vieja argentea

[ari]

im just about to purchase a vieja argentea , which i spotted at the fish market in bangkok, thailand. there are several sizes...the 1.5 inch fish are for 100baht(2.5us dollars), the 2inch ones are at 200baht, the 5 inch ones are at 1000baht(abt25 us dollars) while the larger ones at 7 inch are priced at 3000baht. so tell me guys are these the normal pricing or am i being over charged? the fact is the last time i saw this fish it was some 15 years ago at a fish exibition in singapore...i couldnt afford it back then ...and here before me is the chance to get them but i do not want to make the mistake of buying a fish that i have little information about. can anyone help me out?....how do u tell the males for the females? the shop owner is no help at all...he says he has no idea. and to anyone of u who have been to the fish market in bangkok, u would know what i mean. many times i have ended up buying of my fav fish vieja maculicauda, which i though to be a male but ended up being a female after a few months. so, guys ...anyone ....whos has information about vieja argentea, im glad to hear from u. thanks.take care.

 

[Discomafia]

Apa Khabar?

Where in KL you from? I am originally from Sg. Buloh. Welcome to TTF, there're a few Malaysians on the board. Sorry can't answer your question, but I'm sure someone more knowledgeable than me will soon post some useful info.

 

[ari]

hi.im from cheras.but my work had me travelling around asia ...........and the chance to seek out rare cichlids , which is my fav fish especially the viejas. nice to hear from u . maybe we have a cup of teh tarik when i get back to kl...hahahaha. on me

 

[Discomafia]

And roti canai... Been too long, miss all the mamak food, can't get that stuff here in Canada... Then again don't think I'm coming back anytime soon.

 

[ari]

i finally got the argentea. infact i bought 3. a 7 inch fish and two 5 inch ones. after some hard bargaining..i got them for 3,000baht , with a free 2 inch vieja regani thrown in. when i got back and after some close inspection...i found out why the owner was willing to lower its price, and why i got a free regani. the 7 inch fish has a twisted tail.man...how could i miss that! all the years shopping and buying cichlids ...how could i commit a schoolboy mistake? maybe i was sure the owner would not cheat me (in the end he didnt )...but it was my mistake not to triple check the fish.forget about taking it back...he would not be a happy man ...and i aint about to piss off a thai. but the other two smaller fish is truely first class, i spend nearly 2 hours choosing them from a tank about ...maybe 50 fishes. i console myself by accepting the fact that i bought 2 very expensive fish, since i have no choice but to write off the bigger one. the free regani...well nothing good comes for free. it has huge eyes ...a sure sign this fish is not going to get any bigger.