Peppermint Angelfish from the Waikiki Aquarium

G

gaberosenfield

I was in Hawaii over the winter holiday, so of course I went snorkeling and paid a visit to the Waikiki Aquarium in Honolulu. I just thought I'd post my crappy pictures of the world's most expensive fish: the peppermint angelfish.

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The Waikiki Aquarium has the only documented captive individual, collected at around 400 feet deep near Tahiti. The aquarium has gotten offers of $30,000 for the fish from private collectors the world over. $30,000 for a fish that's barely 2" long! I just had to share!

BTW, if anyone ever has the chance to go visit the Waikiki Aquarium, it is a reefkeeper's kind of public aquarium! Amazing coral exhibits, including outdoor coral ponds and tanks, and the largest captive giant clam in the world!
 
I saw it as well. My picture was posted in the December photo contest and won. Gorgeous little guy.


Marc
 
What exactly do they mean by documented captive individual? Are they saying he is the only one in captivity or the only one ever captured and sold? I remember when this was on the cover of FAMA. I'm thinking that was late 90's and if I'm remebering corretly they were collecting a few then and selling them to Asian markets. I believe then they were in the $15k range.
 
My understanding was that the Waikiki specimen was the only one documented to be in captivity currently. He was not sold, he was donated to the Waikiki aquarium by the scientific team that captured him as part of a survey of life on some island in the South Pacific. I know nothing about these fish from the 90s as that was way before my time in the hobby.
 
(from Reef Central)

Apparently Blue Harbor has 5 Peppermint Angels for sale now ($20,000 each). You can view video of them online.
 
Wow, I guess word of the high price these little guys are demanding reached the ornamental fishing world and they are delivering. I can only imagine how nerve-wracking it must be to try and ship such a valuable little fish!
 
I know, right? I think these are all going to stay in Asia but I can't imagine. I would want to hire a personal fish courier to get on a plane with it.
 
I wonder if that is just juvinal colors and will change into like all white angel or all red. Like the Koran, queen, emporator, ect..
 
I'm not sure. In fact, I'm not even sure anyone knows how long these fish live or how long it takes them to mature. I think that was the whole point in giving this one to the Waikiki Aquarium, so we will find out the answers to those questions.
 
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