It took me 10 years but I was able to actually get all the fish I wanted on my original list
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This is pretty much how I also feel!small tank so that limits my choices...LFS' s in the area never seem to have anything i want...paranoid to buy there anyway...too cheap to want to pay for TSM style quarantined fish ( which doesnt seem to have what i want either) and dont trust FedEx to get anything here on time especially during winter...so everything is in limbo...
Please share the list. Seeing other people favorites is half the fun.Its been a bit tough to find all the fish on my list but I was able to get what I wanted through my local LFS they ordered what they did not have. The pricing on some fish was a bit high and other's not so much, patience is key I had to wait a month or two for what I wanted.
Not Solomon Island but looks a little close....not that anybody needs more choices in Clownfish, but the Soloman Island True Percs have a classic look that has yet to be duplicated by the breeders. If anybody has ever seen one, then you get it - wonderful dark orange/red with pure white and super dark black. I doubt that I would ever buy a wild clown with the massive inventory of CB clowns, but these might tempt me. I am kinda glad that they are not really available anymore to keep my from having to make a hard choice between a really awesome fish and my desire not to deplete the ocean of something that we have available captive bred in such quantity.
Another example of maybe for me is Convict tang. Some have great luck with them, but I never have and the only one that I had that did well was probably just luck. If I see a trade in, then I will jump on it, but otherwise, I am staying away. I like Hawaiian Black Tangs too, but I never bought them... there was enough for trade/free after they started to eat people corals and they were just fed up with them.
Maybe/Someday used to be Rock Beauty Angelfish. They used to be SOOOOO hard, but I have had good luck with my last few both eating and growing. Collection has gotten better, I get them direct from the diver and with the introduction of mysis in the hobby, these seem more doable now than ever. They also stay about 5-7 inches so they won't likely outgrow my tanks.
Sometimes what you thought about fish is just wrong. How many know that there are reef safe triggers that pose less risk than a Tang, Blenny or Angelfish. I found out about these in a magazine and it kinda changed my hobby. I love to have a Sargassum or BlueThroat trigger in my reefs... and Crosshatch if I have a really large tank. Some steer clear of blennies since they can polyp nip, but Midas Blenny is quite great. Genicanthus Angelfish not being nippers in a sea of angelfish that are so-so. People with topless tanks sometimes avoid wrasses, but not all jump, some dart into the sand which makes them less prone to carpet surf. ...you get the point.
...so if there is a fish that you love, pay attention to the details. New foods are helping to keep some. Some are better to get direct from the diver, some can go through LA - it really matters sometimes. ...so if you want that prized Christmas Island Flame Angel, then make sure that you wait and get it from a South Pacific Wholesaler or trans shipper and not risk just getting some generic flame from a LA Wholesaler. The Rock Beauties that I described above all come from the diver and I attribute their success to one less flight from Florida to LA, being kept at full strength 1.026 water, not medicated and all of that.
In summary, this is what drives my maybe list:
- Available again from a wholesaler
- Traded In
- New Foods/Shipping/Collection that is a potential game changer
- Learned some new things
Please tell me where I can get directly from diver, I need to know badWhen they are available from the wholesalers again and not banned. I was not really clear, sorry, but the limitation is not me... I had multiples of these fish when they were available, but not all of of them live as long as tangs or angels (looking at you most wrasses), so when they die of old age, they cannot be replaced anymore.
I also like some fish that are only really available once a year for a short time. Chrysurus Angelfish is from Africa and only collected in a small window usually once a year, so you better know when to look and jump if you see one.
I haven't started stocking my first fish (for my first saltwater tank) yet, but I've been looking. I have a rough idea of what I want to have, and order of addition... First fish I want: a pair of frozen frostbite clownfish (from Sustainable Aquatics). Yeah, jumping on the designer clown wagon, lol. I just think they're beautiful. I'm pretty nervous to have a fish shipped to me in winter though, and haven't seen any in my LFS... I did email SA, and got an amazingly fast response with some great info! Thought I'd share in case a designer or captive bred clown is on anyone's wish list and they're interested in SA (their online store is called The Coral Reef):Always wonder if the fish stocking wish lists for your aquarium were really attainable?
Seems that there are so many factors that come into play:
1) Locating & availability
2) Finding the fish in good health
3) Fish may not ultimately get along with your other fish
4) Budget constraints
5) Transportation concerns
So have you been able to complete your aquarium's fish stocking list and if so, how did you accomplish it?