Okay, BANGKOK EXPRESS taking on passengers! :)

[Cirrus]

Okay, today was a breakthrough. I now have many many good contacts. Really hard to find English speakers in the aquarium biz, but with the help of my Thai friends I now have some.

The way everything works here is on volume. If you are looking for a great price in Bangkok for one or two of anything, chances are you won't get it. Get bulk quantities, however, and you get a good deal.

I am now set to buy some of the fish listed below for my own tanks. I have included some links to photos I took of some of the fish. I have also included prices where possible. I still have a lot of research and bargaining ahead.

Red Texas
Small ones with undeveloped colour (about 2 inches) for $60 each. Come from big name breeders (C&C, T&T, Verily Red, etc.).

Medium size with strong developed colour (about 3-4 inches), real cuties, $125 each. These guys look amazing already!

Large size (around 6 inch), beautiful fish, $175-250 and up...

See some photos here:
http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b96/stratos_/Red Texas Bangkok/



Flower Horn
I have learned there are two varieties here; there is the "true" FH (kind of funny when you consider it is a hybrid!), which we all know and love (or hate), and then there is the new kid on the block, the King Kamfa. The King Kamfa is an FH that has been further crossed with other cichlids (names to follow in an article I hope to write up). These fish are characterized by that massive lumpy head you may have seen in some fish.

Colour variations include red, blue, and with or without markings (that may or may not resemble Chinese characters). They can also come in a short or long body.

Small FH are priced at $50 each, medium at $100, and nice large ones at $250.King Kumfa are a bit more expensive. Small ones are $100, medium are $200, and large are $300+.

Photos of these fish (all kind of mixed up) are here:
http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b96/stratos_/flower horn bangkok/



Pseudodorus niger Gentle giants, 4-5 inches, $40 each


Cichla Temensis
Peacock bass (the cool ones!), 5 inches, $25 each


Polypterus endlicheriPrice to come


Some cool tinfoil barbsPrice to come

Some snakeskin discus, cobalt discus, and marlboro "type"
Prices are marked on the fish tanks in Thai baht (32 for 1 C$) in some photos; I only really checked out one store today. More research to come.

See photos here:
http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b96/stratos_/discus bangkok/

I am sorry to report no ST's of any real value yet. Everything is very hush hush. Someone has apparently cornered the market, probably from a Japanese perspective...Hmph.

Also, no zebra plecs yet.

If you are interested in any of the fish I have listed, get back to me by pm. Believe me, the kind of prices and service I am offering happen like...once!

Please note: for buyers outside lowermainland Vancouver, additional charges will apply for shipping inside Canada.

 

[EEYY]

Is this consider as a small Pearl Flowerhorn at $50CAD category?

I would guess shipping cost to East coast of Canada would be $75 - $100, right?

The more fishes in box, the lower the shipping cost on per fish basis, right?

 

[Cirrus]

Look at photos may27219 and may27220. The price listed on the tank is 1,500 Baht, which is about $50. Add on PST and GST, phytocert cost, and my markup, and the price would be $100 for one. You want two the price would drop to $85 each. You want three, the price drops to $75 each. As I mentioned at the beginning of my last post, everything is based on volume buying here and BARGAINING. The "shopping" experience is unlike any other outside the aro business I think. The owners bring out drinks, have special lounges set up to discuss business, etc. Also, I am not sure what the daily turn over is like so in some cases getting a specific fish (especially for a lower end one) could be difficult. When all is said and done, I bet I can get you the best you could source locally in Vancouver for less than 50% off, sort of along the same lines as what I can do with Asian arowana.

Yes, more fishes ordered means cheaper unit price and cheaper shipping cost overall per unit.

 

[Cirrus]

I have made a couple observations about the aquarium fish trade here.

First, the prices for wild caught fish from SAmerica, Africa, etc. are not that good. This makes sense since the fish had to be shipped here and of course losses occur, leading to higher prices. The result of this is that Thailand is not a good place for North Americans to buy rays or rare plecos from SAmerica. I have seen some nice black rays (which are bred here), but very few rare plecos.

Second, anything that is bred here is a very good deal, and in many cases very unusual. For example, I saw some Shovelnose/Jurensis and M.tigrinus/P.niger hybrids yesterday. And of course there are the the RTC/Shovelnose hybrids. If you are looking for an unusual and eventually large catfish, there is a lot on offer here.

For some photos of the weird cats see here:

http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b96/stratos_/hybrid catfish/

And just to show you that almost anything can be found for sale here, check out what the Thais tell me is a newly discovered form of snakehead from Burma and some poor reef sharks that should be anywhere but in Bangkok:

http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b96/stratos_/hybrid catfish/sharks/

Tomorrow I am going to the big Thursday fish market they have here each week. It starts at 6:00 AM and promises to be really interesting. Apparently there will be thousands of fish in plastic bags which will be sold to pet stores and for export. I should get some good photos.

Friday I leave for Cambodia with my family for 6 days.

I am then back in Bangkok for a few days before going to Chaing Mai for a week. Then I return to Bangkok for another few days and then fly out. I will be finalizing most of my purchases in these final few days of my travels here in mid June.

I am now ready to start an email group and to send out group emails to those of you serious about joining this order. So far there are a few people who have shown serious interest, plus another few who want one or two of something. If you have not pm'd me yet, please do so now. I need to know the email address of everyone who want in on this order.

 

[Yuppa]

really no ST's???

thats all I was going to ask you to find me..
even 1 or two medium to large ones

 

[Cirrus]

really no ST's???

thats all I was going to ask you to find me..
even 1 or two medium to large ones

There are none in the markets.

