yellow tangs pricing

vetteguy53081

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None in my area pretty much all of 2021 thus far.
Have a fellow trading my 3-3.5" achilles for his 6" one (wants it gone because it eats too much. . LOL LOL - Thats a great thing !! ).
On my way to go get it shortly. I trapped mine in 9 mins- Not bad
 

AJsReef

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Next up is people adding names to yellow tangs with blemishes and selling for $1500. Coral prices are way more rediculous than a supply and demand issue for tangs imo.
Already exists, Zebrosomas with “unique” markings sell for thousands labeled as “Koi Tangs”. Looked into them awhile back and $3-5k seemed to be the general starting point
 

BZOFIQ

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So, I had a chance to visit few great stores around Orlando and here is something that caught my attention. Everyone has plenty of yellow tangs for sale. Yes, the prices are high, but I thought the ban would mean there aren't any.

I asked at TopShelf and couldn't really get a straight answer.

What gives?
 

CMMorgan

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So, I had a chance to visit few great stores around Orlando and here is something that caught my attention. Everyone has plenty of yellow tangs for sale. Yes, the prices are high, but I thought the ban would mean there aren't any.

I asked at TopShelf and couldn't really get a straight answer.

What gives?
Good point - unless they are aquacultured?
 

mdb_talon

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Have to assume wholesalers and retail stores in some cases stocked up on them pre-ban.

Also assume people are trading in ones they had awhile to profit while price is high
 

BZOFIQ

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Have to assume wholesalers and retail stores in some cases stocked up on them pre-ban.

Also assume people are trading in ones they had awhile to profit while price is high

A lot of assuming if you ask me.

Any of these suggested scenarios would have come up during a conversation with the store clerk - none did.

Sorry for being a skeptic.
 

CMMorgan

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This is a commodity hobby. I see resellers selling Florida Ricordia all of the time "on sale" for $25. each.... often more. I can get the same ones for $8.00. It's all going according to what they think we will pay. Nothing new there.
 

TheStrangler

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While I'm not in the market for a tang, look at what people pay for bred dogs. Paying $500 for a favorite fish that you will enjoy for 20 years might not be for everyone, but its really up to individuals to decide. Price gouging is when you mark up the price of an essential good. No one needs a yellow tang, whether they're $20, $500, or $50,000 its up for people to decide. If they can't sell a $500 yellow tang, you'll see the prices inch down. If they can't keep them in stock at $500 each, you'll see them creep up.

Like others have said, I kind of see this as a net positive because it incentivizes aquaculture, which I think is the best direction.
 

Jekyl

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While I'm not in the market for a tang, look at what people pay for bred dogs. Paying $500 for a favorite fish that you will enjoy for 20 years might not be for everyone, but its really up to individuals to decide. Price gouging is when you mark up the price of an essential good. No one needs a yellow tang, whether they're $20, $500, or $50,000 its up for people to decide. If they can't sell a $500 yellow tang, you'll see the prices inch down. If they can't keep them in stock at $500 each, you'll see them creep up.

Like others have said, I kind of see this as a net positive because it incentivizes aquaculture, which I think is the best direction.
This is a very common issue in this hobby. All day long with people asking for coral identity. Call something by a certain name and price goes through the roof. Just start calling them red, blue, green and it goes right back to normal. If you can trick people into paying more than something is worth is the basis for capitalism.
 

BZOFIQ

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This is a commodity hobby. I see resellers selling Florida Ricordia all of the time "on sale" for $25. each.... often more. I can get the same ones for $8.00. It's all going according to what they think we will pay. Nothing new there.

I get that but a ban would mean they are not available...yet quite the contrary is happening.
 

CMMorgan

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I get that but a ban would mean they are not available...yet quite the contrary is happening.
We have a thing here in Florida. It is called the Florida Scrub Jay. We also have burrowing owls and gopher tortoises. Technically, you are unable to build on property that has any of these things. But ... there is a building boom. So, they charge builders a remediation fee to provide land elsewhere for these threatened animals.
Now let's break that down.... the cost of land goes up but people buy it anyway. The county puts that money towards protecting some swamp land that no one will ever build on anyway. No one sends a change of address card to the threatened bird... they just assume the bird will find a new home in the swamp all on it's own. They call it wildlife protection but it's more revenue generation.
 

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Just checked my local fish store when I was looking around and they have yellow things for $175 not bad considering some of the prices I’ve seen
 

mdb_talon

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So, I had a chance to visit few great stores around Orlando and here is something that caught my attention. Everyone has plenty of yellow tangs for sale. Yes, the prices are high, but I thought the ban would mean there aren't any.

I asked at TopShelf and couldn't really get a straight answer.

What gives?

A lot of assuming if you ask me.

Any of these suggested scenarios would have come up during a conversation with the store clerk - none did.

Sorry for being a skeptic.

Lol no need to apologize you can go the conspiracy theory route. Not exactly sure what the alternatives are to my suggestion as we know they arent coming in from hawaii and aquaculture is limited.

Maybe i am missing something but that only leaves inventory they got pre-ban or from hobbyist trades. Or some super secret cloning for for yellow tangs i guess.

As a side not the fact that a retail store is not willing to go into details regarding sourcing or pricing of livestock is far from surprising.
 

BZOFIQ

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....But ... there is a building boom.


This is one big thing we noticed in both Carolinas as well as Florida. I guess with tremendous demand by people getting out of cities like NY you need to provide housing where everyone is going. We've seen entire swaths of lands cleared for new neighborhoods in any of the states as we drove down. Not surprised at all.
 

Saltyanimals

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I picked up a 3-4in yellow yesterday for $150 and had to go home and search for a thread. I had a outbreak that wiped out my entire tank a couple months ago, so now fully restocking. $150 was high compared to what my last one cost, but it was much less than the $$ I've seen around so jumped on it. One of the main reasons is the adding order for the fish and that I currently have QT up now. While yellows are aggressive, it may not love being added to a tank with settled in tangs down the road. lol
 

Saltyanimals

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Like everything else. Unfortunately not everything that goes up.. must come down from a wild caught perspective. The supply cost may, but I don't see sellers lowering prices much when the bar has already been raised even cost goes down. = more profit. The key here is probably captive breed in enough volume to keep it affordable.
 

BZOFIQ

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My idea of keeping a school of 7 went out the window with this whole mess.
 

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