How much for a pair of breeding percula clowns?

[edwinaybar]

My pair of percula clowns have caught me off guard decided to start a family. I'm trying to decide if I want to embark in raising the young and allow them to keep doing it :whistling:.

If i decide not to do it, I'll probably want to sell the pair as I'm sure somebody else would like to get a breeding pair. My question is, how much would be a fair price to ask for a breeding pair of percula clowns?

[RonD]

The breeding part is a labor of love. it takes alot of your time up to raise fry to a good size for market. but it is rewarding to do it and the BAP program could use another person signed up for it on here

[tlo]

it's really hard to say. Percs from a LFS are usually around the $25 mark. I personally would pay no more than $40 for the pair. But it is really variable - some may pay a little more b/c they are already breeding. But for most, I am not sure if they would be willing to pay more for that. I could be wrong.

[Rondelet]

I agree with Theresa on the price point - but this can be variable depending on the type (captive bred vs. wild) and geographic origin. If the pair are laying eggs then it wouldn't be unreasonable to attach a 2x multiplier. So, basically $100 for the pair would seem reasonable to me. It really depends on how impatient someone is. Pairing clowns is essentially automatic if you obtain two small individuals - it's just a matter of time. A "pair" of undifferentiated individuals can take many months to sort out which becomes the female and which becomes the male.

[nanokid]

i would say that they wouldnt feel comfortable spawning right away in a new tank. so if i was in your position i would try and see if i could get them to spawn, and get someone else to take care of the eggs.but if your set on selling them i would say the pair would be a good price at 40-50.

[miketurn]

I agree, a pair of clowns that lay eggs isn't anything too unusual, its if the fry can be brought to adulthood successfully and repeatedly that the pair would become valuable.

Same goes for like angels in FW, or for example my cleaner shrimp hatch babies all the time with no effort, but actually keeping them alive for more than a few hours is another, but I guess it comes down to having the right setup for breeding and the patience IMO

[Rondelet]

...its if the fry can be brought to adulthood successfully and repeatedly that the pair would become valuable.

Except in the case of clowns, without major intervention (i.e., live rotifers/algae cultures to support them) the fry would never survive. Ditto for shrimp. FW Angels can play a significant role in raising fry but it really depends on the pair.