For the past couple years I keep reading about "rare" corals that people keep saying have been around for years. I am curious if anyone know the collection procedures of zoas and other aquatic life? I have noticed that the collection seems to be cyclical. I find that as I make rounds of fish stores, I find that every store has similar corals and fish in their newest shipments. This leads me to believe a couple different things:
1. When zoanthids are collected from the wild they are collected in large amounts and then broken up as it goes through the supply chain. I had the pleasure to visit an up and coming (now gone) wholesaler in the midwest and got to cherry pick $10 frags from them (about 10 heads). These frags were clipped off of about 5"x10" rocks. They had about 30 different rocks of this size. As I continued my shopping that day, I saw very similar rocks at different stores however much smaller. this is why I am thinking that a wholesaler probably gets in very large rocks of zoas and then breaks them down and distributes them. I think this is what also supports that when ______ hornets came out one week they were at one store and next week they were at 50.
2. Different colored zoanthids are collected from different areas and are harvested at different times of the year. The longer I have been in the hobby the more I see certain zoas come and go. This could also explain why different stores all seem to have similar inventory at different times of the year.
As I read more and more about the posts of per polyp pricing and remember back when I started I really want to understand more about this hobby. When I first started, every coral except for the "rares" were priced by the colony rock. A 3-4 inch rock was 30-50 and select frags were $10 a head. As time continued, every "new" polyp got priced per polyp and the old ones faded away. When they returned to the spotlight again, the per polyp price reduced from where it was and the hype was gone. As time has continued on I have seen some of these polyps prices go on roller coaster rides, especially with zoas and palys that have a tendency to melt.
I personally cannot stand the naming trend that is occurring and ultimately stopped be an active participant in the zoanthid forum. As I plan out a new tank that will include these colorful polyps, I want to return to the forum. I have noticed an increased split of people in the threads. I am hoping this thread will help me see the process of zoanthid collection and maybe open others eyes on why these corals used to be fairly cheap and considered beginner, high nutrient, low flow, low light corals... With the prices the way they are now, I would rather dabble in LPS or SPS than zoas. When I started, any stony coral was considered an expert coral and all softies were cheap enough that mistakes could be made.
Please provide some input on how you think or know that zoas are collected and distributed. Feel free to show dive pictures of collectors if you have them. Wild pics are welcome as well.
1. When zoanthids are collected from the wild they are collected in large amounts and then broken up as it goes through the supply chain. I had the pleasure to visit an up and coming (now gone) wholesaler in the midwest and got to cherry pick $10 frags from them (about 10 heads). These frags were clipped off of about 5"x10" rocks. They had about 30 different rocks of this size. As I continued my shopping that day, I saw very similar rocks at different stores however much smaller. this is why I am thinking that a wholesaler probably gets in very large rocks of zoas and then breaks them down and distributes them. I think this is what also supports that when ______ hornets came out one week they were at one store and next week they were at 50.
2. Different colored zoanthids are collected from different areas and are harvested at different times of the year. The longer I have been in the hobby the more I see certain zoas come and go. This could also explain why different stores all seem to have similar inventory at different times of the year.
As I read more and more about the posts of per polyp pricing and remember back when I started I really want to understand more about this hobby. When I first started, every coral except for the "rares" were priced by the colony rock. A 3-4 inch rock was 30-50 and select frags were $10 a head. As time continued, every "new" polyp got priced per polyp and the old ones faded away. When they returned to the spotlight again, the per polyp price reduced from where it was and the hype was gone. As time has continued on I have seen some of these polyps prices go on roller coaster rides, especially with zoas and palys that have a tendency to melt.
I personally cannot stand the naming trend that is occurring and ultimately stopped be an active participant in the zoanthid forum. As I plan out a new tank that will include these colorful polyps, I want to return to the forum. I have noticed an increased split of people in the threads. I am hoping this thread will help me see the process of zoanthid collection and maybe open others eyes on why these corals used to be fairly cheap and considered beginner, high nutrient, low flow, low light corals... With the prices the way they are now, I would rather dabble in LPS or SPS than zoas. When I started, any stony coral was considered an expert coral and all softies were cheap enough that mistakes could be made.
Please provide some input on how you think or know that zoas are collected and distributed. Feel free to show dive pictures of collectors if you have them. Wild pics are welcome as well.
