Inexpensive but beautiful fishes.

[ying yang]

How recently were these fish purchased at these prices? It seems like pricing has gone through the roof the last couple of years. The last 2 fish I bought were a Flame Angel @ $90 and a Biota Coral Beauty @ $80. Both from a LFS. Flame didn't make it through QT.

I'm in england so different prices, bit got a coral beauty for £ 35 about 4 months ago so that's about $ 42-$45 I think and all 9 my fish under £50
Ywg £ 22
2x clowns £18 each
Silver belly wrasse £ 22
Cleaner wrasse £21
Coral beauty £ 35
Copperband £ 40
Bi colour blennie I think £ 29
Tail spot blennie £ 20
So all cheap fish but silver belly my favourite 100%

We get charged high for hannah checkers with cheapest being £ 65 going upto £ 80 so that's like $ 80- $ 95 pffft

 

[blaxsun]

My favorite fish store here all damsels are 6 bucks. Central NC. Pretty but mean. Lol

Man, I must've hit the damsel jackpot then. I have 4 in my tank: an Azure and three Blue Devils. They all get along swimmingly with each other and the 27 other tank mates.

 

[MrTPlush]

Feels really wrong to call a fish inexpensive, but is incredibly expert/hard to keep. Like a copperband or Mandarin. Yes they are cheap at face value, but the effort and/or experience to keep them is not cheap at all.

Cheap and beautiful, should also be easy to care for and keep.

So with that I’d think of Fire fish and clowns. Fire fish have great color and are so cool to look at in my opinion. Clowns are plentiful to say the least, but the color is bright and the markings are still very cool.

 

[Coxey81]

Also love my yellow coris wrasse….under $30

and yellow head jawfish, the most entertaining fish I’ve had

Those Jawfish are so cool, and pretty. O read they need 5-7 inches of sand? Is that true? I only have about 1.5 inches or so.

 

[Rene']

What are some of the less expensive but very beautiful fishes in your tank? Please name them and if possible post pictures please. I am at work so I don’t have access to my photos, but I can post a few pictures later this evening.

Let’s limit the price to no more than 50.00 when you bought the fish. If we all posted, this will help new reefers a lot IMO. Here are some of mine on my cell phone:
Red Head Solon wrasse. 17.00 as a young female.

30.00 at Petco in Corpus Christi

37.00 in Houston

18.00 at Petco

Small transition wrasse at Petco. In the store for weeks so 50% discount. I paid 21.00

assorted female Flasher for 12.00 in Houston

I have a gorgeous Leopard Wrasse..39.00 at Petco

 

[J.chemicals]

anyone keeping mollies in their tank? those are inexpensive when transitioned to saltwater XD

 

[Rtaylor]

Those Jawfish are so cool, and pretty. O read they need 5-7 inches of sand? Is that true? I only have about 1.5 inches or so.

Yeah, I’d say 4” is bare minimum. You don’t need it that deep in your whole tank, but at least a portion. They are the funniest fish to watch. Picking up snails and hermit crabs as building supplies. You can almost see them get frustrated as they keep walking away.

 

[Ben Pedersen]

What are some of the less expensive but very beautiful fishes in your tank? Please name them and if possible post pictures please. I am at work so I don’t have access to my photos, but I can post a few pictures later this evening.

Let’s limit the price to no more than 50.00 when you bought the fish. If we all posted, this will help new reefers a lot IMO. Here are some of mine on my cell phone:
Red Head Solon wrasse. 17.00 as a young female.

30.00 at Petco in Corpus Christi

37.00 in Houston

18.00 at Petco

Small transition wrasse at Petco. In the store for weeks so 50% discount. I paid 21.00

assorted female Flasher for 12.00 in Houston

I wish the Petco by my house had good fish and nem options.

 

[Eric Cohen]

What are some of the less expensive but very beautiful fishes in your tank? Please name them and if possible post pictures please. I am at work so I don’t have access to my photos, but I can post a few pictures later this evening.

Let’s limit the price to no more than 50.00 when you bought the fish. If we all posted, this will help new reefers a lot IMO. Here are some of mine on my cell phone:
Red Head Solon wrasse. 17.00 as a young female.

30.00 at Petco in Corpus Christi

37.00 in Houston

18.00 at Petco

Small transition wrasse at Petco. In the store for weeks so 50% discount. I paid 21.00

assorted female Flasher for 12.00 in Houston

Those are awesome fish and great prices! One of my favorite fish is the Green Mandarin dragonet.....Super well priced even though it's a psychedelic trip, swims super cool, and enjoys staring at you. You are definitely finding some bargains out there! Niiiiice!

 

[hsosa]

yellow tail blue damsels the blue pops in the white light. $11 a piece
lavender tang $40 before the Hawaii band I think u can get them still other than hawaii
lemon peel angel $40
Southern California
looks like petco is a good place to get budget fish time for a. conditioning tank for new additions

 

[rob G]

I guess fish are a bit more expensive where I am, or at least where I buy from, but I’m happy to do it for the quality. Exquisite wrasse, I second another’s post of the Royal Gramma, fantastic fish. Six line wrasse as long as you have no other wrasse, and would make it the last addition. Fang Blennies! Shrimp Gobies! Tons in this price range. I am mainly a wrasse fanatic but think some of the less expensive ones are amazing enough to keep me happy without buying the pricey ones. I have a Pink Margin, Rosy Scale, Solar, Noaka, Yellow Flanked, Solar and I did splurge on a Harlequin. Mimic tangs are really cool fish too, and at least were, sb $50.

 

[farris giffin]

I would say my peacock wrasse she been a great fish that eats everything even pellets

 

[Jeffcb]

Firefish (Nemateleotris magnifica) 20 bucks​

 

[JustJoan]

Pajama cardinal, $15. He is always calm and does not fight with anyone in the tank.

 

[Mark Bradley]

Just love this Banner Wrasse. First fish I’ve added for 2 1/2 years - luckily has fitted in great.

 

[Duncan62]

Firefish (Nemateleotris magnifica) 20 bucks​

Hard to beat a school of firefish.

 

[chipchipbro]

Why all those fish are so inexpensive for you guys
Here everything is expensive.. Firefish is around 60-70 bucks...
Centropyge aurantia is 399
A flame is 180

And I am talking about CHF not USD.

 

[jdiefenbaugh]

Paid $9 for this social, when he was about 1.5"

 

[Duncan62]

Why all those fish are so inexpensive for you guys
Here everything is expensive.. Firefish is around 60-70 bucks...
Centropyge aurantia is 399
A flame is 180

And I am talking about CHF not USD.

I can still get an adult coral beauty locally for 60 bucks or less. 40 for yellow tang. I see prices for really nice fish on line that floor me. It's a shame that prices prohibit people from trying this hobby.

 

[Aquaman11]

Royal Gramma. I’m on record stating it’s the best fish in the hobby. End of discussion. No other opinions allowed!

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

+1 on the Royal Gramma.