Tyree SPS corals

[Ian]

Well said Mr. Garrett...

 

[CW from the OC]

Golf clap for Steve.

 

[tamarindthai]

i got a few frags from Steve Tyree's hand last years /NWCF in Portland Oregon pretty reasonble price and they are beautiful,,sure he did had the very nice stuffs.

 

[stony_corals]

Re: the Tyree "LE" status

Re: the Tyree "LE" status

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12620786#post12620786 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Steve1714
Here is Tyree's main website http://www.reeffarmers.com here he lists as much info including the Latin name of the coral if identifiable.
He started "South West Coral farmers Market" and several other events around the US to encourage the growth of the local coral growers, and encourage the spread of the captive grown corals.
Dynamic ecomorphology is the site for his books and DVD's

Steve Tyree never names a coral "Tyree limited", people who buy the coral from him (most wait years to get an original frag directly from him) then add the name "Tyree" to the frags they grow out from this original frag. The reason for the "Limited" is that he understands the fact that once enough people are successful with this coral it will no longer be in demand and then it is retired and no longer farmed by Tyree himself.
here is little background and insight that i know about Steve Tyree.
Tyree was first recognized internationally from the shot of his tank in the book "The Reef Aquarium volume one" printed back in 1994. Here it is in the early late 80's early 90's and the best reef tanks in the world are all Soft coral dominated and very drab in color, then there is this one tank that is just exploding with color and it is all stony corals. There were people that thought this was trick photography and accused Tyree of lying and embellishing the image. Steve Tyree was one of the first speakers that went out of his way to find the true Latin name of SPS corals, and was even heckled and criticized for giving a lecture where he did his best to pronounce these names(an obvious indicator of being ahead of the times). Back then there was barley any Internet information and Corals of the world volumes 1,2,3 didn't exist. For Identifying a coral there were very few books, and it usually meant going to a library and going through countless volumes of research parers and comparing sketches and pictures of corals. Back then very few places would even ship stony corals for they were a sure thing to die in transit, and yet here he is keeping the impossible. Tyree is a SPS pioneer and should be considered one of the founding fathers of the SPS era. He has written several books in the past that delve into the natural environment of these stony corals, and unlike allot of authors of reef related books he hasn't "sold-out" for high paying speaking gigs and big book deals and the ego that sometimes fallows, in fact he came out to give a presentation at our Christmas's party a few years back and would not accept any money from our club. It was an awesome lecture in which he went into events such as the accidental infusion of green pigment from a Pocillopora into an Acropora simplex. Pests and parasites to watch out for in your reef and coral pigmentation's. He was one of the first to try to set up a coral farming network such that people from other states could list what they have to share. He has become the "hub" for all the rare and unusual corals that enter the hobby. People quickly realized "If i send Tyree a piece of this coral i have, and it becomes an LE i can make allot of money and make a name for myself". Tyree upon making a coral an LE keeps all information as open as possible by naming the person who discovered the coral, the proper placement in ones tank, lighting, the place of origin in the ocean if known and the scientific name or possible names. Tyree makes a very, very modest living from all this, the people profiting most of from the Tyree name are those reselling it or discovering the original rare coral and submitting it to him. I hate to see his name get bad publicity when he is not receiving any royalties from the use of it in getting top dollar for a "Tyree" coral at market. I have personally known Steve Tyree since 2002 and can vouch for his strong morals, humbleness, and dedication to the continuation of the captive coral farming market.

In conclusion if all hobbyists were to put the background effort Tyree puts into his corals, they sure have a right to sell it for $xxx.xx amount of money.

A painting is just a painting. Without knowing who painted it, when it was painted and why it was painted, it is only worth the the time and materials to make it. Where as a painting done by a known skilled artist and the story behind it's creation that painting can become priceless.

