RoninBoxers Posted September 23, 2004 Report Share Posted September 23, 2004 Greetings! I'd like to know a bit about importing fish from overseas. Does anyone know of a quarentine facility I can have them sent to, or someone I could work with to get the right fish? I'm considering this if I have no luck finding the type and stength of fish I want. Maybe this is a really strange question, but I breed dogs and have imported some of them... :oops: Thanks! Helene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_from_nz Posted September 23, 2004 Report Share Posted September 23, 2004 there are only a places that import fish into and maf is very strickt about it there is a thread in this forum that takes you to the link of the maf aprooved species list ill try find it for you but dont know how to post it up ad i have the business card of one of the sales team at brooklands when i find that i will give you his number but you will probably be told to go to your lfs (local fish store) and ask them and they will order them through brooklands (sory no cutting out the middle men) if you are after saltwater fish pm reef i am pretty sure he imports direct good luck Daneil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoninBoxers Posted September 23, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2004 Thanks for that! I've already checked out the species list on Maf, I don't think I'll be needing anything thats banned :-) What a pain about going to the LFS... I'd hoped there'd be a "fresher" way to get them. Theorhetically importing through a place that has quarentine accreditation should be no problem it happens with other livestock all the time. I guess its just a matter of finding someone who could be bothered :-( Either way my fish search has been very heartening and it looks like there are some nice lines coming on. I'll be going to the nationals and will hopefully bring a few bags home wohooo! Thanks for your reply, Helene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted September 23, 2004 Report Share Posted September 23, 2004 What fish lines are you doing Helene?? Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoninBoxers Posted September 23, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2004 Greetings! I've been out of fish for quite a while and I'm looking for the right ones to get started with. I've been breeding dogs for quite a few years and its spurred my interest in genetics and breeding programs. The kind of very close line breeding one can do with fish in such a short time is very appealing. Though it may not sound terribly sophisticated, I'm hoping to get into some solid coloured guppies. (Gold/red, yellows, & half black reds though I may get them here) I guess I'm still very much in a dog breeding mindset, I know that importing something as close to what I want as possible would be a huge short cut and well worth the effort... That is unless I get lucky on the right fish here! I don't really know any other breeders and have been to pet shops all over the place and frankly a lot of their fish are less than stellar. Some are ok but the females are probably impregnated by every male in the tank. Hope this isn't too boring of me! I just love guppies. Though some killifish may arrive shortly after :-) Regards, Helene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke* Posted September 23, 2004 Report Share Posted September 23, 2004 I like guppies (and platties) for a lot of reasons. They're easy to breed, are not scared of you, are well adjusted to tanks, and there's always cool new strains coming out that look amazing. It's fun to work on your own but to do it properly you need about 9 tanks. I read a good article on the net a while back. EDIT: Yes Dan is right, I looked into a while ago as there are top discus breeders in Australia who were willing to ship some to me. You have to have them quarantined at a MAF facility for 6 weeks and if they die during that time it's your hard luck. Considering I have no idea if they'd ever do a water change or use filters, I decided not to risk it, especially with discus coming from environments that had daily water changes. It's a lot easier if you can find a local breeder or get your LFS to get them in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoninBoxers Posted September 24, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 24, 2004 So there are no hobbyists or experienced people that can offer quarentine services? I would say someone should look into it, but no doubt it would cost 4 figures plus. I know what you mean about running multiple tanks :-) I'll probably start with 3 and work my way up. I've never been to the fish nationals before, I'm hoping it will give me a good idea of some of the different strains that are out there. Maybe I'll meet the right people and get some cool fish. I just always like to have a plan B. I think I'd be too scared to import something like discus!!!! It would be awful if something happened to them. Guppies might be a tad hardier than that... If I could buy heaps of the strain I like, then maybe anough would survive quarentine to be a good start. I like the idea of them being such easy breeders. Means I can focus on selection and rather than the minutia of reproduction. Ta! Helene www.roninboxers.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fins Posted September 24, 2004 Report Share Posted September 24, 2004 I have the MAF file in txt format that has everything you need to know about the facility eg about importing fish into NZ. You need a whole single roomed building just for the tanks and when you leave you have to have pretty much everything sterilized. You also have to employ a MAF approved vet to make regular checks. If your still interested I will email the file to you or find the link. