A. Diplotaenia & A. Elizabethae.

[Andrew C]

A fish shop in England i buy Apistos from has some A. Diplotaenia & A. Elizabethae in stock, but the price they are charging for them is:

A. Diplotaenia - £150 a pair,
A. Elizabethae - £100 a pair.

I know these fish are rare, but i think they are getting carried away with the price for these fish, considering the average price for a pair of Apistos from them is £20.

http://www.trimar.co.uk/
(Enter the site, then click on Tropical Stock List, then scroll down to Dwarf Cichlids and check it out).

I would have bought a pair if it wasn't for the price 8O

What is the normal price for these fish ?

Andrew.

 

[Rolo]

Hi,

I thinks these prices are not as unusual as you like it ;-) .. maybe a little bit too much.

They are both still expensive species, especially the Ap. diplotaenia.
..and both are not so easy to keep and to breed.

If I remember correctly, I paid 50 Euro/pair for my Ap. elizabethae at a breeder (!). In a shop they would be much more expensive, i guess about 100-150 Euro. (but you wouldn't get them in a shop here *g*)

Ap. diplotaenia are even more expensive and more difficult (but I never had them yet ... too expensive and too difficult *g*).

"Normal" prices are at breeders about 10-15 Euro and in shops about 20-30 Euro.

greetings,
Rolo

 

[Andrew C]

So they are not too far off an average price for them 8O

Andrew.

 

[fideltagamma]

Aquarium Glaser had them both listed last week. They were bred specimens and
A. elisabethae (red belly) was 45 euro a piece (NOT PAIR)
A. diplotaenia was 90 euro a piece (NOT PAIR)

Daniel

 

[aspen]

dwarf cichlids i have kept are sensitive fish and despite my best care often succumb to some unknown illness and die. why would an elizabethae live any longer than a plain old cacatuoides. that is a lot of money to spend for a pair of fish. you would have to be a real addict, running short of fixes to pay that for a pair of dwarfs. losing just your male and watching that lonely female swim around would not be a joke. elizabethae are some pretty fish though.

jmo, rick

 

[farm41]

I'm waiting for some elizabethae to become available here. Nothing yet

 

[Neil]

Andrew C,

What is the conversion rate for pounds to US$? I usually have sold these species for about $70 per pair, but I have seen them (often) for much more. Oliver Lucanus has wild diplos on his list right now for $150/pr. Elizabethae for about $45/pr. It varies, but they are both expensive anywhere you can find them.

Neil

 

[farm41]

Neil,

Does Oliver have a new list? The last email he sent me 3 weeks ago he didn't have elizabethae, and said he wouldn't, that they would all go over seas when he did get them.

 

[Andrew C]

Neil
I use a currency convertor (from a web search), here is the link:

http://www.xe.com/ucc/

Andrew.

 

[fideltagamma]

Hi, my friend here in Hungary just bought a new male, for his lonely females (2) and both have spawned in 3 days. I don't now whether they hatched already, but he intends to sell them for 40 euros ($50, £28) a pair. But it isn't worth it overseas.

Daniel

 

[Charly EON]

Hello

I sold a few diplotaenia in AFC's annual convention 3 years ago at 15 euros each !! That's the price in France....

Charly

 

[Fisherking]

I paid ca 130$ a pair in sweden for diplotaenia

 

[Mapinguari]

I just inqiured about some elizabethae from Oliver Lucanus and he told me to check back in April.

 

[M0oN]

Is there anything aside from excellent finnage and coloration in these species that makes them special from others?

I suppose if they are that rare then the price is justified, especially considering how much an experienced breeder can make off a single pair in the long run.

If they're really that sensitive though, I'd imagine the only way to keep them healthy and breeding would be daily water changes in a bare bottom tank with potted plants...

That's how I keep my discus and seems to be the best method, nitrates are a real pain for delicate species...