Are these prices serious? Who buys this stuff?

[Bpainter3]

MY point was - if you're the professional (though I see why its hard to say no to a sale) - He does Not have unlimited room for coral. I mean - lets say he said - I want a harem of cl0wn triggers - would you buy him one? I mean so what if only one survived - right? Its the same principle. You have a business - he has unlimited funds - so I see how it is - it doesnt make it anywhere close to 'right'.

No it’s not right and he does not buy from us he buys from online sources

 

[MnFish1]

No it’s not right and he does not buy from us he buys from online sources

Sorry. I thought I was you selling the coral - part of the problem might be that he's buying online

 

[Jon Fishman]

I work with more neurologists than I can count, and none of them have "Unlimited funds" They do well though...... I don't really see a problem with him over-crowding a tank and killing off coral though. Maybe he's doing a "survival of the fittest" tank...... let him do his thing.

 

[Bpb]

You know what I get the high prices. I understand supply chains get cut off. Makes sense. I understand interest inflates and wanes on certain things and that’ll motivate pricing. But this trend of renaming obvious old school classics something new as an excuse to fool new hobbyists into paying a ton for something they could get for free otherwise is absolutely absurd

 

[vivviv]

I am literally speechless. Am I missing something. $800 for a single head torch. $500 for an average trach?

If it's a piece I really wanted and couldn't keep a tank without I would pay it. It would just mean that I could not buy anything else for a while. I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand the market dictates the price, on the other hand selling a photoshopped and unusually lit coral with a huge mark up seems like false advertising. It all boils down to what people will continue to pay. I guess it's like hip-hop tells us, it ain't trickin' if you got it. Lol

 

[vivviv]

It's a joke. It is also a peek into the future if we all don't stop buying wild harvested corals and rock.

 

[wowatracy]

I couldn't believe it when I went to their site and saw the Pink Tipped Torch Colony for $499.00. I just purchased one of the exact same size from AquaSD that is normally $120 and with their 40% off sale it was $72. I know their quality is amazing but they're easily charging 30% more than anyone else.

 

[Opus]

It's a joke. It is also a peek into the future if we all don't stop buying wild harvested corals and rock.

Actually the opposite. By not having wild specimens, the prices will keep going up. Wild harvesting isn't hurting anything on a grand scale. Is Florida any better off now that is has been shut down for 20 years?

 

[MnFish1]

I work with more neurologists than I can count, and none of them have "Unlimited funds" They do well though...... I don't really see a problem with him over-crowding a tank and killing off coral though. Maybe he's doing a "survival of the fittest" tank...... let him do his thing.

IMHO - thats nuts - only because if he wanted a great tank with a thousand dollars a week - he could easily buy colonies. Like I said - something is wrong here - whether its the post or the neurologist. He (or she) is a fool.... because putting coral purposefully next to each other to see which one would survive - when in the end only 1/10 of the corals in the tank (I saw pictured) will survive - because several will out compete the others is (to me) one of the most ridiculous posts on this site so far

 

[MnFish1]

I work with more neurologists than I can count, and none of them have "Unlimited funds" They do well though...... I don't really see a problem with him over-crowding a tank and killing off coral though. Maybe he's doing a "survival of the fittest" tank...... let him do his thing.

Well - look at it statistically - the AVERAGE neurology salary in the us is about 250,000. 1000 $/week is 52K/year. So = you could be wrong. The neurologist may have his her house paid off - or may have a better than average salary - who are we to say?

 

[geddavis]

I think that there are a lot of bad prices but if you look around you can find some amazing prices. I got a 4 polyp rainbow incinerator for $10.00 when it was selling for around $90.00 a polyp on the Jason fox website. Also the image of my tank was right after aquashella when the tank sitter overfed and chased a diatom bloom.

 

[vetteguy53081]

For some reason especially at RAP- Have seen a HUGE increase in pricing and with coral auctions, the days of $5 and $10 frags are diminishing.

 

[vivviv]

Actually the opposite. By not having wild specimens, the prices will keep going up. Wild harvesting isn't hurting anything on a grand scale. Is Florida any better off now that is has been shut down for 20 years?

You have absolutely no basis for such a silly statement.

 

[vivviv]

As for the crazy prices just check out ebay or Amazon. The are many many offerings at ridiculous prices for all kinds of things. Why? Just in case someone is stupid enough to pay it. I've seen bags of substrate for hundreds of dollars.

 

[corky1966]

I am literally speechless. Am I missing something. $800 for a single head torch. $500 for an average trach?

Those are big corals the have cheap frags on eBay!

 

[johnanddawn]

IMO
The supply and demand argument has flaws when applied to a hobby of living animals, after all we are not talking durable goods here. you can't buy an i phone, cut it in half and resell it after all

The problem as I see it is that some people buy a coral with the expectation that they will be able to grow it out, frag it and make money. The hobby/business

Example:
Hobbiest "A" sees a super blue wango tango on a vendors site for sale for 500$. They buy it expecting to be able to make two frags in less then a year and sell them for say 400$, make a profit, and still have their specimen. Many good hobbyist are very successful doing this.

The vendors know this mentality in the hobby, they also know when they sell they no longer become the sole distributor any more and are in a way selling the "patent rights" as well, and therefore know they can charge whatever they want for . Since they are a living organism tht is capable of reproducing - supply will always increase, so the window of big money sales is limited by time.

Hobbiest "B" who is kinda new, sees how the system works and wants in. They think that this is the way of things and buy in, expecting to make money off their hobby. They feed the price increases by thinking everyone is willing to pay this much.

This system has a natural built in positive feedback loop that ensures prices will always rise for certain corals. The day people started talking about "collector corals" is when the hobby changed forever. People expect collector items to appreciate in value!

Once you've been in the hobby long enough you see this happen again and again. Zoas, chalice, acans and now shrooms and torches.

I am not making any judgment nor being critical ... just an observation from someone who's been around a while...

expect to pay to play - if you want in on the name game collector corals

 

[MyReefRobbedMe]

Corals should be expensive. Maybe people will take better care of them.

I think there’s a big difference between expensive and just outrageous .

 

[FlyPenFly]

I think there’s a big difference between expensive and just outrageous .

It’s a free market, don’t buy it. Some cars cost 20k and some cost 2million.

 

[MyReefRobbedMe]

It’s a free market, don’t buy it. Some cars cost 20k and some cost 2million.

Yes you are right . And that’s exactly why I won’t be the idiot to buy it

 

[Aframereef]

Just a few years ago I would all sorts of frags for $5. A few I would get $10. I was very happy and moved a lot of coral. Most I have spent for a full baseball size coral was maybe $100 and that is only because I was trading in frags for it. Much easier to become best friends with someone who has one. At some point they have to frag it.