I really don't think a lot of people know a whole lot more about the Hawaii ban than "yellow Tang expensive"...the why's, the species affected, and many other things relating to the ban are beyond the extent of their thinking (not calling them dumb or anything, just that I doubt many people know a whole lot about it which is why pretty much the only thing you hear people discuss is the price hike of yellow tangs)
I didn't say yellow tangs weren't aggressive, all tangs are, I just said they aren't TOTAL jerks. In the grand scheme of tangs, they are one of the nicer ones even among their genus haha. I know the Ctenochaetus species stay smaller, but the average keeper sees a brown fish with some varying flare based on the species. I work with a lot of them, I know they can be really beautiful fish, but most people that keep fish want something pretty now.
Comparison pictures of what? Wild baby yellows? I never took any underwater pictures when I lived there, so you can take my word on that if you want to. They weren't all pale, but many of them were much less colorful than the adults.
It’s interesting how I also worked in an LFS (I’m trying to get back into it in the next few years) and honestly my experience was very different - yes we had 1-2 people that would come in without much knowledge and not really caring about the fish but the majority of them came from an LFS that gave them bad advice and they would seek out the correct advice. During 2019-21 was the time I was working in the LFS so yes it has been almost a year since I have been working in an LFS.
I don't think simply raising the prices of fish in general would really do much but exclude more people from the hobby since it's already so expensive. I think it depends much more on the individual person...I agree everything has a fair price though and I wouldn't expect a yellow Tang to be particularly cheap per say. People who don't really care about the animals buy expensive and exotic pets all the time. The only reason I'd be in support of raising prices on all fish (and I know you didn't say anything about making all fish expensive but I've heard plenty of times that's the solution to getting buyers who take better care of the fish) is if it was to support the collectors in less developed countries who get paid very little for providing us with a luxury.As someone who values a fish based on things that aren't just money, I'm of the opinion that yellow tangs were always worth a lot. What other tangs stay (relatively, for a tang) small, have amazing color, and aren't total ******s? Just because you could whip them out of the ocean like hotcakes, doesn't mean they should be worth squat. The only thing making a fish cheap does is lower how much the average person cares about said fish. Just think about how many people see fish like green chromis as disposable. Wouldn't you make more of an effort to keep your $160 tang healthy than the $50 dollar one? It's still an animal at the end of the day, but the money does have a say in things (like it does in everything else in life).
Also, all the people saying CB yellows aren't colorful like the wild ones haven't seen wild babies. Living in Hawaii, you can see that some of the babies are white, just like the CB ones. Plus, it has everything to do with environment and feeding. Here's a pic I took of the Biota yellows in our store before they were sold. Bigger one was maybe 1.5" but they got plenty of mysis, pellets, and greens every day.
I don't mean to rant, but the people complaining about the price of these fish aren't considering the value that these animals bring to our hobby on an enjoyment level.
Said it before. This is a US state w a sustainable and well regulated fishery.
Science and facts don't weigh into it. The people of Hawaii have been led to believe by people like Snorkel Bob that the aquarium trade is plundering the waters of Hawaii and decimating the fish populations. The people who live in Hawaii are putting a lot of pressure on the politicians to keep the ban in place. They will ultimately decide what happens.
In Australia it’s illegal to import captive bred fish from overseas, but legal to import wild caught. Yellow tangs here are $700+ for second hand and $1000+ for new. No captive bred option here. I’m hoping Hawaii opens so we can have any at all that are affordable.
That's insane. How on earth do they justify that policy?
I'm sure the difference comes down to demographic. I also have plenty of customers that have been burned by or sent over by chain stores. Our store was started over 50 years ago, so we have people that have been shopping since they were kids, and the hobby is very different ethically than it was 50 years ago. We also just moved, so we have a whole host of customers who have never shopped at a real LFS before. Or maybe it's just my negative bias remembering the bad.
Yes in both price and certain species of wrasse, tangs and dwarf angels- Potters to be specific
I agree raising prices is a bandaid. The real fix is education, not only for the quality of care these animals will receive, but also for the excitement and interest more-educated people will have for their pets. For many people, a lot of them are stopped by high prices if they don't understand the justification for them.
Sounds like a great deal lol
I want a Potters angel SO BAD LOL
Now you're showing off and hurting my feelings.Mine - Model citizen
Mine is in with a flame
