Banjo Cats?

[Timberwolf]

One of the fish I'd like to add to my community tank is a banjo cat. Had one of these guys when I was a kid and thought it was neat then. When I've asked around about them I have gotten dumb looks (with the exception of Dan Miner, at the Petland in Pasco, Washington), but no help finding one. Are they really that rare? Does anyone know where I moght find one in, or near, the Tri-Cities, Washington area?

[MatsP]

They are not overly common. I would expect that a good retailer at least knows what they are, but they are probably only available occassionally - I certainly can't say that I've seen them very often or that I could just phone around and get hold of someone that has one - I happen to know a shop that had some a couple of weeks ago, and they are LIKELY still there.

--
Mats

[Shane]

They are not rare at all, though they may be only seasonally available as they are wild caught. You may want to check with stores in the Seattle area or even Spokane.
-Shane

[Jools]

I think it's more retailer level scarcity than availability to export. Virtually all SA exporters will stock at least one species of Banjo. A lot of LFS don't stock them as they are a speciality fish and perhaps buy them from time to time and they often don't sell for months.

I can't remember EVER selling more than one banjo at a time.

So, find a good store, tell 'em how many you want (suggest at least 3) and ask if they will get them, If you're lucky, they might get one of the more unusual species.

Jools

[Proteus]

http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/ ... 1257822833


he got good good stock as well - nice guy to talk to

6 of the big boys at 24 bucks for the lot is a good deal

[Timberwolf]

Thanks, everybody! There are a couple of stores here locally that could probably round some up for me, including 1 that I will go out of my way to do business with. Dan and the gang have been great at every turn for me. I have never bought fish online, or through the mail and, while I know it's a normal way of trading them (and how they get to the LFS), I just have a hard time trusting the process. I agree that that auction that Proteus pointed out is a fantastic deal, but I don't have room for 6 just yet.

How have you done having fish shipped? Are there things that I should watch for, or be wary of, if (when) I finally get brave enough to try it?

[bronzefry]

If you wait, you may want to think about planning a tank just for them. That way, you'll have a chance of seeing them. Mine are out all the time now. Almost no burial. They do many funny things. When any other fish are around, they hide. They will survive just fine in a community tank, but they will thrive in a species tank.
Amanda