Does CJ Take Sea Creatures in Animal Crossing New Horizons? A Complete Guide

C.J. is one of the most beloved special visitors in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. This friendly beaver offers to buy fish from players at 1.5 times the regular shop price during his visits. However, C.J.‘s deals exclude one type of aquatic life – sea creatures. These unusual finds like sea stars and giant clams cannot be sold to C.J., which confuses some players.

In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll cover everything you need to know about C.J., sea creatures, and the best ways to sell your deep sea discoveries in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

A Brief History of C.J. and Sea Creatures

C.J. made his first appearance in New Horizons as the new host of the Fishing Tourney, taking over from his father Chip who previously hosted in earlier Animal Crossing games. As Chip‘s son (his full name is Chip Jr.), C.J. keeps the fishing tradition alive.

Sea creatures were also newly introduced in New Horizons as special collectibles found by diving around the island‘s waters. Previous games only had fish swimming at the surface. This new diving and deeper sea creature gameplay added more challenge and rewards for players in the latest Animal Crossing edition.

However, while C.J. happily buys fish off eager players, he does not extend this service to sea creatures. His father Chip never hosted diving tourneys or interacted with sea creatures in old games, so C.J. continues this focus on surface fish only.

Why Can‘t You Sell Sea Creatures to C.J.?

The inability to sell sea creatures to C.J. for his bonus prices seems to come down to a few key factors according to the game‘s design.

First, as the Fishing Tourney host, C.J.‘s expertise lies in traditional fishing mechanics. He proudly carries on the family business of surface fishing started by his father Chip. Since diving is a new mechanic, it makes sense that the old fishing hosts would not immediately expand to cover these new creatures.

In terms of gameplay balance, allowing C.J. to buy sea creatures might also let players earn Bells too quickly. Sea creatures already sell for high prices at Nook‘s Cranny compared to many fish. Earning an additional 50% bonus on top would make diving even more profitable. Keeping sea creatures tied to the shop prices maintains balanced progression.

Finally, limiting C.J. to just fish encourages players to engage with other selling methods too. Donating sea creatures to the museum creates rewards and milestones from filling the Critterpedia. And selling at Nook‘s Cranny generates consistent Bell revenue from an essential shop. Having C.J. buy everything could discourage players from fully exploring other parts of the game.

Overall, while players may be disappointed that C.J.‘s deals exclude sea creatures, the decision stems from his character background, gameplay balance, and encouraging rounded gameplay. And who knows – maybe a future update will add a new visitor eager to buy your spare sea stars and crabs!

Selling Your Spare Sea Creatures at Nook‘s Cranny

Since C.J. won‘t take those sea creatures off your hands, the only way to sell them is through the reliable Nook twins at their Resident Services shop.

The prices you can sell sea creatures to the Nooklings for include:

• Sea Anemone – 500 Bells
• Sea Grapes – 900 Bells
• Sea Cucumber – 500 Bells
• Sea Pig – 1,000 Bells
• Sea Star – 500 Bells
• Sea Urchin – 1,700 Bells
• Slate Pencil Urchin – 2,000 Bells
• Sea Slug – 600 Bells
• Sea Pineapple – 1,500 Bells
• Gigas Giant Clam – 15,000 Bells

And many more! While these prices are less than C.J. would pay, they are still profitable. Make sure to check the shop daily for fluctuations in prices.

The Nooklings will happily buy any quantity of sea creatures. Their shop has unlimited space and Bells to purchase inventory from players. Selling your spare sea creatures is a fast and easy way to make some solid income from your deep diving adventures.

Donating Your First Sea Creatures to Blathers

Another option instead of immediately selling your sea creatures is donating them to the museum. There are 40 total sea creatures that can be donated to Blathers, with favorites including:

• Spider Crab
• Red King Crab
• Snow Crab
• Spiny Lobster
• Giant Isopod
• Chambered Nautilus

Blathers will provide excited dialogue when you donate new discoveries to him:

“Hoo hoo! What a marvelous donation! We so rarely get sea creatures here. I can‘t wait to learn all there is to know about this specimen! The tentacles on this giant isopod give me the shivers just looking at it! Please, feel free to continue donating any other frightful creatures you happen across!”

