Some Dubai LFS

Fat Homer

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To give you a rough idea of prices. Ill go cheaper stores vs up market:

Oscars
3 USD vs 10 USD

Neon tetra/cardinal tetra/black skirt/guppys/ sword tails etc.
50c vs 7 USD

Asian Arowana
500 USD vs 4000 USD

Sting rays
70 USD vs 400 USD

Bettas
1.3 USD vs 13 USD

Silver dollars
4 USD vs 11 USD

Mbuna
50c vs 7 USD

I noticed that the cheaper stores tended to sell fish more based on size that what they actually were.
So these are the price ranges all inside Saudi? If so thats pretty interesting to know as i didnt expect the jump to be so crazy...
 

mattybecks

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Hows the quality between the two prices? For the fish too?
The quality of cichlids, aros, SDs, etc (larger type fish) are all pretty much the same wherever you go, as well as the tetras. When I have asked they come from Singapore, Thailand, Western Europe etc. But you do notice a distinct difference in quality between the bettas, guppys, mollies etc.
The biggest difference between the cheap vs not so cheap is that the cheaper stores have no quarantine procedure. It is not strange to see white spot or diseases when walking into at least one of those shops. I always see a dead or fish two that are being feasted upon by their tank mates. In the cheaper stores the tanks are not connected and each is on a separate system, so it doesn't really spread.
The more up market stores have quarantine tanks, and make sure the fish are medicated and clean.

I don't usually shop at the cheaper places, but my Jardini came from one of them. He was an impulse buy I saw when walking back from the tailors. He wasn't sick and has turned out to have the most beautiful colours in him. He was only around 70 USD which is why I couldn't ignore it haha. He has just started to get beautiful blues in his pectoral fins and more reds in his tail fins.
 

mattybecks

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I like the idea of a Ray for $70 :naughty:
Haha yeah I have been tempted many times to get a little ray for my Jardini's tank. But I would need to get rid of my SDs, and I really enjoy them. There are times when there is loads of rays avalible around there, and then months go by and there are none.
 
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mattybecks

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So these are the price ranges all inside Saudi? If so thats pretty interesting to know as i didnt expect the jump to be so crazy...
No this isn't Saudi. This is all in UAE, Dubai emirate to be exact. Here we have relaxed freedom to drink, wear bikinis (if I felt so inclined to do so) or do almost whatever we want/live where you like. Saudi does not have this. I like to ride dirt bikes, and here in the UAE you are pretty free to go out and ride wherever you want. I had a friend in Saudi who had to live in a compound for expats and was not allowed to ride in desert. Even the sand is restricted there lol.
I haven't been to Saudi, and don't feel any desire to go either (even the Saudis leave their country as often as they can to come here and escape for a while haha). But from the very limited information I hear about Saudi, there is not much going on at all. Nothing like the UAE.

The price jumps are big, and this isn't limited to the fish stores either. Prices here can be anything from exorbitant to super cheap depending on where you go. For Example - Mealie bug (insect spray for my plants), exactly the same brand and bottle - will be 40 USD in Garden centre vs 4 USD in Satwa plant shops. The staff in Garden center actually told me to go to satwa haha.
 
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Fat Homer

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No this isn't Saudi. This is all in UAE, Dubai emirate to be exact. Here we have relaxed freedom to drink, wear bikinis (if I felt so inclined to do so) or do almost whatever we want/live where you like. Saudi does not have this. I like to ride dirt bikes, and here in the UAE you are pretty free to go out and ride wherever you want. I had a friend in Saudi who had to live in a compound for expats and was not allowed to ride in desert. Even the sand is restricted there lol.
I haven't been to Saudi, and don't feel any desire to go either (even the Saudis leave their country as often as they can to come here and escape for a while haha). But from the very limited information I hear about Saudi, there is not much going on at all. Nothing like the UAE.

