I don't know who you're buying the fish from, nor do I care to know...
Here's the bottom line. There is a big difference between buying a fish from someone who makes a living selling fish and buying a fish from someone who wants to get rid of a fish. That should be obvious. If you want the kind of price that you would pay to someone getting rid of that very fish, then you need to wait until you find someone who wants to get rid of a quality female festae in your area.
Raising that fish *properly* from an egg to a healthy adult is not a cheap prospect. If it were one of mine, that fish would have already eaten its way through $20 (at least) worth of krill, bloodworms, pellets etc... on its own. Then you have to pay the electric bill to heat it's tank, pump air to it or run a filter, spend time and money doing water changes etc... Any retailer is going to either pay to raise the fish or pay to buy the fish and then turn it over. Are you willing to pay the extra $20 for a quality example of the fish you really want or would you rather wait an unknown period of time until you find someone that is looking to get rid of the exact fish you are looking for? Personally, I pay extra for quality all the time. My customers have come to expect quality from me so they also don't mind paying a little extra. Buying a fish on the internet is just like buying anything else on the internet. You have more sellers to choose from but you're paying for the convenience of having it dropped at your door.
To whoever is selling this fish: You're welcome
Here's the bottom line. There is a big difference between buying a fish from someone who makes a living selling fish and buying a fish from someone who wants to get rid of a fish. That should be obvious. If you want the kind of price that you would pay to someone getting rid of that very fish, then you need to wait until you find someone who wants to get rid of a quality female festae in your area.
Raising that fish *properly* from an egg to a healthy adult is not a cheap prospect. If it were one of mine, that fish would have already eaten its way through $20 (at least) worth of krill, bloodworms, pellets etc... on its own. Then you have to pay the electric bill to heat it's tank, pump air to it or run a filter, spend time and money doing water changes etc... Any retailer is going to either pay to raise the fish or pay to buy the fish and then turn it over. Are you willing to pay the extra $20 for a quality example of the fish you really want or would you rather wait an unknown period of time until you find someone that is looking to get rid of the exact fish you are looking for? Personally, I pay extra for quality all the time. My customers have come to expect quality from me so they also don't mind paying a little extra. Buying a fish on the internet is just like buying anything else on the internet. You have more sellers to choose from but you're paying for the convenience of having it dropped at your door.
To whoever is selling this fish: You're welcome
