What is the difference between Australian and "regular" powder blue tang?

[BigHildy53]

My local LFS has an Australian powder blue tang for sale. I was excited to get it until I saw the price, $400. Are these rare? What's special about them?

 

[ndrwater]

Anything that comes out of Australia will be more expensive. Rules and regulations concerning how and where animals are collected cause prices to be higher. All Marine fish are hand caught and definitely no cyanide or other unscrupulous methods are allowed and therefore the effort to collect is higher with lower numbers actually being caught. Lower numbers= higher prices. Some fish show different color variations than others of the same species collected from other areas. Think an Aussie vs. Indo Harlequin Tusk. Aussies have much more pronounced colors and subsequently command a higher price.

 

[Dennis McGrath]

The Australian ones have a funny accent.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Australian collectors are paid more than Indo and Filipino collectors. Flights are more expensive as well. Collecting methods are more reputable.

 

[BigHildy53]

Thanks for the information.

 

[miyags]

$400 to $69.Wow thats a BIG difference. I saw two locally for $69 each,it did not say where they came from.I don't think they have any difference in appearance or color,Like the aussie harlequin tusk fish,color difference.

 

[suta42]

Curious, who is the collector? PBTs aren’t routinely collected on either coast...I would be asking who the collector was to trace it back and make sure you get what you’re paying for. Hth

 

[lion king]

The only difference I can see is the price and bragging rights for the pretentious. You can make yourself believe they are more this or that, but they are the same fish. The cost associated with fish from Australia includes salaries, customs, and many additional charges that are not associated with shipments from Indonesia. But ultimately it's the same fish, and many crooks will sell fish that are common from both as Aussies.

 

[Mal Cameron]

All my fish are Australian caught and relatively cheap. Nothing over $120.00. I live on the east coast of Australia. My fish are; blue tang, gold rim tang, ring tail tang, regal angel, black tail angel, Harlequin Tuskfish, gold bar clown, and four damsels. Very lucky to not have to pay BIG prices that you pay overseas.

 

[Bob Loblaw]

@Mal Cameron How much are Caribbean fish in Australia? Curious to see if it's a relative price increase.

 

[Mal Cameron]

Not sure Bob but I can tell you that prices for fish from Indonesia or even Hawaii are pretty competitive here.

 

[suta42]

@Mal Cameron How much are Caribbean fish in Australia? Curious to see if it's a relative price increase.

They are very expensive compared to what you pay as they have to be quarantined for a week in an approved facility, screened and then released. We do bureaucracy really well, so the additional costs mount up and are passed onto the retailers - who then pass them to us. For instance royal grammas vary according to retailer, importer used, $AUD etc.. 70- 100.

For locally caught fish, prices are usually reasonable except where the collector has a monopoly eg Coral Sea catchments. So, if you want an australian colins angel, ventralis anthias, tiger blennys etc you may pay more than if the fish were available closer to shore.

my original post queried whether the PBT was actually australian caught. Not impossible, just highly unlikely. As the coral sea collectors range further they occasionally find fish not recorded in our waters....but unless you can trace back the origin theres no way I’d pay a premium for that tang, which is just as likely to have originated elsewhere.

Hope that helps.

 

[vetteguy53081]

To start with... price and origin. The Australian as with most Australian species are more colorful and have a deeper gold rim when it comes to powder blue.

 

[4FordFamily]

I’ve not seen any appearance regional variance at all. You’re paying for better distribution methods, which as bad as things are right now might not be a horrible idea.

 

[eatbreakfast]

I haven't noticed color difference either.

 

[Elgringodiablo]

Just buy one off LiveAquaria, their guarantee is solid. If it makes it through the first two weeks of quarantine, it’ll be fine. Every PBT I’ve had die was fresh out of Indo transhipped and died within a couple days. Plan to treat for ick/velvet and make sure it’s going into a parasite free display. Never even heard of an Aussie PBT, but that price is bonkers.

 

[Sailingeric]

The Australian ones have a funny accent.

Don't forget it likes to drink Fosters and goes around tell everyone "That's not a knife… THAT's a knife"