What Types of Fishes Have Grading ?

[Melvyn Tan]

I noticed some fishes are sold at a higher price because it kinda look better or have more of a certain colour.

Can anyone tell me should there be a price differentiation? I do know that Purple Tangs (PT) from Red Sea differs from those of Indonesia origins due to the colour differences but should PT from Red Sea or Indo still require further gradation if they are of the same batch?

Another example would be Emperor Angels from Redsea, Micronesia, Maldives, Christmas Island....

[Melvyn Tan]

True Perculas with darker bands of black ?

[Melvyn Tan]

Contributions anyone?

[weileong]

most of the time shipping cost plays a big part of the fish's price so those fish that comes from hawaii and red sea will command higher price compared to the indo ones.

[damien]

in addition to higher shipping cost from a place further away, if the shipment has only a small qty of certain sp. of fish (say, Red Sea Regal Angel and Golden Butterfly) then selling price will be much higher thus supposingly making it to a 'better grade' category.

[Melvyn Tan]

Thanks Weileong & damien, i know that shipping cost and rarity (also difficulty in collection) do play an important role in the cost of the fishes, but what i don't really understand is some fishes of the same origin are being charged at different cost leh...eg. True Perculas (Amphirion Percula) are true perculas, some may have darker black patch some lesser, so does fire clowns, clarkii etc. But i don't see fire clowns, clarkii and the rest have this differentiation as the True Perculas. Ocellaris also dun have leh.

Another example is the flame angel - some are darker or deeper in orange, some lighter, some with more black bars some lesser, but i dun see then being charged differently? One less black bar less S$10?

Strange !

Are the darker black patch True Perculas having a different scientific name or of a different species of clowns altogether? I recently went to a lfs and notice some irian jaya (true clowns coming from there with black patch) are sold at the same price irregardless of how dark the black patches are, so why is it so that some places sell it more expensively?

Maybe i need to examine my French Angel to see if the yellow body scales are more golden and can sell at S$2000/-

[weileong]

demand ma....

[Melvyn Tan]

[Melvyn Tan]

Then can all bros co-operate to buy more "less black" true perculas so that the prices can be restored to equilibrium?

I mean lfs should not take such opportunity leh....

[Melvyn Tan]

No one else wanna comment?

[hondaker]

erm, this thread is related to a certain LFS selling true percs at different grade pricing?

from my point of view, although the different grades in the end, are still the same species, but due to the amount of black on the fishes' body, the demand is different

i am still a newbie to aquariums, but the way i see it, if i were to pay 3-4 times the amount for a true perc, rather than a false perc, i would want the amount of black visible to be as much as possible, or else i would go and buy the cheaper false perc (came across some LFS selling them at 1-2 dollars)

so if the LFS that did the grading were to sell all at the same price, pretty soon, they will be left with the true percs with the lowest amount of black, which in reality, not much buyers for them

however, the LFS(which i think that this thread implies to), still gives pretty good prices, as compared to the true percs saga happening a few weeks back in which the online seller is selling at 12 dollars per piece(if i didnt remember wrongly)

any comments?

[hondaker]

*EDIT: sorry, double posted*

[Melvyn Tan]

This thread is not implicit in any way to any lfs selling clown fishes with darker black at a higher price although many will find that there is a link (can't help it then).

The truth of the matter is there are other lfs who sells their true percs (or irian jaya as others will call it) the same price whether there are more black blotch or less black. If these lfs sells them the same then hasn't that tell hobbyist somthing? the cost of these are the same irregardless of the quantum of black?

I reckon the same to flame angels and there are some stupid lfs who pass out indo sailfin as red sea sailfin which i find some education is necessary in the types and grades (if any).

Cheers

[Travy]

SOmehow i feel better if the differences in prices (GRading) are judge on weather the fishes are feeding or not then the color...