Now as to 98% of people wanting a living curio cabinet for the least
amount of work and money (that's a clumsy way of paraphrasing what I
think Josh was saying) - well, how does that explain the reef craze? I
get the part where saltwater fish are more colorful and hence have a
broad appeal. But cheap and easy - nope.
And ARE there any independent retailers left? The ones who specialize
in marine animals, sure, since they aren't competing with the big boys.
In some of the major metro markets there are shops which, because of the
large customer base they can draw from, are able to specialize in
cichlids or oddballs or what have you, but there isn't such a market in
Mississippi, and-in-most 1 or 2 in most states.
Also, I imagine the fish farms, unless they have found out how to
produce only males of certain species, are not too keen on this male
only thing. PetsMart has a lot of clout with Segrest Farms because they
are their major customer, but you can bet Segrest is not happy about it.
I'm assuming in all this that Jan's observation is correct, and has been
adopted as policy by the aforementioned retailer. It's been over a year
since I've been inside one, and the scenario Jan describes was not
evident back then. If so, such a practice can only serve to inflate the
cost of the male fishes - again, a strike against the consumer, and
against PetsMart's own interests. This bears looking into a bit more
closely. This company after all tries very hard to adhere to high
ethical standards (this is why they don't sell dogs or cats <puppy
mills>, or marine fishes <high mortality and environmental impact>). I
once talked with one of their district managers for over 2 hours while I
toured every part of the store with him (including the filter room and
stockroom), and I believe they are very serious about this stuff.
Something just does not add up here.
--Irate
"Never take your dog to a funeral. There is nothing good that can come from that." - Mark Twain
-----Original Message----- From: owner-nanfa-l-in-nanfa.org [owner-nanfa-l-in-nanfa.org] On Behalf Of Hoover, Jan J ERDC-EL-MS Sent: Sunday, December 11, 2005 4:34 PM To: nanfa-l-in-nanfa.org Subject: RE: NANFA-L-- OT: Sales of Males
Todd wrote:
>>>...98% focus of aquaria now is
to set up the most colorful living curio cabinent with the least amount of
money and effort. The species that are popular fire right up as males only...
So why fuss with loosing space in your curio cabinet as well?...OR why keep a
darter that's not going to come into color ever, or even if its
a male, when it spawns or is-in-55 degrees with a high protein diet? This
comes into our territory too, when you want to understand why AC isn't flying
off the shelf-in-a retail store.<<<
Fascinating! So aquarium hobbyists in general have devolved from "doers"
into "displayers." That might explain why, in a time of easier aquarium
technology and improving availability of native fish information, that so few
hobbyists keep native fishes. Color is insufficient and greater effort is
required.
- Jan Hoover
Vicksburg, MS
/-----------------------------------------------------------------------
/ This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes
/ Association (NANFA). Comments made on this list do not necessarily
/ reflect the beliefs or goals of NANFA. For more information about NANFA,
/ visit http://www.nanfa.org Please make sure all posts to nanfa-l are
/ consistent with the guidelines as per
/ http://www.nanfa.org/guidelines.shtml To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get
/ help, visit the NANFA email list home page and archive at
/ http://www.nanfa.org/email.shtml /----------------------------------------------------------------------- / This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes / Association (NANFA). Comments made on this list do not necessarily / reflect the beliefs or goals of NANFA. For more information about NANFA, / visit http://www.nanfa.org Please make sure all posts to nanfa-l are / consistent with the guidelines as per / http://www.nanfa.org/guidelines.shtml To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get / help, visit the NANFA email list home page and archive at / http://www.nanfa.org/email.shtml