I'm confused

[rfgonzo]

I've been in the hobby since 1993 and a lot of things have changed, (understandably) but can someone explain to me how a torch coral that used to be $15 buck all day long is now going for $50 to $500 or more? This hobby is expensive enough, why do we keep making it more difficult for beginners. It's so much easier nowadays to keep coral alive and healthy. In my eyes we should be paying it forward. Just my old man rant LOL

 

[ycnibrc]

Gsp,xenia,leather coral, soft coral are offer for free all the time on the forum. Its depend on what u want it can be expensive or free.


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[HumbleFish]

Its just vendors being greedy. Financial times are good right now, so they're trying to cash in on that. Some people will spend every extra dollar they make, no matter how ridiculous the price, rather than invest or save it for tough times.

 

[Oldreeferman]

Yep,
If you shop around its amazing the awesome frag deals that can be had on the cheap as long as your ordering a decent sized order so overnight shipping is offset.
The size of the frag/colony makes a diff too.
I too have seen the same size/type frag go for over double and this is on WSWG, depending on who the seller is & shipping costs.............. can be rediculess.

 

[billdogg]

If you are ever down this way, I generally have at least a few different frags that I'm happy with $5-10 each depending on size. If I don't have any in the FT, I've got bone cutters for the DT.

 

[Kevin Guthrie]

Not to defend the ridiculous prices but black light poster tanks are big these days and Euphyllia fluoresce well. They also don't grow quickly and countries are clamping down on live caught exports.

 

[Bpb]

Many of the best looking torches came from Indonesia which had an export ban going on. So while everything sold now is generally aquacultured....there's a scarcity compared to when they came over by the boat load literally. Prices inflated artificially high. I would also expect them to stay there, even when the export ban is lifted from the Indonesian reefs


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[MarAquatic]

Well I'm sure gas prices shipping prices . Diver collecting prices have gone up. Sucks but it is what it is.

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[hhaase]

I've been in the hobby since 1993 and a lot of things have changed, (understandably) but can someone explain to me how a torch coral that used to be $15 buck all day long is now going for $50 to $500 or more? This hobby is expensive enough, why do we keep making it more difficult for beginners. It's so much easier nowadays to keep coral alive and healthy. In my eyes we should be paying it forward. Just my old man rant LOL

A lot of it is also the whole "designer coral" mentality. Anything with bright and unusual colors gets some bonkers name slapped on it, along with moving the decimal point a spot or two over. Kinda like how people also seem to be chasing clownfish with color patterns that 20 years ago would have probably been culled for being deformed. That and, as mentioned, the import/export ban from certain parts of the world really limiting supply of larger colonies.

Just think about how when the neighbors poodle would get loose, and somebody would get a litter of "Mutt's" a few years back. Now it's some kind of 'oodle' and demanding higher prices.

-Hans

 

[hkgar]

I think that a part of the increasing costs could be due to the limiting factors for harvesting that have been put in place and the higher cost raising captive bread corals.

Just a thought and have no evidence.

 

[rfgonzo]

I appreciate all the different responses and I also understand that the cost of business has gone up. How ever! to me it just seems like plain old GREED. Same reason the average family of 4 can't even go to a pro sporting event anymore without breaking the bank. I've been fortunate than most financially and I personally hate seeing people spend so much money on a hobby that brings joy to them. I have given away many corals over the years and have been given many in return. I love the hobby, but i'm seriously to the point of not spending anymore $$ just to prove a point. I know it won't matter at all, prices will still climb, people will still pay, but maybe not me anymore.

 

[Constantine]

I think major sporting events and coral are in the same boat. I take the opposite side though. It's not greed, it's consumerism. People are more than willing to pay crazy amounts to go watch grown men play with a ball, and likewise expensive prices for coral. If people wouldn't pay $69 for a frag of GSP (I saw this yesterday) then they wouldn't sell at that price.

I do saltwater on the cheap. Craigslist, sales, low cost corals. Now all my cheap corals have grown enough that I'm trading some for the more expensive colors without paying a dime.

People will pay $50+ for a pretty common discosoma, so that's what they sell for.

Harvest closures all over the planet have an impact too, but the hobbiest shares the blame.

 

[Zalick]

Overhead. Overhead. Overhead.

I don't think greed really plays a part in it. I've never met a LFS owner who was rolling in the dough. I'm amazed they can even stay in business. It's not like corals and fish are flying off the shelves like Oreos.:jester:

It is an expensive hobby, and I feel your pain when looking at coral prices today.

 

[NuEoK]

Im told that Indo ban is hurting their profits. But yea still dont get how torches are now $100 a head.

 

[Bpb]

People. It's the indo ban that did it.


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[treesprite]

I think the biggest problem is that people are willing to pay so much. If you stick to home grown, belonging to a very large club helps a lot (low cost, trades, and freebies). I have given away a lot of corals that I see selling for outrageous prices that make me feel sorry for anyone not in a club. Those are the people paying $50 for 2" frags of Xenia and Kenya tree that club folks sometimes throw away due to no one wanting it.

 

[lionfish300]

I think the biggest problem is that people are willing to pay so much. If you stick to home grown, belonging to a very large club helps a lot (low cost, trades, and freebies). I have given away a lot of corals that I see selling for outrageous prices that make me feel sorry for anyone not in a club. Those are the people paying $50 for 2" frags of Xenia and Kenya tree that club folks sometimes throw away due to no one wanting it.

That me throwing out frogspawn, hammer and sps corals when trimming my tank. I feel bad doing it but here in Las Cruces New Mexico there are no shop or hobbyist to give to

 

[BrennMun]

When I first began in the hobby and had no idea, I too paid that much. If you search for local people they will definitely give you better deals


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[Bpb]

That me throwing out frogspawn, hammer and sps corals when trimming my tank. I feel bad doing it but here in Las Cruces New Mexico there are no shop or hobbyist to give to

Some boxes, some poly bags, an impulse sealer, and an account with finiship and that problem will be no more


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[treesprite]

Some boxes, some poly bags, an impulse sealer, and an account with finiship and that problem will be no more


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I was thinking along the same lines, but it's kind of a lot of work unless there are people paying for the shipping materials, cost of shipping, and the time it takes to pack and send the corals.... not even counting expecting the corals to be paid for. Maybe see if any schools in your area have classroom tanks so you can donate to schools.