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Fascination with picasso's

I

Inquisitive

ok...I'm very new to the hobby...very new...so..with that being said...please forgive my ignorance...

I'm posting this here rather then in the retailer/sponsor threads because I don't want to be rude and don't want to mess up anyone's sales.....but, I simply can not understand what the fascination is with picasso clown fish???....rather, let me amend that...they are fairly beautiful fish.....I simply can not see what the fascination is to the degree that an individual would spend close to five hundred dollars for two of them????....

now, I'm truly not being judgmental...if you have the money and you want the fish, I say go for it! big believer here in live and let live!....however, that doesn't mean I'm not curious....so, can someone explain to me just what is so great about a fish that looks like it is a step away from being albino or took a slide down the whiteout highway?....thanks...grins
 
Hawkeye

Hawkeye

ROFL.

Everyone has a way of assigning values differently. Picassos are genetically bred fish that you cannot find anywhere else. No one else breeds them (yet). So there is an intrinsic value to being "the first" and also there is some cost to breeding these (so to pay for the research).

It's like being a Prius Owner in 2004. No one could get one and you had to sign up for the car way in advance. No rebates, no special discounts - even though tons of cars were being sold with low financing or huge rebates. Mileage wise a prius is a bit better than a honda civic or toyota corolla - but people pay full price because they wanted it, and wanted to be first.
 
I

Inquisitive

grins....I should have know it all came down to ego, money, and prestige....


thank you, hawk!....can always count on you for an answer that makes sense and is entertaining...course...makes me wonder.....is all this research and breeding simply for a fish with different spots....or are they looking to see if there is any internal benefit...hmmm.....like a hardier fish...perhaps less suseptible to disease.....in any case....would be a great argument for one's significant other to state..."but honey....some of that half a grand we are spending is going to research!!"....winks, grins, and looks fondly at my cheap hyundai
 
Hawkeye

Hawkeye

Well for what it's worth my wife think the "A" grade looks amazing. But she also thinks the naked ones are cute. She also thought I was a catch so clearly her judgment is skewed. LOL.

One other perhaps more realistic point of view (as opposed to ego) is - like a car, - one looks at "resale" value.

I'm pretty sure anyone with a pair of "A" grade clowns can sell them for 85~90% of their value today. This goes also for items like Tunze Pumps - and probably certain skimmer brands (sgarrons' Bubble King comes to mind).

I don't know if you noticed but the hobby tends to draw different types of people - the ones who are in it for the long haul (keep getting bigger tanks). And the ones who jump in - and then a year later realize it's more hassle than it's worth.

Anyways - just a thought. I couldn't get rid of a maroon clown to a LFS or buyer - but I'm sure if I had grade a picassos - it would be 2 posts and sold.
 
I

Inquisitive

good points, hawk...and I agree...they are very pretty fish

thank you for taking the time to answer me...and providing a well thought out answer, at that....I had worried that perhaps I may of offended some as no many replied to this....the resale value makes sense....

and yes, I did notice that.....about the different types of ppl in the hobby....hopefully, I won't feel it is too much of a hassle after a year.....especially since I'm in no position to upgrade....
 
qwik

qwik

They are very beautiful fish (look at the photo in AO thread) but I also cant see myself paying $ 350-400 for a pair . Clowns in my tank also have a tendance to skydive and could not imagine finding one on the floor. I guess its a buyers preference and the demand justifies the price on them . I would think with breeding a small quantity to get a special pattern there would be some inbreeding . This usually makes the animal more prone to disease . I don't know if fishies work like that .
I can see a pair being the center point in a nano tank and looking really good .
 
R

ReeferNets

In recent years ORA and clownfish breeders have been looking to replenish their pairs. Live Aquaria actually got the rights somehow to sell some of their old breeding pairs last year. clarkis and ocellaris i believe

It is like a older horse after a while they cant reproduce a steadily or produce as much broodstock.

Picasso clowns can be found in the wild, they are rare and expensive. ORA has figured out what fish will produce young with strips that are fudged up. In the wild Picasso clowns will not blend in with the tentacles of the anemone if they are so white. The white will make the fish stand out more and be come more susceptible to predation.

Personally id rather have a luekranos clown pair or a latzentanos pairs. Latz are around 250 a fish and lueks 100.

My akindynos pair was 100 from Aquatics Obsessions. Great pair Ive had them for around two years.
 
I

Inquisitive

I'm with you, qwik.....jsut can't see spending that kinda money....course, when I'm actually up and running and fully addicted it will be interesting to see just how much I'll start forkin out for things...laughs

Reef...hmm...I have no idea as to what those fish you mentioned look like....will have to look it up!
 
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