Sometimes I like to compare the fish variety and prices provided by various suppliers and sellers in the trade internationally. I found this website: https://www.livefish.com.au located in Australia. And I must say I am really surprised by their pricing, but please read on…
First of all Australian currency’s conversion is roughly $1USD to $.90AUD, so whatever price you see, basically consider it 10% off of the price in USD.
That said, one would still imagine that a country sits right on top of world’s largest barrier reef would have much cheaper price- not so much!
And here is the reason: You cannot collect in the GBR!
http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/visit-the-reef/responsible-reef-practices/collecting
So Australia, like us, also rely heavily on imports of the other APEC nations. This means shipping charge, duty, middlemen, duty, wholesale, duty, ….. well you get the picture!
In conclusion, if you are a Reef aquarium freak and thinking you can move to Brisbane and just gather your own fish, you might need to rethink that.