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livebearer_breeder Posted September 24, 2004 Report Share Posted September 24, 2004 sounds like to much of a pain in the ass unless your going to import some very expensive fish into nz that arnt already here, to breed them and make tonnes of money????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perky Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 for the maf vet to come, it cost $150 per hour plus the cost of the fish, the cost of the freight, the price of the facility. you also have to take into account that maf has the right to take away any of your fish and destroy them at will. its not worth it unless its a business. also, the license is about $140 a year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 its not worth it unless its a business. Sorry perky this couldn't be any more wrong. $140.00 a year for a licence? Not a great deal of money in anyones books. Why would a MAF vet come? I don't really think you know what your talking about Perky. Even if it did cost $150 an hr, thats not a lot of money either. I have a friend who was stocking 2x 6 foot tanks (marine). He decided to build his own importation facility to reduce the stocking costs. He told me that all up it cost about $3500 to stock his tank, including all the MAF costs and the costs of bringing in 2 shipments. He belive that the retail cost of what he brought in was over $6,000.00 Retail. Now your could argue that he lost money because of his time, however a very real saving and he can still import again if he wants. It won't be easy, but I think its more difficult to know what do to (fill in paper work for councels etc) than the cost. This is certainly the case with marines. 3 members on this forum have started importing fish in the past 18 months and 2 more intend to start up. Can't be too hard or expensive if thats the case. Good luck. Pies PS: There is a thread by RnB that shows all the forms etc needed to start your own facility. Check the saltwater section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livebearer_breeder Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 Maybe money like that isnt something of an issue for you Pies, and because you are a saltie you tend to spend alot more money regularly, but some people do not have that sortta money sitting round, and spending it in goes as said above is more of a big deal to them, i know it would be for me. Shae Edited your post Shae.. We have enough moderators on this forum PNZ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HummingBird Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 Frankly, from Pies post it doesn't sound like Perky knows what hes talking about to me either. Pie shared an experience to illustrate this. I'll leave it at that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 Why would a MAF vet come? If I remember right, the requirement is for a MAF vet to inspect the shipment 3 times over the quarantine period. With freshwater fish to stock a tank, or a couple tanks, how many fish are you going to need? Let's just say for simplicity you're wanting about 200 tetras fish averaging $6 retail. That's only $1200 worth of fish to buy retail. Say you get the fish themselves for an average of a buck each, unless you can set up the quarantine for $1000 it's not worth it just to stock your own tanks. Marines, you could easily get 100+ pieces of livestock that would probably average conservatively $75 each retail. That'd be about $7500 total, Probably cost in the range of $25 each or less for you to buy them to import. Leaves $5K to set up a quarantine facility. Makes MUCH more sense when you're talking those kind of prices. Now, if you're doing it for reasons other than just financial, that changes everything. Uhhh...What was my point? Did I have a point? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 If I remember right, the requirement is for a MAF vet to inspect the shipment 3 times over the quarantine period. I don't belive it happens, not sure if its supposed to happen though. My comments about money were just an illistration. I didn't mean that $140 isn't a lot of money, its just not a lot of money in the 'scheme of things'. When your importing fish that may be worth over $200ea and with most coral retailing for $75+. I was just trying to highlight it as a comparison. Sorry if anyone misinterpretid my point, hope that makes more sense. Pieman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plecs Posted March 24, 2005 Report Share Posted March 24, 2005 i was speaking to an importer a couple of weeks ago. He said that MAF do come and visit three times, and it costs $150 per visit plus travel, so can work out expensive if you live far from where the MAF amn comes from. He also said that the MAF import list hasnt been updated in years, and that they are not very strict on holding you to it (within reason). plecs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perky Posted March 25, 2005 Report Share Posted March 25, 2005 He also said that the MAF import list hasnt been updated in years, and that they are not very strict on holding you to it (within reason). plecs You said that they are not very strict on holding you to the list (within reason), what would "within reason" be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plecs Posted March 25, 2005 Report Share Posted March 25, 2005 well, we were talking about plecos, and some are on the list, but it hasnt been updated for the latest plecos available, but they over look that. however, you couldnt bring in something completely new, or dangerous! plecs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.