The price jumps are big, and this isn't limited to the fish stores either. Prices here can be anything from exorbitant to super cheap depending on where you go. For Example - Mealie bug (insect spray for my plants), exactly the same brand and bottle - will be 40 USD in Garden centre vs 4 USD in Satwa plant shops. The staff in Garden center actually told me to go to satwa haha.
My bad, i did mean to say Dubai but for some reason said Saudi...

Eitherway its interesting to hear that Dubai is so much more lax compared to what i expected, always thought drinking was a big no no over there among other things but maybe times have changed...
 
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mattybecks

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My bad, i did mean to say Dubai but for some reason said Saudi...

Eitherway its interesting to hear that Dubai is so much more lax compared to what i expected, always thought drinking was a big no no over there among other things but maybe times have changed...
No worries man. Its not the first time I have heard people surprised about UAE. it was like that many years ago. But it has changed a lot. Woman are a large percentage of government and parliament, free to drink alcohol, wear and do what you like. As long as you are respectful to each other and the many different cultures and people around you here.
Its really funny cause UAE like to train females to be fighter pilots here so when they conduct air strikes against terrorist groups in other countries, the terrorists get freaked out cause they are killed by woman haha.
 

Fat Homer

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I actually know quite a lot of people who now live / work in the UAE, some moved there 15+ yrs ago while others only more recently albeit once they moved sort of lost contact...

What i do see from those that live there though, it seems there is a lot more of the go big or go home lifestyle there which i guess is to be expected with the wealth over there...

Actually come to think about it, what are property prices like over there???
 
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mattybecks

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Yeah I would say that "go big or go home" is correct haha. Especially so for your locals and westerners. There are very diverse groups that live here. I am dating a Filipina girl for example, and her friends/community are paid well, executives and proffesionals, but they live in different areas and prefer to make use of "bed space". They just rent a bunk and you can fit like 6 - 12 people in a room (depending on the size of the room). Its all very clean and dosnt feel cramped for some reason, they are just more used to living in a community based environment. Then you get the labour camps where, for example, the laborer's from India and Pakistan go, and those conditions are not so great. I think what you don't hear about here often is the "middle class". The really poor or the wealthy attract attention, but there is a large proportion of people here who live normally, eat at normal restaurants that don't require gold shavings in their cappuccinos, which allows you to save nicely and spend more on fish (cause no income taxes are lovely) but these people I guess wouldn't make very interesting news coverage, so you don't hear about them often. Most of my friends live in normal one or two bedroom apts. Nice areas, close to the city, easy accessibility. Public transport here is really good too. Lots people of don't really need cars.

Property prices are like the fish shops prices haha. All over the place. They have dropped a lot over the last two years, but seem to have stabilized a little now.
A nice apartment on the Palm (one of the man made palm islands) is about 4.3 Million USD now.
Apartments in and around the Marina around 2 Million USD. (some people live on yachts there too)
Your normal 3 bedroom villas in suburbia are about 1 million USD.
I have a studio apt (about 600 sq ft including balcony) close to the city, nice area, a little more inland, but still with a view of the Marina buildings - Just under 100 000 USD. There is a place called Emirates Hills across the main road from my place, maybe 1km from me, I have just checked online and those houses are really nice, they go for 15 - 26 Million USD. There a few places like that around.
There slighty smaller apartements (450sq ft) a bit further out near the dragon mart area at 65 000 USD - I rent out a place their to a lovely Indian family.

Satwa area I have talked about, you can rent a little studio apartement there for 1000 USD per month.
Bed space (depending on the area) is generally about 250 USD per month. top bunks are slightly cheaper.
My uncle just rented a really nice one bedroom apt one block from me at 1700 USD per month.

I hope this helps answer some of your questions:)

- There are some major "Palaces" around here owned by locals. I am mean locals who I occasionally see helicopters flying in and out of their properties, taking them to their Friday night party, and when it comes to locals, it is as you said, live large or go home haha.
 

Fat Homer

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Property prices arent too bad then, as long as you arent aiming for the super high end places...

Even at $1-2M USD id presume its going to be quite big and beautiful, while the 20M+ ones are likely super extravagant and out of this world (being Dubai and all)...
 
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