[pepperonihead]

Go on aqua bid and look under rainbow fish. Look for rarefishatlax. This is Kent and Tanner here is California. Kent is well know through out the Rainbow fish community for breeding only pure strains of Rainbows. He is one of the major collectors and has collected several of the varieties of Rainbows that we see today. If you want pure strains go through him. If you want washed out hybrids go to your LFS.

 

[pepperonihead]

I'd sure like to know where you can find Australian rainbows or Mucolluchis of any size for $2.00. I don' buy the packages. I just buy the species I want. Never had a problem my self. I certainly have had problems buying them from any one else. They are very seldom what they say they are going to be and they are really washed out and almost always hybrids. At least I know I am getting a true pure species when I buy from Tanner or Kent. I know some one on here complained once about getting a fish in their package they thought was a cull because it was damaged when they got it. The six packs always come with a couple extras in case of shipping damage or DOAs. I have always got six healthy fish plus two extras that are also healthy so I have always gotten eight fish for the price of six. Not a bad deal considering the money I have wasted buying from any one else or a farm or LFS. The farms are hybrid factories and I would never buy from them.

 

[pepperonihead]

Maybe the reason why there is not that many breeders

Is because these guys are extremely sensitive. They do not ship well. You really should have a quarantine tank to put them into for about two full weeks and medicate them for that period. After shipping if there is any Ick or anything else in your water if you just put them in your tank with no Quarantine they will most likely contract what ever you have in your tank. They are very sensitive to Osmotic changes, stress, changes in KH, GH, temperature, and other stuff. What usually happens is the person purchasing them tends to not follow the instructions of the breeders, does not medicate them for a while in a quarantine tank and then does not acclimate them properly. When the fish get sick and die they blame the breeders. Therefore breeders are sick and tired of breeding them and selling them and it is a big loss!