The whole coral pricing has become a joke
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moatdaddy
New member
Before the forum lawyers go and post more incorrect or correct information lets get some facts.
http://www.freshfromflorida.com/Div...ry/Aquafarm-Program/Aquaculture-Certification
This is for Florida. Clearly labels coral as aquaculture but leaves it vague by saying hobbyist and homeowners are not included. Can someone like cornbred be a hobbyist whose corals grow beyond capacity, so he sells some to offset costs. That would be for a lawyer and a judge to decide.
My point is that your right it is in some cases blatant deceptive sales. On the other side do you have legal action, that is beyond me to decide.
http://www.freshfromflorida.com/Div...ry/Aquafarm-Program/Aquaculture-Certification
This is for Florida. Clearly labels coral as aquaculture but leaves it vague by saying hobbyist and homeowners are not included. Can someone like cornbred be a hobbyist whose corals grow beyond capacity, so he sells some to offset costs. That would be for a lawyer and a judge to decide.
My point is that your right it is in some cases blatant deceptive sales. On the other side do you have legal action, that is beyond me to decide.
Great info, but it seems like a moot issue now. Even though many agree these prices are sky high and utterly ridiculous, they will keep paying just to resale later to make money. Greed has become contagious as reefing has been replaced with retailing and fragging.
Mooch
Mooch
650-IS350
New member
identifies you as an aquaculturist so that there is no misidentification with the wild resource.
So your saying they can't be naming these corals with ludicrous names or naming the same coral 500 different catchy name??? :lol:
Well of course they are, you, myself and many many others know that as well. And many of those engaging in these practices know it. Reefing is not what it use to be, it's all about the hype, names, lies, micro frags, frag tanks and making money via deception and falsehood. They know these corals have multiple names as they are the ones naming them. It has gotten so bad, most corals will sit unsold with no name for a very conservative price tag. But if you call it a Paris Hilton Powder Pink Poofy Palythoa, it can sell for $50 to $ 500 a polyp. I mean it's "Ludacris".
Mooch
HammerLover
New member
I cracked at this
And this is just so true :hammer:
One time in my LFS someone was selling me mushrooms at ridiculous prices. They are just your purple average shrooms but they named it purple litophyton whatever. I was tempted to buy it since most of the corals for sale are lps, and I've been needing some softies.
Its good I went to another store and bought the same shrooms at a very cheap price without any special names, just plain purple mushrooms
jcreeftankguy
New member
I just think people are insane when they offer up a booger with more glue on the frag plug with a triple digit price tag on it regardless of how many colors it's currently holding!
Just to play devil's advocate, Think about the cost to run a reef business. They have to rent a space, buy the initial equipment to setup, their utility bills are through the roof, I'm sure they lose livestock, and the list goes on. Plus, without the people selling coral where would we, as hobbyists, get our livestock from. I'm sure most people selling reef livestock take at least a year to break even, if they have a good business. I would also guess that many of them end up failing. So if they see an opportunity to sell a coral for a few hundred bucks, that is not greed that is just business. It is easy romanticize about the purity of something and the love of it, but at the end of day these kind of hobbies exist because there is a business behind them that drives the hobby.
For example, I worked in the the fine dining restaurant business, and I can tell you it is a tough business. Many times we lose money on food specials and we barely make money on those 50 dollar steaks. Like I mean a few dollars. Plus, our utility bills are insane. The one thing that keeps the business going is wine. Yeah at the local liquor store you can buy the chardonnay for 9.99 a bottle, we sell for 7 dollars a glass. that's a HUGE markup, but people accept it because they like the restaurant, and they want it to exist.
(I am a consumer and I in no way have any business relation to any one selling coral, and I have never sold a coral, other than for credit at a LSF.)
For example, I worked in the the fine dining restaurant business, and I can tell you it is a tough business. Many times we lose money on food specials and we barely make money on those 50 dollar steaks. Like I mean a few dollars. Plus, our utility bills are insane. The one thing that keeps the business going is wine. Yeah at the local liquor store you can buy the chardonnay for 9.99 a bottle, we sell for 7 dollars a glass. that's a HUGE markup, but people accept it because they like the restaurant, and they want it to exist.