Possibility of getting larger ones that can be sourced from Thai people's homes. Anyone interested should remember that larger ST's are not known to ship well. That is what is keeping me hesitant.

There are plenty of Indo dats available here.

Let's see what I can find in Cambodia!

 

[EKen]

Man if even Mighty Cirrus can't find STs, we're in trouble...

 

[Dragonguy]

Wild ST from Cambodia that are above 10"+ are actually illegal to import.

 

[homebrewed]

That tigerxniger cat is pretty amazing.

See any nice looking short body FH around like the 2nd on in this vid?

 

[Cirrus]

Wild ST from Cambodia that are above 10"+ are actually illegal to import.

I would not want large fish so it doesn't matter. I am curious about where you got the information though. I know Thailand has an export restriction for wide bar ST's of any size, didn't know Camodia did too.

I saw some nice thin bar ST's today from Mekong River. They are less stable than wide bars for sure; when I first saw them from a distance (they are about 5 inches) I thought "Oh shit, there they are - the WIDE BARS!!", but then kneeling closer I realized "Oh shit, no they are not!". Then I thought "Wow, their colours are pretty damn nice!! I'll take 'em!!" Then they got scared into a corner of a tank by my shadow and POOF! Their beautiful colours faded right before my eyes! Then I was left thinking "Hmm, are these Indo dats?!" To which the sales lady replied in Thai to my friend "They come from the upper Mekong".

Long story short: If this turns out to be the best I can get then I will get one for myself.

 

[Cirrus]

That tigerxniger cat is pretty amazing.

See any nice looking short body FH around like the 2nd on in this vid?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4KWwI6_FwM&feature=related

Yes,the cats are different for sure.

Yup, I have now seen FH in pretty much every shape, colour and form that is out there...for now. Those Thais won't stop hybridizing them I think. Wouldn't surprise me if they figure out a way to cross them with shovelnose!

 

[EEYY]

Theo, this (parrot texas) is also $60 each, right? What's the final price for 10 of them?

For viewers in Toronto area, I believe that parrot texas was selling at about $50 each in local fish store a while ago.

If you are located in Toronto area and would like to add 1 or 2 (or more) in your arowana comm., tank, please reply here and see whether we can form a group purchase and get a better price on a per fish basis.

IF WE CAN FIND A DEMAND FOR AT LEAST 10 OF THEM, MAYBE I CAN HELP TO ORGANIZE THE DISTRIBUTION PROCESS AT THE AIRPORT TERMINIAL AREA IN TORONTO.



Thanks.

 

[Cirrus]

I won't know about the partots you are interested in EEYY until I am back in Bangkok next week.

Now I am in Cambodia. I spent that day at Ankor Wat. Absolutely mind blowing!

I offered my tuk-tuk driver/guide (who was refered to me by some other travelers), $50 US to help me source some wide bar ST's. That is about a week's wages here and he jumped at the idea. Then he took one look at my photos of dats and said the following: "Sorry, but that is a marine type fish. It lives in the delta area near the sea and goes back and forth between fresh and salt water. We don't have that one in Cambodia."

So, there you have it. Some old information I once knew but forgot - the wide bar dat is technically a brackish fish! Which of course explains why it is called the "Siamese" Tigerfish, since the Mekong area where it is found is in Thai waters. Ho hum. Bummer. Looks like this fish could be near impossible to source in a juvenile form. My last hope would be to actually visit with Thai fisherman in the right area...

 

[h.l_nathan]

CIRRUS i have source that say there are lots in cambodia and viet nam at 4-5 inches

 

[T1KARMANN]

i think if their were any ST for sale in any part of the world then we would have seen 1 or 2 for sale buy now

 

[Cirrus]

I spent yesterday at the floating markets along Lake Ton Se Lap. I went to meet with department of fisheries guys. They know all about ST's (thin bar). They are gone here too! They told me they used to be around but that now I could offer to pay $100 per fish and I wouldn't be able to find one. $100 equals six months wages here. I am really quite sad about the situation.

Also, I am confused about which estuary the wide bar ST's come from in Thailand. Checking out a map I notice the Mekong delta is in Vietnam. Thus, what delta is it in Thailand that the ST's come (came?) from? Questions, questions.

 

[EEYY]

I spent yesterday at the floating markets along Lake Ton Se Lap. I went to meet with department of fisheries guys. They know all about ST's (thin bar). They are gone here too! They told me they used to be around but that now I could offer to pay $100 per fish and I wouldn't be able to find one. $100 equals six months wages here. I am really quite sad about the situation.

Also, I am confused about which estuary the wide bar ST's come from in Thailand. Checking out a map I notice the Mekong delta is in Vietnam. Thus, what delta is it in Thailand that the ST's come (came?) from? Questions, questions.

"ST-thin-bar", would that be equivalent to NTT (North Thailand Tiger)?

 

[m_class2g]

anything new theo!?

 

[Cirrus]

As mentioned elsewhere, I might have a lead.

I leave for Northern Thailand in a couple days. Going up to Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, and the "Golden Triangle". Get to see where Thailand, Laos, and Burma all meet up there. We plan to spend some time on the Mekong river. Will keep you posted on how things turn out...

 

[EEYY]

As mentioned elsewhere, I might have a lead.

I leave for Northern Thailand in a couple days. Going up to Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, and the "Golden Triangle". Get to see where Thailand, Laos, and Burma all meet up there. We plan to spend some time on the Mekong river. Will keep you posted on how things turn out...

Did you try the "elephant-back" ride??

I tried it once when I visited Thailand long long time ago!

Whatever you do, don't touch people head for no reason. My tour guide told us that it would be a some kind of disrespect to them, if I remember it correctly. Even he/she is a child.