TimeConsumer
Active member
That sounds like more of a blessing than a curse.
The whole coral pricing has become a joke
- Thread starter tang named junkyard
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That sounds like more of a blessing than a curse.
HammerLover
New member
Hahahaha true. But a Xenia's price is around 6x the price for a 5-headed torch here.
Guess I'll pool some allowance so I can buy one
TimeConsumer
Active member
I just found a single 1" discoma mushroom for $250 on a website. It even had a name, the "interstellar" mushroom.
I figure that I can just let people pay what they want to pay for corals. Like some others have said, there is a supply and demand. I think one thing we can do is help other people that are newer to the hobby know that there are cheaper alternatives for a lot of great corals. Our local reef club does frag swaps once or twice a year and they always have some good stuff for a good price. The best thing I ever did for my tank was when i bought someone elses tank that had lots of coral. I brought it home and took out about half of all of the colonies I wanted and then sold it for a little less than I bought it. It was a lot of work but I think all parties benefited even the guy who bought the tank after me.
BrokenSpoke
New member
Here you go, found this on a local forum, and I wish I could make this stuff up. $300 for a frag, seriously?
CB flaming Bugatti $300
http://www.marinecolorado.org/forum...-or-want-to-buy/635125-cb-flaming-bugatti-300
CB flaming Bugatti $300
http://www.marinecolorado.org/forum...-or-want-to-buy/635125-cb-flaming-bugatti-300
TimeConsumer
Active member
Look at what else he wrote: "Need money for a $1000 loony toons stylo". I would consider myself to be the loony in that situation, but to each their own I suppose. I love the name of that one too "cornbread flaming bugatti".....what? Are you Colorado guys taking naming schemes from the dispensaries?
acebigalowe
New member
A Bugatti is an expensive seven figure car. Giving it to the name of a coral frag is worth at least a 600% markup.
TimeConsumer
Active member
Good idea. Who wants to buy some Berkshire-Hathaway GSP? Only $500 per 1" frag.
BrokenSpoke
New member
Ouch on the stereotype but the state has earned it I guess. Personally I think the whole thing is bad for Colorado but to each his own.
acebigalowe
New member
Frags polyps can be the new gold.
steallife904
New member
All of the Cornbread corals are very expensive! They are also really nice! There are a few I would love to have I just cant do the crazy price. I got real close one time paying 120 bucks for a 1 eye chalice..... ended up selling for over 300 bucks
I saw the cornbread stuff on eBay. I'd have to see one in person before I paid that kind of money. The pics look very adjusted.
dkeller_nc
New member
No, actually they're not. They're ordinary selections that you can find at many LFS's that deal in relatively high-end corals. And it's actually "Cornbred" if you wish to look him up on e-bay.
The listings are highly photoshopped to greatly increase saturation, and all are branded with catchy-sounding names. No coral will actually look like the pictures when it's in your tank.
And yes, if you're someone that's tempted by these sorts of listings, you may want to carefully examine your motivations for keeping a reef. Is it to have a coral to brag to your friends that you own and they don't? Or simply to enjoy what you have because it pleases you?
If it's the former, you're in good company. This behavior is quite common in all sorts of pursuits - classic cars, antique furniture, fine art, etc...
The best way to characterize it is: "The thrill of acquisition and the boredom of possession."
dkeller_nc
New member
By the way, for those interested there's many reputable sources to choose from to avoid the sort of business model that folks like "Cornbred" use.
Just a couple of sources -
Battlecorals is a semi-pro hobbyist that has a very large selection of acroporas that are proven captive growers. He'll sell you a frag of a very wide selection of acroporas that are correctly photographed on his site. Certainly not the cheapest route, but because these are proven captive corals, their survival rate is likely to be a bit higher than mari-cultured corals.
If you'd like acroporas direct from the source and without the middle-man, you can order boxes of wild and/or maricultured colonies direct from Fiji, Tonga, Bali and sometimes Australia at Livestockusa.org. The colonies average $50 each, and are true colonies, not frags.
Just a couple of sources -
Battlecorals is a semi-pro hobbyist that has a very large selection of acroporas that are proven captive growers. He'll sell you a frag of a very wide selection of acroporas that are correctly photographed on his site. Certainly not the cheapest route, but because these are proven captive corals, their survival rate is likely to be a bit higher than mari-cultured corals.
If you'd like acroporas direct from the source and without the middle-man, you can order boxes of wild and/or maricultured colonies direct from Fiji, Tonga, Bali and sometimes Australia at Livestockusa.org. The colonies average $50 each, and are true colonies, not frags.
TimeConsumer
Active member
I had a tattoo artist named cornbread. Does that mean it's worth extra now?
650-IS350
Active member
gone fishin
New member
I live a couple hours from Adam of Battle Corals. Went to his house this past summer to pick up an order. He has a really nice setup and an all around nice guy.
650-IS350
Active member
Adam did a write up about photoshopping on another reefsite. It was a good long one. Props to Adam for writing that up.
BTW- you want to stop all these price gouging....... STOP BUYING AT THESE STUPID PRICES that are just fueling the craze. People won't ask for stupid prices when there are individuals that will pay for it regardless of price. If you have a hundred people stop paying for a certain coral and only a handful of "Well off" individuals are left paying, do you think that price remains the same. This topic has come up over a hundred times and has been talked about for years and years now. It starts with you the hobbyist, you ARE the first cog that turns the gears. If you are shelling out hundreds or thousands for a SINGLE polyp, 1/4" frag or an eye of a coral then you are just continuing to allow this to continue.
Do you really think the individuals selling these corals for a couple thousand spent hundreds or thousands to get these pieces?? Ask those divers in the 3rd wold countries how much they're getting paid. How much the dealers are selling these to these collectors or vendors who end up marking these corals up 300-1000% which you the customer ends up paying. In the end, its all a choice and a freedom to do so.
I myself choose not to aid in continuing these practices or environment.
BTW- you want to stop all these price gouging....... STOP BUYING AT THESE STUPID PRICES that are just fueling the craze. People won't ask for stupid prices when there are individuals that will pay for it regardless of price. If you have a hundred people stop paying for a certain coral and only a handful of "Well off" individuals are left paying, do you think that price remains the same. This topic has come up over a hundred times and has been talked about for years and years now. It starts with you the hobbyist, you ARE the first cog that turns the gears. If you are shelling out hundreds or thousands for a SINGLE polyp, 1/4" frag or an eye of a coral then you are just continuing to allow this to continue.
Do you really think the individuals selling these corals for a couple thousand spent hundreds or thousands to get these pieces?? Ask those divers in the 3rd wold countries how much they're getting paid. How much the dealers are selling these to these collectors or vendors who end up marking these corals up 300-1000% which you the customer ends up paying. In the end, its all a choice and a freedom to do so.
I myself choose not to aid in continuing these practices or environment.
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