Steve G

Veron's "Corals of Australia and the Indo-Pacific" were most likely his ID source. This book was the predecessor of Corals of the World. In addition to Tyree, I'd add Alf Nilsen and Svein Fossa to the discussion. Many of the Europeans have been keeping SPS for a lot long than in the US. You can't argue on Tyree's collection though. He distilled a few scientific papers around pigmentation which really boosted his brand, and IMHO is a significant contribution to the hobby. He also self-publishes his works, which is rare in the 'guru'-driven hobby.

 

[isseym328]

I used to drive over to Steve's facility to pick up frags that he grows out in his tank. He is very knowledgable and always gave me a cool deal on the LE's ( I used to buy 5-10 pieces at a time). I always had a good chat with him about what's coming in from the wholesalers or what new pieces he saw in ppl/store's tanks. I have lost touch with him but still checks out his website. I have to say he still got the good stuff.

 

[NewbieForever]

My YR package was held up in TN today so missed the plane...they said it will still be delievered today, but we will see. Lucky for me its only in the 70's here today

 

[hyperfocal]

I guess I can see the value in paying a premium for quality corals from elite suppliers like Steve Tyree. What I don't get is paying that same premium price for "Tyree LE" frags from some faceless internet vendor, or worse eBay. There's just no way to prove the lineage of a coral.

I'm quite sure there are unscrupulous frag vendors out there... ones who, when they come across a pretty colony of unknown origin, frag it up and slap on the "Tyree LE" or comparable label and rake in the cash.

Unless you buy directly from Tyree or someone you *know* you can trust, there's no way to be sure. Caveat emptor, and all that.

 

[Travis]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12630023#post12630023 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hyperfocal

I'm quite sure there are unscrupulous frag vendors out there... ones who, when they come across a pretty colony of unknown origin, frag it up and slap on the "Tyree LE" or comparable label and rake in the cash.

Unless you buy directly from Tyree or someone you *know* you can trust, there's no way to be sure. Caveat emptor, and all that.

I really haven't seen many places that falsely advertise named corals. Not to say they don't exist, but I don't think they are very common. Of course, it could also be because I tend not to bother checking out vendors that I don't know and trust in the first place. I can say that I have seen corals misnamed occasionally in the selling forums. Hard to say if the seller was not properly informed about what they have in the first place or if they are misnaming their corals to just to scam someone and make some money. The good thing about LE's and corals that have these "names" is that there is enough pictures and info out there on each one of them that you can research it and should be able to look at the picture of a coral someone is selling and be able to easily determine if it is the real deal or not without having to trace the lineage. I guess that is one of the positives of attaching these names to corals. It allows a person to find out a lot of information on a specific coral and lets them make sure they are getting the exact coral they want.

I certainly agree it is wrong to mislabel corals just to turn a higher profit. But there is enough info out there on named corals that it is ultimately the buyer's responsibility to make sure they are buying what they think they are buying before they make that purchase.

I would say the most common mislabled coral I have seen is the oregon tort. I have seen a lot of people calling their cali/ORA torts oregon torts.

 

[hyperfocal]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12630142#post12630142 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Travis
But there is enough info out there on named corals that it is ultimately the buyer's responsibility to make sure they are buying what they think they are buying before they make that purchase.

I disagree, but perhaps I haven't visited the best sites -- can you suggest a couple that could help me tell if a pink and green seriatopora advertised as "Tyree LE" is genuine?

 

[flyyyguy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12630142#post12630142 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Travis


I would say the most common mislabled coral I have seen is the oregon tort. I have seen a lot of people calling their cali/ORA torts oregon torts.

That is an easy one to distinguish between in a few seconds of research online.

I would say the Garf Bonsai is the most abused/misused name I have seen. And it is easily misrepresented as there are many different similar tricolors out there.

 

[Reefexotic]

They name these corals to hopefully let the buyer know where the original parent colony came from its no big deal just a name . The Tyree name just carries weight in the hobby. Enjoy your corals even if it is Bob's SPS