"Refined" Tank Raised Fish Survey

Hi List! Thanks for all the replys so far on tank raised fish. Please answer this refined survey at you convience.
Who would be willing to purchase the Tank Raised species mentioned below? At a slight premium.

Species available will be Regal Tangs, Naso Tangs, Acanthurus Tangs, Valencienna and Amblygobious Goby species, And some odd ball angels and butterflys.

These are species that for the most part will not breed in captivity at a commercially viable level that will support our livestock needs for the hobby. So I am Tank Raising them as the best alternative.

I would like to see laws prohibiting the wild collection and sale of sub-adult and adult species that are being breed and tank raised in captivity.
I would like to see the stores have no option of weather or not to purchase tank breed or raised livestock, because if there are tank breed or raised fish of a particular species available they are not able or allowed to bring in a wild caught specimen.

[bongy]

Hi Kyle,

As Sam point out in the other thread, this is not going to work.

>I would like to see the stores have no option of weather or not to purchase
>tank breed or raised livestock, because if there are tank breed or raised
>fish of a particular species available they are not able or allowed to bring in
>a wild caught specimen.

Species A - tank raised $100
Species B - wild $50.

If they are comparable in size and type, which one do you think the average people (who don't know much about the hobby) would buy.

Unless, they raised the price on "all wild fish". It is probably going to worsen the problem as more people will buy species that are not available for tank-raised.

Bongy

Bongy, I mentioned that the species available would be at a "slight" premium. What you are quoting is double the price. I know thats what some are marking up for tank raised but Im asking if you would buy them at a slight premium? Say if a Med Blue Tang was $44.99 at your LFS would you pay $49.99 for a tank raised version that looked the same, didnt carry parisites, had great colour, and was readily eating prepared aquarium foods...

[Samw]

Yes, in the example with clowns, the assumption is that the current prices of wild caught clowns is at the optimal (equilibrium) price (say $15) for clownfish. In order to achieve our goal to sell more tank-raised clowns and deter people from buying wild-caught clowns, raising the price of wild-caught clowns alone is not the solution by itself (reason provided in other thread). In addition to raising the price of wild-caught clowns, the tank-raised clowns need to come down to the equilibrium price.

BTW: Simply having a LFS raise the price of their wild-caught clowns won't work either because of competition among LFS. One guy will always undercut the other. The simpliest way to artifically increase the price of wild-caught clownfish across the board is having the wild-caught clowns taxed by the gov't. Again, we still need to reduce price of tank-raised clowns otherwise, people will just buy substitutes if all clowns (wild or not) are $24. Now, if these 2 actions can successfully create a situation where tank-raised clowns were $15 and wild-caught were $24, we've achieved our goal. The market basically is unchanged but the ocean will benefit. People will still buy clowns as usually and still don't know or need to know where they come from.

[Dresden]

i would always buy captive bred whenever the choice is available

[Aquattro]

I recently bought an acanthurus nigricans. It is a nice fish and I am happy with it. I paid about $60. If this fish was available as tank raised for $100, I would have bought it. BUT, you are all missing the point. We are a small group of hobbyists that go out of our way to be better hobbyists.
If you want a real survey, go stand at the door of any LFS and ask the customers the same question.
Kyle, I hope you are not basing any business decisions on the opinions of a couple of dozen Canreef members!!! Most of us already have all the fish we need!

[bongy]

Hi Kyle,

If the difference is that little (< 10%), I wouldn't think twice even if the tank-raised stuff is half the size of the wild one.

Seriously, if you can get the cost that competitive, I don't think you need to do much to convince LFS to switch to your supply. Just point out that they can easily justify the 10% increase by reducing their lost on the wholesaler and store end. Because of that, the LFS might even be able to eat that 10% so there will be no price increase on the consumer end.

The only issue then will be to maintain a recently stable supply of tank-raised fish.

Bongy

[Samw]

Originally Posted by reef_raf

BUT, you are all missing the point. We are a small group of hobbyists that go out of our way to be better hobbyists.
If you want a real survey, go stand at the door of any LFS and ask the customers the same question.
Kyle, I hope you are not basing any business decisions on the opinions of a couple of dozen Canreef members!!! Most of us already have all the fish we need!

That was somewhat my point Brad. The market determines what gets bought and sold (and at what price), not a couple of dozen Canreefers like us.

Dont worry, I am not using your answers as my buisness decision. As a strong comment that states how I truly feel, "Canada, as far as the Marine Ornamental hobby goes, is a sad pathetic joke!!!!" Canada is nothing! A blip in the industry that is hardly worth counting! Most of my buisness will be going to the good ol US of A. That magical place where they purchase large quantities at higher dollar value and dont bitch and moan every step of the way... I already have a demand in the states of 10,000 units of fish bi-monthly, for the begining I wont even be able to produce 2000 per month, but they said they will buy all I can produce for the time being. I only will sell to Canada to make the tank raised fish available to the local hobbiests at a decent price. I want hobbiests in canada to have the choice.

[Delphinus]

Like Desden said, I'd buy captive-raised, any day, so long as the choice is there.

Now the caveat, those might be fish that I am unable to care for, as I only have small tanks (72g and 75g). No 6' or 8' tanks in my foreseeable future, no matter how bad I might want one