Reef hot spot sells wild colonies, and frags of wild colonies. Great guy, but if you are buying wild colonies be prepared for the eventual brown out, loss of color, change of color, and or different growth, as the coral adjusts to the different parameters of home aquaria.
I've had wild frags sit dormant for a year before I get any color or growth, then they just explode...with growth, and if they are happy you'll get the colors that you wanted...
This is the advantage of buying aquacultured frags from other reefers... Most of the time the frags will retain the color immediately, and grow quickly. This is why prices are a premium.
How many of us have bought wild colonies... expecting this vibrant color and growth and then a few mos later... stn from the middle, then you frag it up, it changes color, starts growing, but not the color that you intended it to be?
Then you also take the chance of the pests and parasites that sometimes come along with these imported corals... such as fw and red bugs...
While if you bought something from any local reefer, you can probably put it in your tank wo qt.. ( probably )
Just my 2 cents....
But then sometimes these wild frags can blossom into something really cool! I have an old frag that I got from reef collections over a year ago... didnt grow much for a whole year, kinda purplish.. Now it is blossoming into a purple acro with plum crazy coralites.. I think I'll call it "plum crazy"
so-- buy from local reefers - instant gratification
buy wild - take a chance.. -- could be cool, or maybe something dull.
