Why Are Common Plecs So Cheap?

[fishnovice]

I can;t understand why common plecs and gibbys are so cheap and readily available in lfs. After all they need huge outdoor ponds to breed and a colony of large breeding plecs must eat loads of food, not to mention the megafiltration to remove tons of plec poo!
So why should commons cost less than small species like BN which are easy to breed in small tanks even by amateurs and don't eat much relatively speaking?

 

[fluttermoth]

Because they are bred in huge pools in the far east, where there is a lot of sun and the fish mostly eat the algea and the micro-organisms that live in it.

In general they don't use filtration systems; the pools are naturally fed by streams and have a constant flow through of water.

 

[fishnovice]

Because they are bred in huge pools in the far east, where there is a lot of sun and the fish mostly eat the algea and the micro-organisms that live in it.

In general they don't use filtration systems; the pools are naturally fed by streams and have a constant flow through of water.

So why don't they use the same pools to breed lots of cheap BN, bulldogs etc?

 

[fluttermoth]

I wish I knew...

 

[redbug]

I hear that they are starting to mass breed the l46 over in Thailand

I guess they figure go after the big dollar fish

 

[moochy13]

i think they're cheap because not only are tehy mass produced, but fishkeepers who know what they're doing avoid them unless they have huge tanks. they are clearly aimed at new fishkeepers who have been told "you need a plec to eat the algae, heres one its only 3 quid and really easy to keep"

then when they've grown they arent worth much because they need to be cheap as not only are they 'common' (obviously), but relatively few people can house them.

i actually think the sailfin plec is an amazing looking fish. i had one up until recently about 4-5 inches, and it was stunning. if hed have only grown another inch or 2 i would have kept it.