Generally, aquarium fish hobby is considered to be a cute and inexpensive hobby.
However, this is not always the case.
Some representatives of the underwater world are available only to very wealthy people, and owning them is as prestigious as, for example, owning a Bentley.
The high cost of exclusive fish is due to their rarity.
These are either fish with unusual color mutations, or very difficult to breed in captivity and almost unavailable in nature.
We bring to your attention a small educational review of the 10 most expensive aquarium fish in the world.
Arowana
The dragon fish or arowana is one of the most expensive aquarium pets.
The cost of each individual depends on the size and intensity of color. Breeders have developed many varieties of dragons, differing in fin shape, color and size. The most valuable of them are the purple, red and gold arowanas. A red dragon in pet stores costs from 150 to 400 thousand rubles. The price for the rarest specimens reaches $80,000. Such specimens are the result of a gene mutation. An example is a platinum or white arowana owned by an Asian collector. Average prices remain at around $5,000 for fish that take places at exhibitions. When such animals are sold, a chip with information about the origin and breeder is implanted into the body, and the new owner is given a certificate.
It is believed that arowanas are one of the oldest inhabitants of the planet, living 200 million years ago. This fact is partly the reason for the high cost.
In an aquarium, an arowana can grow up to 80 cm. It needs a large tank with a volume of at least 1000 liters and a lot of live food. Under favorable conditions, the dragon lives up to 20 years. This is a very smart fish, capable of guessing its owner and feeding from his hands.
Pearl Ray (Potamotrygon Sp. Pearl Ray)
The river stingray lives in the waters of Brazil. It is valued for its unusual color: the dark body is dotted with golden spots, similar to a scattering of pearls.
All stingrays are rare inhabitants of aquariums. It is not easy to find a pearl stingray even in nature, and seeing its offspring in an aquarium is very rare, which is why the price for it is around $50,000. The number of specimens brought to Russia does not exceed two dozen. In the catalogs of companies selling aquarium inhabitants, it appears no more than once every 3-5 years. A hybrid of the motoro stingray and the pearl stingray is often found on sale. The price of such copies starts from 60 thousand rubles.
Barramundi (white sea bass)
Regular barramundi fish is not very expensive - about $40 per 1 kg - and is available for purchase in supermarkets. However, every year an unusual charity auction takes place in Austria. 75 representatives of the barramundi breed are marked and released into the reservoir.
One of the specimens has a price tag of $1 million, the rest of the fish are valued at $10,000. The person who catches the fish must pay the amount indicated on it.
Peppermint Angelfish, Paracentropyge boylei
The Deep Sea Mint Angel is highly sought after by collectors. But catching this small fish (up to 7 cm) is very difficult. It inhabits tropical reefs at depths of 50 to 120 meters in the eastern and central Pacific Ocean. Angels cleverly hide among rocks and reefs. Labor costs during catching leave their mark on the cost - the price per individual reaches up to $30,000.
Neon blue (Paracheirodon innesi)
Blue neon is the winner in the “Customers’ Choice Aqua Logo” category! Why are these little “fireflies” so popular? First of all, because they are one of the brightest and friendliest inhabitants of the aquarium! Blue neon has two iridescent stripes on its silver body: blue and red. A school of these wonderful fish in the middle layer will transform any aquarium. They grow up to 4 cm and have an absolutely peaceful disposition.
Neons are small fish, their average lifespan is 2-3 years. It is influenced by various factors: water parameters, well-maintained aquarium, feeding, neighbors and others. Blue neons are quite unpretentious, but they do not like “fresh” water. That is, it is not recommended to plant them in a new, just launched aquarium. This doesn't mean neons aren't suitable for beginners! They fit. But they should not be launched first, but after more “strong” fish (for example, zebrafish) have settled in the aquarium for some time.
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Bladefin Basslet, Jeboehlkia gladifer
The Bloodfin Basslet is considered an expensive pet for an aquarium. The fish is rarely found on sale, since it is extremely difficult to catch 3.5 centimeter crumbs among the reefs at great depths (150 m).
The basslet got its name because of the blade-like structure of its dorsal fin. The basslet has a double color: orange and white. Exotic connoisseurs are willing to pay $10,000 for it. Basslet is somewhat reminiscent of a white-headed dwarf bull, the cost of which was also initially high and amounted to $1,000, but has now dropped to 250.
Golden Basslet, Liopropoma aberrans
These fish amaze with the beauty of their body, painted in a rich yellow color with blue eyes. Gradually the yellow color turns into tangerine and in the area of their intersection a mesh pattern appears, most noticeable in the back area.
This species has been known since 1860, but only in 2011 did it appear on sale as an aquarium fish. Catching them is very expensive, as deep-sea equipment is used and decompression is required. In addition, catching is difficult because liopropoma aberrans spends most of its time in narrow cracks of reef walls.
Setting up an aquarium is also expensive. It should be large in size with plenty of rocks and caves where golden basslets can hide. These are hardy fish that quickly acclimatize to aquarium conditions, but they rarely go on sale, which is why their price is very high - up to $6,000.
Arapaima
The largest freshwater fish on Earth, in its native Amazon reaches an average of 2 meters (in some cases up to 6 m). They like to keep her in zoos and aquariums. This fish is a real prehistoric monster, and also a predator that jumps out of the water, grabbing small animals sitting on branches and flying birds. Few people can afford to keep this living fossil in a home aquarium, but there are offers for their sale on the Internet. Half-meter copies are offered for 60,000 rubles.
