1) You can't fight the name game as long as there are people willing to pay insane prices for corals. I have been in this hobby since 2002, before acans and chalices and favias were in vogue, and before zoos became name happy. Frankly zoos are not nearly as high priced as they used to be especially if you buy or trade locally. I remember when Blane Perun first named the PPE and had the famous PPE pic and would sell them on ebay and get something like $800 a polyp! Now there are very few zoos you cant find.
2) The name game has some advantages. From my expereince the names corals with some history (linegage) that have been in captavity for generations tend to be much hardier and much better adapted to our aquariums. I remember having several temp and kalk spikes in my older tank, and while my named ones might havebrowned out they all survived, the same couldnt be said for other corals. So while you might pay a premium, in most case you have a tested and much hardier coral.
3) By buying named corals or corals that have been in captivity you prevent further over farming of the reefs, and in most cases (unless you have a crappy seller which there are plenty) you home that you are getting pest free corals, and thats a big if, rather than wild corals that could have the next red bug or next type of zoo bug or whatver that our aquariums have yet to deal with.
4) Problem: Named corals promote "identity theft" lol That is while you think you are buying a captive coral that has been in an aquarium for some time, we may often be buying a knock off, wild similar morph that as people have said has simply been chopped up off the dock.
5) My pet peve: It really bothers me when people think this hobby is about setting up a mini coral farm and they buy some corals and then want crazy dollars for their frags when they sell them privately. I understand trying to recoup some money in this hobby, but there are plenty of people who are guilty of selling corals just as high has retailers, and they are just as much to blame as the retailers.
6) Frankly, I would rather pay a higher price from a retailer. Maybe some people have been around but being a livestock retailer, especially in named corals that you farm in your own systems is not easy. The overhead must be crazy in terms of equipment alone let alone normal operating expenses. When you look at all of the great retailers that have come and gone over the years, it only takes one major catosrophe and the livestock is gone. The risk is very high.
If people dont like the name game, the best way to beat it, is to buy nice named corals grow them out and sell them cheap and flood the market. I tend to always sell corals cheap offer free ones to local reefers who have had crashes etc.
Until all of the local hobbyist stop paying the prices, or you pay the price but then sell your frags cheap it wont go away. I still see plently of private people ask very high prices for chalices and zoos and sps. But then again, there are a lot of people who dont.