(I am a consumer and I in no way have any business relation to any one selling coral, and I have never sold a coral, other than for credit at a LSF.)
BigDave
Premium Member
I agree, but only to an extent. Hobby stores make more profit on the day to day stuff you have to buy than the fish/coral in the back.
Just like you made more profit on the tea and wine.
moatdaddy
New member
unfortunately i find this false. My LFS wants to sell a refractometer for 54.99. ebay its 16.99. sells a heater for twice an online price. i buy my fish from him, i know what he pays for them based on importing prices. he makes a good 6x profit on that fish. now back to the topic at hand. He sells his coral at a fair no named price.
I think cornbred is a crook, but some people who are better off than i am financially get what they want for a price they are okay with. or else he would have zero reviews.
I think cornbred is a crook, but some people who are better off than i am financially get what they want for a price they are okay with. or else he would have zero reviews.
Tweaked
FUP&A Member
And he has allot of reviews and all good. This means either people are too embarrassed to state they got ripped, or are happy with the purchase. Its more the later from what I read, so these people are fine with it. Is one person ruining the coral prices- no, but it is getting more expensive across the board I see. Bottom line is can you blame all these companies for cashing in on those with thick wallets and not a care of cost?
kyleabarber
New member
It directly drives up the cost for everybody, even those who can't afford it. Its pretty lame, I'm new to the hobby and have already given up LFS and online after only 6 months
cardiffgiant
Active member
I haven't read the whole thread yet, but I will. My take on it is that the guys that are getting these huge prices for corals have a few things going for them that not everyone is willing to, or even can do:
-Great photography
-Using bluer lighting that many hobbiests use
-Running ULN / zeo systems
If you are running those lighting parameters or a zeo system, you are probbly better off buying from someone that is doing the same. However, I suspect that there are people that are wowed by colors that they won't be able to keep.
-Great photography
-Using bluer lighting that many hobbiests use
-Running ULN / zeo systems
If you are running those lighting parameters or a zeo system, you are probbly better off buying from someone that is doing the same. However, I suspect that there are people that are wowed by colors that they won't be able to keep.
dkeller_nc
New member
This is a guess, but it's human nature to not to want to analyze a purchase after the fact, particularly if it's a really expensive purchase. Besides, I would imagine that the reviews are more about shipping/receiving than whether something that arrived was "worth it".
dkeller_nc
New member
You should add "modicum of photoshop skills and the willingness to use the "saturation slider". As a long-term photoshop user, I can tell you that I can take a brown palythoa and make it look quite pink without making it obvious that I manipulated the photo.
I cracked at this
And this is just so true :hammer:
One time in my LFS someone was selling me mushrooms at ridiculous prices. They are just your purple average shrooms but they named it purple litophyton whatever. I was tempted to buy it since most of the corals for sale are lps, and I've been needing some softies.
Its good I went to another store and bought the same shrooms at a very cheap price without any special names, just plain purple mushrooms
I agree and many would be shocked if they were just patient enough to look around before making emotional impulse purchases on the spur. All you have to do is look around first. If I can't get 10 polyps for $ 15.00, I won't buy it....ever.
The reason they do this is because many continue to buy these micro frags. Stop buying and demand more.... and it will all change.
Mooch
mussel and hate
New member
I can't deny that aquaculture setup and operation can be expensive. But frags are just an externality of successful reef keeping. Some corals frag themselves, some you make by accident say cleaning the glass or even moving a rock. Regardless frags happen and we(local reefers) used to geve them to one another. I don't think I'm romanticizing about the purity of anything, I'm just saying that the "community" has changed and for the worse. I further contend that selling a frag for a few hundred bucks is absolutely greed.
This hobby is driven by passion, like every other hobby. Now you want to claim this hobby exists solely due to commerce? I beg to differ.
sde1500
Active member
I don't think he did that at all. Also people say you never work a day in your life if you love what you do/do what you love. You talk as if the only way you ever should have a frag is due to growing out your tank. But if you love the hobby and manage to make it your livelihood then I see nothing wrong with that. We know how expensive this hobby is. Building a big enough setup to make a living off of must cost a fortune.
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