When people are like, "black shrimp - bah! Check out these super cool ghost shrimp! I paid $400.00 for this guy, ain't it pretty?"
king kong shrimp
- Thread starter timwag2001
- Start date
Im with you on that Wycco, i think the blue tigers are WAY prettier than the king kongs. Think there are lots of better looking shrimp out there actually. And im sure you are right, prices will come down. Its a fad now, they're rare and the new kid on the block, and there is all this hype about them (we're even hyping them right now saying the price is ridiculous! lol). Still seems like a potentially good investment though, if you were in to trying thius sort of thing. Lets say you buy 3 for $2400 total, and happen to get a male and 2 females and they breed. Then you resell at, lets say a $100 a shrimp, you could still make your money back pretty quickly. Thats all according to theory anyway.
But then maybe prices wont come down? Look at zebra pleco's. The price on those havnt really come down at all in atleast 10-15 years. There just as expensive now as they were. And from what i understand they arent really THAT hard to breed, they just take a long time to mature. So maybe the market is sustainable, but some how i doubt it. Its still $800 for an aquatic bug, that you will rarely see in your tank. lol
But then maybe prices wont come down? Look at zebra pleco's. The price on those havnt really come down at all in atleast 10-15 years. There just as expensive now as they were. And from what i understand they arent really THAT hard to breed, they just take a long time to mature. So maybe the market is sustainable, but some how i doubt it. Its still $800 for an aquatic bug, that you will rarely see in your tank. lol
When the King Kongs first hit the market in Japan, I read that a pair of them sold for $5000 at an auction.
Well exactly- the time it gets to maturity is a major difference. Shrimp reach sexual maturity in just a handfull of months. In a single year you can have many generations born... and MANY in each generation. I'm not sure how many young Zebra Pleco have.
The cost of raising shrimp is a lot less too- multiple shrimp per gallon as opposed to how many gallons per pleco?
The price is bound to fall considerably- and whereas it may never hit the $1 per shrimp like a red cherry shrimp one would think it would eventually be similar in cost to CRS if they breed as easily... which granted they can still be fairly expensive for good grades.
Even CRS are falling in price all the time.
Many fantastic Sulawesi shrimp too- they're pretty pricey at the moment- most are prettier than the King Kong- but less expensive...
... I can't wait for those to fall in price- although I imagine they will always cost a bit because they don't breed as prolifically in just any aquarium.
mellowvision
Seafood Lover
the reason they are so expensive is that they are a mutation of CRS that is more fragile and less likely to breed. The odds of birthing are way lower. True, they're not so insanely beautiful that they're worth the price on looks alone, but they are a new genetic being, and are rare. Everything rare is expensive when there is a market for it. I don't think $400 would be outrageous if you were an experienced breeder that felt confident about breeding them, but a single shrimp is useless, at any price.
See those on aquabid sometimes "one day only" sales. Very pretty shrimp that hopefully will be cheaper in the future
