How much do dats cost?

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lujor;4257290; said:
Is there a LOT of variation in quality? I know to look for obvious things that I would look for on any other fish, but aside from that I would just pick the best looking one. Are there any dat-specific things to look for when choosing? Also, I was going to get a D. microlepis. I want one that will be ok in semi-soft water. Good idea?


well, first you want to make sure it has gills.

lol, i'm kidding. Sorry, dats are my specialty
 
ballinouttacntrol;4257584; said:
well, first you want to make sure it has gills.

lol, i'm kidding. Sorry, dats are my specialty

Any tips then? Is juvy coloration or bar width an indication of how it's going to look as an adult, or do they change so much that I should be only concerned with the general health of the fish?
 
Sorry, i was in a hurry, i meant to say dats aren't my speciality. Someone else will have to fill both of us in
 
dats aren't my specialty either. I know one thing tho that I have learned in my limited dat experience. I started off by wanting just 1 IT (microlepis) and the lfs i had order them for me got 3. They all looked good so I took all 3. BIG mistake as they all fought constantly they were hard to feed because they were always hiding and just seemed miserable most of the time. I went to another lfs and saw 1 dat in his tanks that was the same size as mine and I had store credit so I brought him home and poof the 4 of them are all best friends now. no fighting, hiding or anything of the sort. They eat like pigs now.

more on topic these fish are fairly rare where i am and mine are all in the 1.5-2" range and i paid $20 each and talking to other dat owners in my area that is the average running price for small IT's
 
lujor;4257865; said:
Any tips then? Is juvy coloration or bar width an indication of how it's going to look as an adult, or do they change so much that I should be only concerned with the general health of the fish?

they dont change as they get older just the color is the only thing that changes

what you see is what you get

this is what im saying about buying on line
 
If I wanted the fish, and the price wasn't ridiculous, I'd get the fish.

I only have one NGT, so they aren't my specialty, but here's my local prices:
$25 small dats (2")
$80 (4-5")
6"+ gets steep depending on species and pattern
 
you can buy NTT AT or NGT on line as the stripe pattens are nearly all the same with not much variation

now you think you have prices they mean nothing

a IT with nasty stripes could be worth less than one with nice stripes

a 3 bar IT or traditional stripe IT with full neck band would be worth more than a IT with non symmetrical stripes no full neck band or broken stripes

no such thing as a guide price to many things have to be taken into account

after you think you know what they are worth you may come back with a IT with all the things that don't fit some peoples idea of a nice tiger knocking $40 off the price

what some like others hate

for me i hate forked non symmetrical

also the prices you now think are helping you are in Canada do you live their
 
Ok, you've made your point....YOU would pay ANYTHING for a fish YOU want! We've all got that.

MOST people probably get a fish THEY like and don't really care weither THIS forum finds THEIR fish to be nice or not. Afterall, isn't that what you said? You find a fish you like, just get it? We're not breeding prized show dogs, they're fish for our home aquaria

Thank YOU for YOUR contribution to THIS conversation though.

PS. Only one of those price was for one city in canada
 
ballinouttacntrol;4258846; said:
Ok, you've made your point....YOU would pay ANYTHING for a fish YOU want! We've all got that.

MOST people probably get a fish THEY like and don't really care weither THIS forum finds THEIR fish to be nice or not. Afterall, isn't that what you said? You find a fish you like, just get it? We're not breeding prized show dogs, they're fish for our home aquaria

Thank YOU for YOUR contribution to THIS conversation though.

PS. Only one of those price was for one city in canada

you are right but why buy a fish with nasty stripes just because its a tiger

this is my point mainly with ST why would someone pay big money for a ST with nasty stripes and one eye just because they want to own a ST this makes no sence to me
 
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