Just having a quick look through fleabay and found this....

What makes them so special??

ebay

This post has been edited by Mystil: May 9 2008, 07:31 PM

i saw that and wondered what the hell as well lol!

Someone might come along and tell us why they are so special.....Im am no expert at all....

As I remember I paid $25 usd a piece for my wc wietzmanni + shipping about a year ago. That would be about $200 to $250 usd with shipping for 6 and that is not counting inflation. They were not 2" either.

The aquarium bred wietzmanni I have didn't cost a lot less and the black stripe/blotches are not as nice.

They are considered less available. From an excellent importer who has quality adult stock that has been qt'd and treated for parasites you pay--at least I do--and I am glad to do it. I don't get stinky bags of 2nd rate fish. These fish are for breeders and aficionados.

This post has been edited by jollysue: May 9 2008, 11:49 PM

It must be UK pricing. These same fish, wild caught, are listed in the USA on AB for $18 each plus your choice of shipping- $20 for 2 day and $39 for overnight. So 3 would cost you $74- $93 delivered which is about £37.85 - £47.57.

They may be available for less, I only ollked one place.

Is that USPS? This auction said 6 fish, I thought. I got my wc from Bryan. AB It may be I remembered incorrectly. I would have to check. Nevertheless the "buy now price" is $20 x 6 = $120. The shipping cost you quoted I am sure is USPS. Fed Ex overnight is $49 for 5 fish. So more for 6. Of course I never buy 6 fish, I always get 3 or 4 species so my shipping is always more.

I just recieved a box--small for me--with 6 x undulatus, 6 x orange stripe, 12 x White Cloud Mountain minnows (quite stunning), and 3 x swordtails, 6 x jarred baby brine shrimp. The shipping was FedEx standard overnight for $118.50.

I was quite overstating the case for the cost for 6 small wietzmani. I am assuming they are young and not yet 2" because the ones I got last year were. The ones on the UK auction were 2".

Nevertheless, the cost for Buy Now, FedEx Standard Overnight for 6 fish delivered is at least $169. Waiting to win the auction is 108 + 49 (minimum) = $157

Not knowing the availability of the species in the UK, it is hard to say they are overpriced.



This post has been edited by jollysue: May 10 2008, 03:24 AM

Thats hilarious.

I've bought different fish from this guy - great quality packaging though I must say.

The only down side to him is that he wont split fish, you have to buy in bulk!!

I have bought small groups from Bryan, Gazo, when I am filling in a group, such as I have 4 and want to have a group of 6, so I order 2. But Bryan always lets me know if he has limited pieces left. Then I take more or whatever. So I make allowances for him, and he makes allowances for me. We get on very well. If I want 12 galaxies and he hs 15 left I take 15. But if I went to the lps and they had 7 Corys and I really only wanted 5, I would take the 7. I don't want to leave 2 lonely Corys.

I have been doing business with him for 4 or 5 years. So we understand each other and work together. For me he is actually easy to do business with. I don't usually order from him off AB, though. I get advance notice and he gets wish lists from me.

And I agree: great packing! I seldom lose a fish--let alone a whole box! He is one of the few that uses oxygen, too, and not just air pump air.

Oops! I just realized you are talking about the UK guy with these fish! LOL!

But as an aside: It is cheaper and less stressful to buy from a quality shipper and source in the long run. Getting a "buy" and then a box of second rate or dead fish is delivered is not a good buy, imo

This post has been edited by jollysue: May 14 2008, 07:49 AM

And it wasn't Cory splits I was talking about either Sue, but his bigger batches of say tetras - you have to buy in groups of 25 or 50 - I wanted approx 15 of about 5 different types, but the answer was a resounding no!!

This post has been edited by Gazo: May 14 2008, 08:21 AM

i can't seem to get a footing tonight!

I agree, that is a bit much. I have bought that quantity of pygmy Corys and otos. I killed them all!

I have my first successful really small swimmer: the galaxys and they are doing really well. They are suppose to be major predators of their eggs and fry, but mine are multiplying well with no assistance. Not that this has anything to do with anything.

Just as an extra aside on shipping in the USA: USPS (United States Postal Service) ships live fish overnight and 2nd day. They frequently miss their mark and just you try to get the refund! And even so you just lost $100 of fish and may get back $20 on 2nd day? not a good bargain, in my pocket.

They have until 3 pm to make the time as I remember. So 2nd day example: the fish are packed early Monday morning in Florida and picked up by the Postal service where they sit in a warehouse overnight. They are sent out the next day and arrive to sit in the station hub overnight in Westchester (or wherever.) Early the next morning they are loaded on a truck and bounced around some more until, assuming no problems with delivery like a tired postal worker or you didn't hear the knock, to be delivered at 2:30 that afternoon. How long were they really in that box?

Overnight is the same, only subtract one day. In reality 2nd day is a minimum of 2 nights and 3 days and overnight is 1 night and 2 days.

This post has been edited by jollysue: May 14 2008, 11:18 AM

Ya, well at least you guys have breeders that will ship to you IN THE SAME COUNTRY!

I'd have to get my stuff across a border and I'm extremely reluctant to put the fish thought that kinda ordeal. One of the breeders (no names mention Jollysure <wink> <wink>) will only ship to me USPS EMI which publishes deliveries as 1 - 3 days. To me that's unacceptable. My only other option is to order 5 or more boxes to have it shipped directly to the Toronto International airport or to spend 7 hours of my time to drive to Buffalo to pick up a shipment. Ain't gonna do that. So much for our NAFTA agreement.

Sorry, I'm in one of my moods.

Actually not generally a breeder: An importer of wild caught fish with a few fish he picks up from specialized breeders of hard to obtain and exotic fish, such as long fin pandas, gold neons, exotic sword tails.