I also had the same dilemma. I had to reconsider juvie red pike because you may not know how it may turn out to be. I wanted a red pike, not necessarily tomato red and wasn't willing to pay more than $150 with shipping for one. Thing is, there are many variant of red pikes I learn (Atabapos, Tapajos, etc...). Some may be more expensive than others due to their rarities or demand. An Atabapo 1 juvie can cost you less than $50 (Snookn has some in stock) while Tapajos 1 can cost $150. It all depends of which specie of red pike you are really after, and most of them don't get red til they become adult.