Coal Grunter Price

[lychas]

i got myself a young coal grunter yesterday, $12.95AUD i work at a fish farm so its cheaper but at that size the can go for $30-$40 in pet stores, what are they worth in the states?

 

[nmonks]

An academic question really, since the market for Australian fish in the US and Europe is practically non-existent. No Australian fish exporters have managed to sustain a supply of novel, attractive species that have been able to compete with the stuff from Asia, South America, or Africa. Even the rainbowfish on the market are mostly tank raised or exported from New Guinea.

While Hephaestus carbo is a not unattrative fish, none of the Teraponidae have become popular in the hobby. They tend to be more or less aggressive towards one another for at least some period of their lifespan. They are also invariably predatory, so tankmates have to be chose with care. Given Hephaestus carbo can be expected to reach not less than 20 cm in an aquarium and potentially over 30 cm, the number of aquarists likely to buy this fish and keep it properly is very small.

Cheers, Neale

 

[lychas]

i love my grunters and other larger native predatory fish, hoping to setup a 6-8ft tank someday soon for my turtles and grunters, barra etc

 

[nmonks]

I think they're nice fish, too. Be sure and post some pictures! It's a shame that Australian exporters can't find a way to distribute their stuff more effectively in the northern hemisphere. There are lots of native Australian fish I'd like to see in the trade. There's a whole chapter on them in my brackish book (by Bruce Hansen), plus of course the chapter on mudskippers.

Cheers, Neale

i love my grunters and other larger native predatory fish, hoping to setup a 6-8ft tank someday soon for my turtles and grunters, barra etc

 

[lychas]

so you wouldnt get many aussie native rainbows or gudgeons over there?

 

[nmonks]

Most rainbows come from New Guinea; the Australians ones (like M. maccullochi and M. fluviatilis) were common enough in the 70s and 80s, but you hardly see them nowadays. I can't think of any exclusively Australian gudgeon that makes it over to the UK except on a one-off basis. Butis butis is sold here, but usually imported from Asia rather than Australia, and the other fish called "gudgeons" are New Guinean, not Australian.

Cheers, Neale

so you wouldnt get many aussie native rainbows or gudgeons over there?