Each unique sea creature donated also helps fill out the player‘s Critterpedia catalog with collectible entries. Completionist players aim to fully donate all 40 to get the best museum collection and listings.

The museum also provides a beautiful exhibition space to display the rarest and most exotic sea creatures. It can be very satisfying to donate your first elusive gigas giant clam or spiny lobster to the aquatic life exhibits after days of searching.

A Comparison of Fish and Sea Creature Prices

Here is a quick table comparing some regular fish prices to sea creatures to see the potential value:

As you can see, some of the high value sea creatures sell for significantly more than even rare fish like the Giant Trevally. This makes diving an extremely lucrative activity.

How to Catch the Most Valuable Sea Creatures

Now that you know C.J. won‘t take your sea creatures, it‘s good to focus on catching the most expensive and rare ones you can sell at Nook‘s Cranny or donate.

Here are some tips for getting these highly sought-after deep sea dwellers:

• Gigas Giant Clam – This elusive clam is your top priority. It sells for 15,000 Bells! But it only spawns 4pm – 9am.

• Red King Crab – Also rare, it sells for 8,000 Bells. Spawns from November – March evenings.

• Spider Crab – Worth 12,000 Bells. Spawns all evening hours. Look for moving seaweed.

• Spiny Lobster – 5,000 Bells and quick to spook. Only near rocky coasts 9pm – 4am.

• Chambered Nautilus – Hard shelled cephalopod worth 4,000 Bells. Spawns 4pm – 9am in summer.

Check our full sea creature guide for more detailed tips and times!

With the prices sea creatures can sell for, dedicating some time to evening diving around your island will quickly fill your pockets with valuable catches.

Blathers‘ Excitement Over Complete Sea Creature Collection

Aside from selling spare creatures, many players also aim to fully complete the museum‘s collection by donating one of every sea creature from the Critterpedia.

This is no small feat, requiring players to diligently dive night after night in all seasons and weather hunting for the full set of 40 creatures. But it provides immense satisfaction to finally donate that last elusive sea animal.

Whenever the full sea creature exhibit is completed, Blathers will say:

“Hoo Hoo! I can‘t believe you‘ve donated every last sea creature there is to find! I never dreamed someone would so thoroughly fill our Aquarium Wing with specimens from the briny deep! On behalf of our museum, I thank you. I wish there was a way to fully express just how happy it makes me to see our exhibits so well populated! Thank you, thank you!”

Completing the entire aquatic life exhibit becomes a true badge of honor for any fanatical Animal Crossing completionist player.

Future Potential for C.J. or a New Diving Visitor

While C.J. currently does not deal in sea creatures in New Horizons, there is always potential that he or a new special visitor could buy them in a future update.

The addition of diving and sea creatures was new to New Horizons, so the developers may still be finding the best balance. Players often request that C.J.‘s deals also apply to sea creatures, or for a new visitor to arrive thatspecializes in buying diving catches.

Chip never hosted diving tourneys in previous games, so the lack of any historical sea creature events or content may have made it less of priority for New Horizons initial release.

But with the huge success of the game and continually evolving content, the potential is there for an update to allow selling sea creatures to visitors in the future. Players will have to wait and see if this highly requested feature ever becomes a reality!

Summary: Key Takeaways on C.J. and Sea Creatures

To wrap up, here are the key points to remember:

• C.J. only buys fish from players, not sea creatures
• Sea creatures can only be sold at Nook‘s Cranny or donated to the museum
• No bonus paying visitor exists yet for sea creatures unlike C.J. and Flick
• Focus on high value sea creatures like the Giant Clam and Spider Crab
• Donate the first of each creature to fill your Critterpedia and see Blathers‘ reactions
• Updates could add a new visitor or let C.J. also buy sea creatures

I hope this guide gave you a comprehensive overview explaining why C.J. doesn‘t deal in sea creatures and the best strategies for selling or donating your deep sea finds. Let me know if you have any other Animal Crossing questions! I‘m always happy to help fellow islanders.