risen.

I remember my boss at a LFS, back in the early '90s, telling me most stores took a beating on fish, but that we were turning a marginal profit. I don't recall losing many saltwater fish back then, both as a hobbyist and as a fish jockey at work.

I do remember getting a false personifer at the store, not just because its $350 price caused a lot of incredulous gasps, but because I found it slightly damp and covered in dust and cobwebs behind the tank one day. Plopped it back in the water and moved it back and forth for a while and it revived. No post-trauma maladies popped up. Kind of odd, the way pricing is now, to occasionally see them in the mid $400 range.

 

[Northern Flicker]

The biggest reason for the increase in fish is the cost of shipping. In addition, the economy has been booming and people are willing to pay so prices increase. With a possible recession in the future, it will be interesting to see what happens if the economy tanks with people losing their jobs. Will less fish be imported to keep prices high or will fish prices dop?

"With a recession looming"

-Everyone from 2019 until today

I am not saying we're home free, but I am not holding my breath anymore.

 

[Northern Flicker]

I wonder if it has anything to due with every tank over 20g on instagram being completely crammed with coral and a yellow tang + regal tang.

 

[Mathew0]

I'm pretty new to SW, but i've seen loads of videos online touting affordable starter fish, only to find that they now cost several times what they did when the videos were made.
I absolutely fell in love with the Mandarin Dragonette. Opposite sticker shock on this, at only $40-50 for such a super colorful fish. The letdown for me came with the LFS advice to not even try until the tank was at least a year old, parameters stable, and pod population evident.
While LFS are on the tail end of this thing, it's clear someone is making massive bank on this industry. Do you really think some 3rd world local fish catcher in the south pacific/indian ocean is making thousands of US dollars every week catching a couple dozen fish?

 

[Northern Flicker]

I'm pretty new to SW, but i've seen loads of videos online touting affordable starter fish, only to find that they now cost several times what they did when the videos were made.
I absolutely fell in love with the Mandarin Dragonette. Opposite sticker shock on this, at only $40-50 for such a super colorful fish. The letdown for me came with the LFS advice to not even try until the tank was at least a year old, parameters stable, and pod population evident.
While LFS are on the tail end of this thing, it's clear someone is making massive bank on this industry. Do you really think some 3rd world local fish catcher in the south pacific/indian ocean is making thousands of US dollars every week catching a couple dozen fish?

I've got good news for you - there are many captive bred Mandarins which love prepared meaty foods now, and live copepods are easier than ever to find. Go get yourself that dream fish.

 

[GARRIGA]

I remember my boss at a LFS, back in the early '90s, telling me most stores took a beating on fish, but that we were turning a marginal profit. I don't recall losing many saltwater fish back then, both as a hobbyist and as a fish jockey at work.

I do remember getting a false personifer at the store, not just because its $350 price caused a lot of incredulous gasps, but because I found it slightly damp and covered in dust and cobwebs behind the tank one day. Plopped it back in the water and moved it back and forth for a while and it revived. No post-trauma maladies popped up. Kind of odd, the way pricing is now, to occasionally see them in the mid $400 range.

I used to frequent the wholesalers and the price I could buy at substantially lower plus spent time at a transhipper and those prices lower than the wholesalers. Used to see those price sheets and knew cost post shipping.

Mortality was high until learning to adjust pH of new water to approximate that of shipped water and allow quick transfer then acclimation to system. Post that mortality was low and don’t recall if copper used as is often the case today.

 

[albano]

I remember mowing my neighbor's lawn for $15 in the late '80s …

How much would you charge now, to cut that lawn?

 

[albano]

I happened across an interruptus angelfish and peppermint angelfish while researching dwarf angels...

Who had a Peppermint angel for sale? Or you just saw their pictures online?

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

Who had a Peppermint angel for sale? Or you just saw their pictures online?

There is an article that talks about one being sold for 5 digits out there somewhere. I've seen it. But I've never seen one listed

 

[LaloJ]

The last peppermint angel I saw for sale was the one that was published in the diver's den a few years ago, 2019 I think, it cost $25,000 USD. Many years ago there was a page to buy fish online that offered Peppermint angel for approximately $5000 USD, I doubt they had the fish available back then, maybe 16 or 18 years ago.
An extraordinary female Genicanthus spinus was also offered at that time (LADD 2019), I think they were collected on the same trip, wonderful angelfish that cost $7,000 USD, as I recall.

 

[Gomez Adams]

The last peppermint angel I saw for sale was the one that was published in the diver's den a few years ago, 2019 I think, it cost $25,000 USD. Many years ago there was a page to buy fish online that offered Peppermint angel for approximately $5000 USD, I doubt they had the fish available back then, maybe 16 or 18 years ago.
An extraordinary female Genicanthus spinus was also offered at that time (LADD 2019), I think they were collected on the same trip, wonderful angelfish that cost $7,000 USD, as I recall.

They're that expensive because it takes specially trained divers with very expensive equipment to get them. The Peppermint Angle lives at around 300 to 400 feet. Typical scuba won't get it done.

Putting one in a tank is essentially a death sentence too. They don't live very long in 2 to 3 feet of water.

 

[Muffin87]

Paid 131€ for a Starcki Damsel, and when it died in my QT 24 hrs later, the online shop said they wouldn't refund me because I didn't take any pictures of the fish in the closed bag, showing it had something wrong on arrival.