Booger Sized Frags: What are your thoughts?

[mike007]

Booger Sized Frags: What are your thoughts?

(please no vendor names and keep it civil)

Have any one besides me ordered corals online to find out they are little frags? The pics look like you are getting a good size chunk and when they arrive they are just a piece or what they call frag for lot of money. Whats up with is? Maybe they should tell us what size frag we are getting.

 

[cdness]

Many vendors show an image of the mother colony and label that the frag will be of that mother colony. Most give an estimated size but do not label what the variation may be. For example a statement of "Around 1 inch" could mean anywhere from 3/4" to 1.5"... Whenever purchasing like this you will leave the 1" up to interpretation a bit but it should be at least close to what you expected...

Now if you were purchasing under the WYSIWYG model, you should see an image of the EXACT coral you are purchasing. Save a copy of the image and compare it when you get the coral to your tank. They "should" be the same coral. Be sure you look at the corals from the same viewing angle the image is taken or they may be perceived as different.

Now this becomes tricky when you bring in the DSLR camera and a good photographer who can distort the image a bit just by changing depth of field or shooting from a different angle. I can make a 1" coral look like it is much larger if I could take from different angles. Saturation is also an issue if the photos are post processed incorrectly (or deceptively) to make the coral look a different color.

But with all that said, if you stick to a well known, reputable company online, they will take care of you in the end. We have many great sponsors here at Reef2Reef as well as many great members selling and shipping corals. Ask them for a specific picture of the frag you will be getting and many will fulfill that request.

It is never good when you order a frag and get a booger!

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Some vendors will use a ruler for the photo and many will tell you the exact size if you ask. But to answer your question, YES I HATE IT!

 

[cdness]

Also just to add, the ruler idea is a very good idea. I gauged an order based on the standard eggcrate they used for the rack only to find out they make many different sizes of eggcrate... It is hard to estimate size with no standard measure

 

[Connie]

Yes! And it's no fun. I don't order on line much because of that, however, I have had extremely good luck with Live Aquaria. You can choose the size frag/colony you want on many items, as well as the WYSIWYG section has always been accurate. And, it's always a healthy specimen.

 

[mainereefer]

I won a frag pack, they listed the frags as 1.5" they ended up being 1/2"-3/4" !! I was so disapointed! first shipment died, second shipment 1/2 of the frags made it.
if you ask me some ppl are just crooks and will scam you any way they can (seems most online vendors are like this)

the worst part is I wont participate in contests or giveaways now.

 

[Rikerbear]

This was really good to read. I have been thinking of trying a couple vendors, but now may just stick to local shops and sellers

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Hope you don't mind but I edited your original title and some info in your post so we could really get this topic rocking! I am also moving it to reef discussion.

 

[cdness]

Please don't take this as don't buy online... Take it as you need to be better informed on what to look for. Ask questions to clarify what you will be receiving. Request WYSIWYG photos with a ruler in the pic for reference. Ask for a DAYLIGHT pic so you can avoid the over saturation of many images and see the true color of the coral.

There are many very generous and honest vendors online which carry things your LFS may never get in stock. By asking questions you can determine who you want to shop with based on their answers. When you find a good vendor, stick with them, support them, and make sure you post the good reviews instead of just bad reviews when an issue arises. The vendor feedback forum is a great place to read about other member's experiences with vendors, check it out!

 

[shecter]

I think as long as its properly represented a booger frag is ok. I have a few pieces I couldn't afford otherwise. But misrepresentation is wrong. I had this issue a couple times in the past few months. If a coral is sold to me with any shadiness that person or vendor will never get my business again. I may lose a few bucks for a bad frag or whatever but they will loose thousands overtime from me boycotting them. I don't normally say anything on the forums unless someone tries to openly screw me over but I have a great memory. And a wysiwyg pic should be just that. Not an example.

 

[dlterry85]

here is a good read;

(Scientifically) Smarter Frags | Coral Magazine

 

[WesF]

here is a good read;

(Scientifically) Smarter Frags | Coral Magazine

I've read that article before. If only 13% of their 1" acro frags survived they are doing it wrong.

 

[butts182]

I hate booger frags and don't order them. If u have one little problem with the tank while they are growing, there is no way to save them

 

[kingator]

I hate booger frags and don't order them. If u have one little problem with the tank while they are growing, there is no way to save them

+1 on this whats even worst is a booger thats not fully healed up , but must say i have been lucky so far

 

[fragmatic]

I simply will only order WYSWUG.. period. ...and expect them to look a little bigger in the picture.

I would like to see a checker board scale next to all of those though of which the sizes of the checker pattern is posted. ... or perhaps a small piece of 1/2" frag rack and it be identified somewhere as 1/2" frag rack. Most of us can mentally process size on a 1/2" frag rack fairly well from personal experiences.

Been burnt once.. and am afraid to trust a vendor that doesn't post WUSWUG. I want to buy that exact item, not a fact-similar.

 

[WesF]

I don't mind booger frags as long as they are priced accordingly and I know what I am getting going into the deal.

If I am expecting a normal sized frag and it is tiny I get upset...

But I have had some good deals from people who cut tiny frags. My red dragon started out as a tiny frag but I only paid $40 when frags were selling for $100+. Now it has grown into a little colony.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

 

[Loki]

Lol great pic Rev!


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[Alex27]

I believe this happens more often with zoa frags, than other corals. A frag of the superduperalyuper will be one polyp, this polyp happens to be a speck of dust. The prices of supply and demand, lol.

 

[dwilliams87]

I have had better experiences with individual reefers selling on this sight than I have ever had with vendors on this site. "I'll make it worth it" isn't always worth it unfortunately. Sometimes we have bad impressions of an otherwise great vendor to deal with but horror stories make it very difficult to overcome the 75% good. Just my 2cents.

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