[Plinkploop]

So I spent all day travelling to lfs' around a city an hour and a half from me and noticed a bunch of them had "jumbo" cardinal tetra and they don't look any different than my adult cardinals... Is this a marketing gimmick to sell older cardinals or are they really a thing? Does anyone know?

 

[Oughtsix]

Sounds like a marketing gimmick to me!

 

[Plinkploop]

That's what I figured, no one could tell me what the difference was other than an additional 5 bucks a piece. I never thought my local petco would be less deceptive than reputable lfs' but here we are. At least my local petco had them labeled juvenile and adult and didn't charge a different price. If there is a true difference I would totally spring 8 bucks a piece for a school of 6 cardinals that would get to be the size of a congo and call my 40b done.

 

[ytro]

Jumbo is basically the same as XL. The fish farms charge the retailer more for them being full grown, hence the higher price tag. I don't think it's necessarily a smart purchase, as they will most definitely be shorter lived than younger specimens. I rarely ordered any jumbos fish for this reason, but when i did they were always larger than what they sold as adults.

 

[Plinkploop]

Jumbo is basically the same as XL. The fish farms charge the retailer more for them being full grown, hence the higher price tag. I don't think it's necessarily a smart purchase, as they will most definitely be shorter lived than younger specimens. I rarely ordered any jumbos fish for this reason, but when i did they were always larger than what they sold as adults.

Good to know, I guess my adults are just what would be considered jumbos because I have a few that are bigger than what I saw in their jumbo tanks. They're the same size as my rummynoses, just a little fatter.

 

[Discusluv]

As far as I know, cardinals are all wild caught and not farm raised like neon tetras. The price paid by retailers is by size so they in turn charge by size. Smaller fish stores pay a higher margin per fish because dont have the buying power of a chain- like Petco. But, I bet even Petco is having an issue at this time getting wild caught fish at the price they have in the past.
The thing about size as an indicator of price is that it fluctuates with both availability and purchasing price of individual retailer.

 

[Discusluv]

That's what I figured, no one could tell me what the difference was other than an additional 5 bucks a piece. I never thought my local petco would be less deceptive than reputable lfs' but here we are. At least my local petco had them labeled juvenile and adult and didn't charge a different price. If there is a true difference I would totally spring 8 bucks a piece for a school of 6 cardinals that would get to be the size of a congo and call my 40b done.

Cardinal tetras are actually very long lived if properly kept. They can live 13-15 years in the aquarium. It may not be as big as a congo tetra-- but, what a beautiful fish it is!

 

[Plinkploop]

Cardinal tetras are actually very long lived if properly kept. They can live 13-15 years in the aquarium. It may not be as big as a congo tetra-- but, what a beautiful fish it is!

I love them. I wish the ones at the petco near me weren't diseased or I'd have more. I've noticed in growing them out that they've become even brighter and more beautiful with time. I'm impressed by the age potential, that's awesome for such a small fish!!

 

[Plinkploop]

As far as I know, cardinals are all wild caught and not farm raised like neon tetras. The price paid by retailers is by size so they in turn charge by size. Smaller fish stores pay a higher margin per fish because dont have the buying power of a chain- like Petco. But, I bet even Petco is having an issue at this time getting wild caught fish at the price they have in the past.
The thing about size as an indicator of price is that it fluctuates with both availability and purchasing price of individual retailer.

I thought the same thing about seasonal availability but, from what I was told, they have been successful at tank breeding them and supposedly they can get them anytime (3 separate lfs) but I wouldn't be surprised if it was all smoke and mirrors to get me to buy. My local petco had them all the time but they are of incredibly poor quality and I still have a single cardinal in a qt tank because of neon tetra disease from there.

 

[Discusluv]

I love them. I wish the ones at the petco near me weren't diseased or I'd have more. I've noticed in growing them out that they've become even brighter and more beautiful with time. I'm impressed by the age potential, that's awesome for such a small fish!!

When it comes to buying fish I am very particular. I have about 5 online vendors that I buy from ( for the last 10 years) that have been tested many times and never give me diseased fish. A couple of these sources are general fish stores and the others carry the specific fish I like: discus, wild South American cichlids, and wild caught tetras. I also buy from local breeders through the aquarium society I am affiliated with. You have some alternatives to never get diseased fish again.

 

[Discusluv]

I thought the same thing about seasonal availability but, from what I was told, they have been successful at tank breeding them and supposedly they can get them anytime (3 separate lfs) but I wouldn't be surprised if it was all smoke and mirrors to get me to buy. My local petco had them all the time but they are of incredibly poor quality and I still have a single cardinal in a qt tank because of neon tetra disease from there.

I would not get domestic farm raised.- get wild. Try Wetspot, Aquatic Clarity, or Ned's Fish Factory. You will get some premium stock.

 

[Plinkploop]

I would not get domestic farm raised.- get wild. Try Wetspot, Aquatic Clarity, or Ned's Fish Factory. You will get some premium stock.

Thank you so much. I've contemplated ordering but my problem is getting things delivered- they stopped deliveries to my house because of shortages due to covid and the nearest post office is 45 minutes away in the same town as petco. I can have them delivered to my cousins but that's an hour away from me, but at least she'd tell me exactly when they get there (she's disabled and it home all day). I will seriously consider it, though as I would LOVE to fill out my school.