Neptune Grouper, Cephalopholis igarashiensis
A member of the rock perch family lives off the coast of Japan and Fiji.
The body of adults is bright pink. One gets the impression that it is calcified with stripes of intense yellow color. The color of young Neptunes is solid yellow or orange.
When this fish goes on sale, collectors are ready to buy it for $6,000. But this happens extremely rarely. It lives at great depths from 80 to 250 m. Divers engaged in its extraction must provide Neptune with decompression stops so that it can more easily withstand pressure changes. Considerable costs go into transporting groupers.
Flathead perch (Australian flathead perch, Rainfordia opercularis)
Australian perch is one of the rarest fish. It is very difficult to catch, as it stays in cover most of the time. But another factor contributing to its inaccessibility is that it is endemic to eastern Australia.
The fish is distinguished by prominent eyes, a wide mouth and a flat head. The body length does not exceed 15 cm. The color is blue with yellow stripes. In the USA, perch sells for $5,000, while Japanese stores offer $8,000.
Clarion or loud angelfish (Clarion Angelfish)
Clarion belongs to the angelfish family. This is a marine fish that lives mainly off the coast of Mexico and California in reef zones. The hydrobiont is extremely beautiful. The orange clarion, whose body is decorated with blue stripes with a metallic tint, is especially prized. These fish are caught only by hand. They have been in aquariums for over 40 years, but they still remain rare and expensive pets. Clarions living in the wild are under the protection of the Mexican state, as their numbers are limited. Attempts to breed clarions in captivity are rare. The cost of such fry is very high. In the USA, a small angelfish bred in captivity was offered for $5,000. This is a very demanding aquarium pet. If all conditions are not met, the blue stripes will disappear, and with them the value.
Advantages
If you have not decided whether to install an aquarium in your home, then you should think about it, because it has a lot of advantages. The fast and dynamic pace of life sometimes leaves little time for rest. The body needs relaxation, and watching the water and fish is one of the best ways to allow yourself to recover.
The aquarium is also perfect for families with children. The main thing is that they understand that it must be handled with care. In the process of observing fish, the child develops diversified.
Allergies may be a contraindication to installing an aquarium. It is not caused by the fish themselves, since their direct contact with humans is practically excluded. An allergic reaction most often occurs due to food. It is caused only by dry species. If you are afraid of such consequences, then consult your doctor and pet store seller to choose the appropriate option.
Iron Forged Butterfly fish (Chaetodon daedalma, Wrought Iron Butterfly fish)
The body of the butterfly fish is black with a metallic tint, on which bright yellow stripes of the dorsal, caudal and anal fins stand out. Because of its color it is also called the black silk butterfly. These fish grow up to 15 cm. In nature, they prefer to live in groups of 10 or more individuals. Habitat: rocky reefs off the Japanese islands. These are extremely active and hardy fish, but are kept only in large-volume cold-water aquariums (from 800 liters). The price in online stores varies from $3,000 to $4,000.
Russian sturgeon
Sturgeon fish is valued primarily for its delicious caviar. Due to uncontrolled poaching for black caviar, sturgeon was included in the Red Book. There are several sturgeon that, due to their record weight, have been sold for large sums of money.
The most famous is a specimen of sturgeon weighing 1.2 tons with 200 kg of caviar. He was caught at the beginning of the 20th century. In modern money, they paid $289,000 for the fish.
Koi carp or brocade carp
Since 1930 of the last century, Japanese breeders obtained several color variations of carp. But the real work on breeding koi carps or, as the Japanese call them, “nishikigoi” began in the 50s. 20th century. Out of tens of thousands of specimens, only a few were selected for further breeding. To achieve Koi status, a carp must go through six selective breeding trials.
Today there are 15 color variations of real koi. In Japan, the most popular species are red and white koi, those with red and black spots on a white background, and black koi with white and red spots. The most expensive specimens, participants and winners of exhibitions, are valued at up to $5,000. Such carps undergo the strictest selection in accordance with the following criteria:
- body structure;
- color and design;
- quality.
All points are summarized, a general impression is expressed for each copy, and only then a price is set.
Tetraodon mbu, giant puffer
Mbu, which means “cobblestone” in the dialect of African tribes, is the largest representative of tetradonts. Mbu is a tropical bottom-dwelling fish that lives in African waters. In the aquarium pet market it is called the golden-ringed pufferfish or the reticulated pufferfish. Each individual is distinguished by its own special pattern, looking as if a dark net had been thrown over its golden body. The reticulated pufferfish can be aggressive and can bite humans. When it senses danger, it swells and small spines become visible on its body.
In an aquarium it grows up to 40 cm. In order for Tetradon mbu to reproduce in captivity, a tank of 4000 liters is required. The cost of individual copies reaches 70 thousand rubles.
Tiger catfish merodontodus
This fish can be found in the only place on the planet - in the Teotonio waterfall in Brazil. The presence of this catfish in a home aquarium is an indicator of high status, because not everyone can afford it. The fact is that it is very difficult to catch this fish, and besides, export from Brazil is prohibited.
In addition, the catfish needs to provide not only a large area for habitat. It needs various shelters and a strong flow of water, like a waterfall.
The tiger catfish has a bright color. On the body you can see contrasting stripes that form a unique pattern. Moreover, each representative of the species has its own, special one. The cost of an adult is about $800.
