Cheap Corals

[alextheromanian]

i know this is sort of an oxymoron but are there any cheap corals anywhere?

they charge an arm and a leg for some frags that eventually need to be trimmed from corals that end up growing so big they are gonna sting and kill each other anyways. i know everyone wants to make a buck or two but this is ridiculous.


found a purple firefish for 50$ today in petco...they wanted 55$ for a small rock with some beat up zoas too.

where do you guys get your magnificent corals?

 

[thegrun]

Check your local area forum, there are usually local reef central member selling there extra corals at great prices.

 

[THE ROOK]

Is there a Reef Club in your area? Just meet a few experienced reefers & you'll be able to get your hands on some sweet frags for cheap.

My second option would be to order online in bulk. Order a frag pack (6-12 frags) & only pay one shipping charge. You'll have a bunch of frags the next day. Make sure you do your research on the vendor, as dead frags are of no use.

 

[thegrun]

http://reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=70
http://reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=156
http://reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=504

Try these guys!

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

+1 I get great deals from local reefers that sale frags for cheap. Tomorrow, I'm going to look at some zoas that a guy is selling for a dollar a polyp. I think that once this fragging thing really takes off these corals are going to be dirt cheap.....

 

[alextheromanian]

I hope so some of these stores charge an arm and a leg for frags. I'd understand if they were wild corals straight from a reef but most of them are trims from someones tank. They charge 70$ for a small torch coral here. I found it online for 29



Where's the beef

 

[abulgin]

Do you have any decent local fish stores around? I get all of my frags from my LFS. I know it's not the norm, but my LFS is actually very good and has a very nice coral selection. I'm patient and willing to buy small--I wait for good deals when the owner needs to move stuff.

 

[alextheromanian]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14816002#post14816002 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by abulgin
Do you have any decent local fish stores around? I get all of my frags from my LFS. I know it's not the norm, but my LFS is actually very good and has a very nice coral selection. I'm patient and willing to buy small--I wait for good deals when the owner needs to move stuff.

no no decent ones around unfortunately i remember some reefers that are not from here say the lfs selection in my town is beyond sad.

 

[abulgin]

I don't know what kind of corals you're interested in or what you consider expensive, but I've rarely seen an SPS frag for less than $20 anywhere and most are in $30+ range.

 

[Gtstricky]

I bought some on ebay (http://stores.ebay.com/FishKeeper66) and some from the boards here. A couple of the items from here arrived DOA. My ebay experience was fine.

 

[chris4869]

People are giving away free corals and equipments in my local forum all the time, so check with your local forums like thegrun posted. Not everyone is in it for the money. It'll take some time to find reefer friends, but they're out there. Share your frags with them and they'll do the same to you.

Most of my prized corals (Purple Monster, Pink Lemonade, uncirculated rare corals, LE/ATL frags, etc.) were given to me by my friends. We get excited over a new coral purchase and frag it for our friends all time. Sometimes we pool our money together to buy corals.

I have a lot of great stores around in my area, but they also charge an arm and a leg (and my first born child) for their corals too. If you were in my area, I would have given you my Torch coral for free.

 

[tspors]

Check Craigslist in your area. I found a guy in my hometown only 1 mile from my office. Nice corals and good fair price. Do a CL search/

 

[SPN]

I have found all of my "cheap" corals through other local Reefers and regional frag meets.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=117

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=492

Great LOCAL information, LFS, Frag meets, etc. The responses are not as quick as here on the main boards, but you will get the regional information that you are presently seeking.

 

[d0ughb0y]

If I were to do it all over again as someone new like yourself, I would, as others have mentioned, look for other reefers in your area, most likely, they can give you a few frags to get started for free or at minimal cost. Do not get cheap corals just for the sake of filling up your tank, instead, research what you like, and just buy those (best place is local coral swap meet) and just let them grow.