WTB superman monti or watermelon
- Thread starter aquadog11
- Start date
TropTrea
New member
First off who has the Purple Shrooms? I've been looking for red and/or purple shrooms without any luck.
This is a strong point. However lets look at what is out there. You mail order some coral from a picture and do not always get what you ordered. However you still have something new for say $250.00 that no one in the area has.
Chances are it is a slower growing coral or else 20 other will have it. So your growing it in a frag tank for a year before you sell some of it, and spread your new coral out. Chances are if you had a 40 gallon frag tank it probably costed you another $120 to keep that tank going for the year. So now you have $370 invested in that coral. If you frag it into two peices your break even point is $185 each, 3 peices is $124 each, 4 peices is $92 each.
Now if this were a fast growing coral you might be able to frag it into 10 peices over a year and then $37 each is the break even point. So how many people are willing to pay $37 for a frag compared to $125. So what does everyone frag the fast growers.
Then remember if 10 others bought this same coral and are doing the same thing a year from now how many other Frags are out there. I ran this with Bettas years ago initially actioning them at an average price of $100 each, then 2 years larer was averaging $20.00 each and the following year $5.00 each.
Personaly I think if someone wants to make money at fragging they need to move to an area where they can get away from artificial light and heating there frag tanks. Then when you try to put a value on your time you better have a huge operation to justify your time.
Dennis
This is a strong point. However lets look at what is out there. You mail order some coral from a picture and do not always get what you ordered. However you still have something new for say $250.00 that no one in the area has.
Chances are it is a slower growing coral or else 20 other will have it. So your growing it in a frag tank for a year before you sell some of it, and spread your new coral out. Chances are if you had a 40 gallon frag tank it probably costed you another $120 to keep that tank going for the year. So now you have $370 invested in that coral. If you frag it into two peices your break even point is $185 each, 3 peices is $124 each, 4 peices is $92 each.
Now if this were a fast growing coral you might be able to frag it into 10 peices over a year and then $37 each is the break even point. So how many people are willing to pay $37 for a frag compared to $125. So what does everyone frag the fast growers.
Then remember if 10 others bought this same coral and are doing the same thing a year from now how many other Frags are out there. I ran this with Bettas years ago initially actioning them at an average price of $100 each, then 2 years larer was averaging $20.00 each and the following year $5.00 each.
Personaly I think if someone wants to make money at fragging they need to move to an area where they can get away from artificial light and heating there frag tanks. Then when you try to put a value on your time you better have a huge operation to justify your time.
Dennis
prugs
Moving Out
Here's some nice Sunset Monti frags for sale.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1247623
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1247623
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
Okay, you asked...
12g Nano Cube: $100-120 (1x24wattPC)
12g NC Deluxe: $199 (2x24wattPC)
The overflow is crappy, so you end up modding that, or adding a cover of sorts.
The lights are underpowered for most everything one wants to keep (48 watts of PC doesnt go too far, 24 = just forget about it).
The return pump is hardly worth writing home about, and is not enough to run a reef off of. The back section has bio-balls which get removed anyways, and there is hardly room for a skimmer, so you end up getting one of those $100-200 sapphire skimmers. Yet its not a true overflow, so whats the point? If anything, some people put LR rubble back there as a 'cryptic fuge', but thats it really.
What Im getting at is that people spend all that money on something that usually gets ripped apart, redone, and costing 2x as much as it should. You are limited to overpriced custom skimmers, and about 75% of the cost of the unit is in the lights... something you will end up ripping out anyways most of the time.
Or, go get a 15L for $15-20. Put a 2x24wattT5 unit over it (much brighter than PC's) for $100-120, put a maxi-jet 1200 in one corner with a hydor-flo for $30-40 (or a hydor prop pump, or MJ stream), and call it a day. You're only at $180 and already have a superior setup to a nano-cube with a light that is 3x better, a pump that you can actually have a reef with. If you want a true overflow, you can cut a black acrylic baffle to section off part of the tank, and silicone it in place. This area will be lit by the T5s, so it can grow macro algae too. This should cost less than $20, and you can actually see in this compartment vs. a 'nano-cube'.
Now, right there, for $200, you already have a setup that is far better than a cube. If you want a 'curved glass' tank, you can buy a via-aqua for about $20-40 more depending on size. And, when it comes to adding more, like a fuge or skimmer, its no problem. You can use a regular sump style skimmer, or a remora mini, or a ??? with the 15L because it is after all, a regular sump section, not too small in some dimension or not a true overflow.
Heck, you can drill a 15L, add a bulkhead, and have a sump if you wanted. You cant drill a cube.
Nano-cube is 'cute-marketing' at its best. It may not function all that great, or you might be paying way more for 'cute', but thats all it is.
Illuminati
Premium Member
"The lights are underpowered for most everything one wants to keep (48 watts of PC doesnt go too far, 24 = just forget about it)."
Huh? Under the stock lights the only thing I didn't keep was gorgs and SPS, everything from acans, micro's, candycanes and various leathers did great.
Then when I got another light under the same tank that boosted the wattage to 108W I kept both gorgs and SPS (Birdsnest, Digi's and Poci's).
The return pump does suck but for $15 you can swap it with a Maxijet and forget it.
I would say the vast majority don't bother with skimmers on tanks this small, waterchanges are plenty good enough.
Lots pf people who have no clue what they are talking about rip on All In Ones, fact is they are popular for a reason (Easy to setup and maintain, nice look, low evaporation) plus compare one of these to the 15L setup your talking about and it will make the 15L look clunky and out of place.
Huh? Under the stock lights the only thing I didn't keep was gorgs and SPS, everything from acans, micro's, candycanes and various leathers did great.
Then when I got another light under the same tank that boosted the wattage to 108W I kept both gorgs and SPS (Birdsnest, Digi's and Poci's).
The return pump does suck but for $15 you can swap it with a Maxijet and forget it.
I would say the vast majority don't bother with skimmers on tanks this small, waterchanges are plenty good enough.
Lots pf people who have no clue what they are talking about rip on All In Ones, fact is they are popular for a reason (Easy to setup and maintain, nice look, low evaporation) plus compare one of these to the 15L setup your talking about and it will make the 15L look clunky and out of place.
I agree with colinadam. My 24 aquapod is sleak, and I have kept everything in it besides SPS. A rectangle tank is clunky, then you have the filter hanging off the back, and lights hanging, or sitting on legs. I personally like my aquapod better than the big tank, but I think its personal preference.
