Misidentified

[thecoralreefer]

When we find an industrial mistake should we be active in fixing it
Some suppliers have taken to renaming juveniles because of their color difference.
With this practice they can up the prices.
And when you call them on it they simply state."well, you don't have to buy the fish".
As hobbiests some rely on the lfs to is these fish. Should we hold these perps accountable?
I for one think we should.
With this said I need help.
Help me bring this act of fraud to a halt.

[Crooked Reef]

I can see where you are coming from, but we as the purchaser have the ultimate responsibility to determine what we are buying and what is required for its care. If you have a lfs that continually and more importantly, intentionally misidentifying fish, don’t purchase from them. If everyone stops purchasing from them then they will feel it as they shut their doors for good. You state suppliers are renaming juveniles but also state that the lfs should identify them. They may notice that the mckoskers wrasse they ordered are actually carpenters, or they may not. Depending on the store, whether it is a specialty saltwater store, or just a pet store that sells fish, you can’t expect everyone to know everything about every species they have. Especially if they’re supplier tells them it is one thing that they haven’t seen yet.

[Tripod1404]

When in doubt, I always check the latin species name and google it.

[nereefpat]

Example?

[thecoralreefer]

I will agree that it is our responsibility.
From What I found so far.
Right down to a major supplier Quality Marine.
Petco and probably everywhere.
The Golden Sailfin Blenny is Astrosalaris fuscus.
The Dusky Blenny is Astrosalaris fuscus.
Why is the Golden 10 bucks more?
Its the juvenile fish.
When it grows out, it will be your Dusky.
I called them. Its common practice they said.
You don't have to buy it. They said.
Is that specific enough?

[thecoralreefer]

Actually
Petco has started an investigation.
They are trying to fix it.
But
This Is at supplier levels

[nereefpat]

Originally Posted by thecoralreefer

Is that specific enough?

Yes.

You went on a rant, but I didn't know what fish you were talking about.

Caveat emptor. Latin name research is a good tip.

[Anemone]

Personally, I wouldn't depend upon Petco for my saltwater fish info. In general, their knowledge is more than a little sparse.

Also, I wouldn't be surprised if some juvenile fish are more expensive than their less-attractive adult forms. The marine hobby is very "appearance" oriented.

Kevin

[ReefkeeperZ]

a lot of store get fish from various suppliers, and the various suppliers supply the common name same with corals (I hate the common name game), as long as the latin name is correct in this day of smart phones I can't understand how some one would a have a problem figuring out what they are actually purchasing.

I remember the good old days of seeing something in a pet store then going to the library to see if I could figure out anything about it and after getting back realizing it was gone or totally not what I thought it was. a couple days later....

as for charging more for a juvenile from the supplier end? possibly it's more attractive so it has a higher sale rate as well as longer expected longevity because it's young. I know I'm going to pay more for a car with 0 miles and a shiny paint job than a car with 150k miles and worn finish on it.

[gargoylenest]

We should do the same for all the ridiculous name people create out of their mind for zoa...

[JZinCO]

Misidentification is a real problem. I agree.
Two cases:

Research has shown that a significant proportion of California macroalgae dealers are trading in illegal caulerpa breaking state and federal laws. When confronted, the response is always "oh, we didn't know what we were selling.". But, as the court system decided, ignorance is no excuse.

Agents in a USFWS office have bee turning back legal coral imports because the agents can't tell listed species from unlisted species.

False advertising is false advertising is false advertising. Generally speaking, vendors can get away with it because their trade names for products are irrelevant labels.
How can a consumer discern when their information on the hobby comes from the same players that are doing the misID in the first place?

[mcgyvr]

He I've got some "rutti tutti fruity gobstopper bounce zombie nipple moose knuckle alien eye lemonaid" zoanthids for sale..
Only $650 a head... Send me a registered letter if interested..

[Crooked Reef]

If you go to liveaquaria and bluezooaquatics they have 6 and 4 common names attached to that species respectively. If you google dusky blenny it’s not even the first result you get species wise. Unfortunately common names can be regional. I don’t consider this misrepresentation as these are not branded and trademarked names for these fish. These are names that hobbyists and companies/lfs have used and people recognize. If a company is giving a false Latin name consistently and more importantly intentionally, then this is a gross misrepresentation of the species.

Also, petco employs people for their store and assigns them to the fish department. There is not guarantee they have any idea about fish, thy may just need a job. I wouldn’t trust them if they told me water was wet.

[Uncle99]

Marketing is what it is called.
Would you rather have an Utter Chaos Flaming Red, or just a Red.
They can name them what they want and they will, we know better.

[NO3]

Maybe the ACLU and PETA can join forces....

[gargoylenest]

mcgyvr, never heard of that one! must be rare! Ill take 3 heads!

[thecoralreefer]

Ha ha Mc cyber
Don't laugh
I saw acans go over a grand on eBay per head

[thecoralreefer]

Y'all have made some good points.
I have been at this long enough to know what you say true.
But that does not make it right.
Complacent behaviour doesn't fix it
In 2002 I started my store.
I faught hard to get Latin names provided by suppliers.
Now we have slipped backwards.
If you like being ripped off that's up to you.
I for one don't.
We need to regulate these guys somehow.
By banding together we can force them to be honest and open.
Is it really fair for them to charge 100.00 dollars for morphidite xlowns.
Well If you want to
But when they clearly just take advantage of people.
Well that's where I go into action.
No one has regulated this commerce at all.
Its time to stop the fraudulent behaviors.

[aznflyfisherman]

But if the store misidentify the fish and sells it alot cheaper are you going to correct it n give them more money for it?

[Crooked Reef]

Fair for them to charge it? Sure. They can charge whatever they want and I can walk right by that tank or to another store. If they tell me these new morph of clown is a different and new species of reef safe dwarf angel, I would be a little upset, especially if I was new enough to believe it. Clowns are the perfect example for what you are talking about. I can get a misbarred maroon clown pair right now at my lfs for $65. Same store has a pair of lightning maroons for $250. This is the same throughout multiple industries and with other animals as well. Look up dog breeders and see the different prices they charge for different color patterns of dogs or ball python morphs. They’re not trying to state it’s a different species than it is. Again, if the store is purposefully misrepresenting a species then it is wrong. If it is an accident or if they are charging more for a certain color I don’t mind. I will pay more for a terminal male wrasse than I would for a male or female. Same species, different look.