Chalices are the new Gold Standard ???

SaraB · Apr 16, 2009

stylaster said:
i think it is funny that they really are worth more then their weight in gold! I might has well put in gold nuggets cause it's cheaper then some chalices!

Well, that pretty much puts everything into perspective! I'm selling off my chalice collection for gold nuggets now! :nerd:

SDguy · Apr 16, 2009

IIRC from chemistry class, gold won't grow more gold

SteveOhh · Apr 16, 2009

EliteReefs said:
Same thing happened with zoas, then duncans, then acans, now chalice.

Zoas are still holding their own.........................about the only corals that have remained consistent!!

EliteReefs · Apr 16, 2009

SteveOhh said:
Zoas are still holding their own.........................about the only corals that have remained consistent!!

thats true but all things considered they have dropped big time. you have to have something really special to fetch big bucks. several years ago you could slap rare on just about anything that looked nice and people ate them up. heck look at ebay. harldy anything and there used to be page after page all with bids.

Reef Empire · Apr 16, 2009

EliteReefs said:
i used to be able to pull in chalices by the butt load. cost next to nothing. they used to step on these things to get to the other corals they wanted. now once everyone started asking for them the price has shot up big time. Many of them are turning to what you see is what you get. I used to order (colored hedgehog coral) now you get full pictures, fancy name, and a price to go with it.

several years ago i sold a HUGE 10x12 mummy eye (was not called anything back then). neon green with neon orange/pink eyes. i thought it was amazing but noone gave a crap. sold it for 100 bucks. i can only imagine what it would be worth today...

I heard that with my bad ear... We used to call chalices the "poormans acan" because you could get INSANE color for crazy cheap, especially compared to what acans were going for in their prime... We used to blow through them, and we've often wondered what became of many of those colonies that were sold for almost nothing... But as the trends shifted, like they always do, the price curves followed the demand. Trans-shippers/wholesalers/collectors are not foolish people, and they too, have internet access... :nerd:

stunreefer · Apr 16, 2009

Coral Crazes Come and Go... but the Game will Remain

Psychographic said:
To me, I would rather have a tank that someone outside the hobby is amazed at. I can't see a tank full of 1/2" chalice frags that are barely coloring up yet being that impressive looking, now to a fellow collector, it would be amazing.

There's most definitely different classes of reefers, and "Collector" is one of them. It can be difficult to have a "natural" looking reef if you're collecting lots of morphs of the same species, even genera of coral, yet that's what will make all reefers different. It's all in the eye of the beholder, and what they want, but IME some of the nicest reefs I've ever seen have very little money in coral dumped into them. Here's a great example... Ali Atapours' gorgeous softie reef: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pl82HUpUtU Some people want every kind of Watermelon Chalice under the sun (which is awesome), and some people really like the way Xenia sways with the current (which is awesome)... do and buy what YOU like, and leave the rest for the birds.

We must not forget to repsect everything that we and others keep, and not frown upon certain coral (you don't have to like all coral, but respect it... it's alive), as we hobbyists are destroying and stealing from nature no matter how you look at it.

EvilReef said:
I heard that with my bad ear... We used to call chalices the "poormans acan" because you could get INSANE color for crazy cheap, especially compared to what acans were going for in their prime... We used to blow through them, and we've often wondered what became of many of those colonies that were sold for almost nothing... But as the trends shifted, like they always do, the price curves followed the demand. Trans-shippers/wholesalers/collectors are not foolish people, and they too, have internet access... :nerd:

You and Jim hit the nail on the nose

acronautical · Apr 18, 2009

It seems like a lot of tanks these days are little more than frag plug collections. In my on-going quest to photograph corals in hobbyist aquariums, it's often difficult to find mature or mostly mature reefs. In the past couple of weeks, I've had two experienced reef aquarists comment that they got much more pleasure out of their frag tanks than they did out of their displays. It's interesting to hear this when I'm working to develop two display tanks that are full of mature colonies. To me, it's a sign of success to be able to keep a reef going and stable long enough to grow mature large colonies and cover most of the rock.

gparr started a thread in January entitled, "What is your goal?" and stated, "Are you working toward a mature reef display? Do you just enjoy fragging and selling? Are you just trying to get to the point where you can be confident new acquisitions will live and haven't thought about a long-term goal? Are you trying to develop some kind of specialized biotope? Tell us where you're headed with your aquariums."

The thread didn't last five minutes. It was almost as if it made some people uncomfortable, or something. Psychographic hit the nail on the head. Initially, I, too, was drawn to this craze. I have purchase a few nice "LE" type echinos. This "marble collection" thing is honestly beginning to wear thin, though. The thing that blows me away, though, is HOW IN THE WORLD DO SOME FOLKS COME UP WITH $500.00 TO $1,000.00 EVERY FEW DAYS TO A WEEK, TO PURCHASE THESE FRAGS?!

acronautical · Apr 18, 2009

The initial quote was all gparr's.

treylane · Apr 18, 2009

There are lots of different classes of reefers... the gearheads, the collectors, the fish junkies, the artists, the naturalists, etc. Each group will have its own core ideas, and its own fads that shift over time, whether it's chalices, LED lighting, bare bottoms, etc. Whenever these fads are at their peak, the associated hype and prices (if applicable) will seem extreme to everybody without the interest or means to participate. Ultimately, most reefers have very short attention spans, and will get bored with with a given fad after a few months and move on to the next one. Rinse, lather, repeat.

Hypertek99 · Apr 18, 2009

That's why a lot of collectors have a display tank and a frag tank.

SDguy · Apr 18, 2009

It still baffles me why some concern themselves with others' finances.

I personally don't care about why the guy down that street can afford a Ferrari.

Move on, and keep what you like in your tank.

I-K@ndY · Apr 18, 2009

Same Topic.. Same questions.. Same answers .. Annoying eh?

treylane · Apr 18, 2009

Ok, new answer:
* Yes, it's a conspiracy, it's the man tryin to keep you down
* Get over it.

msman825 · Apr 18, 2009

SDguy said:
It still baffles me why some concern themselves with others' finances.

I personally don't care about why the guy down that street can afford a Ferrari.

Move on, and keep what you like in your tank.

Pnoyreefer said:
Same Topic.. Same questions.. Same answers .. Annoying eh?

AMAN, agree

Saltysteele · Apr 18, 2009

EliteReefs said:
i used to be able to pull in chalices by the butt load.

that sounds uncomfortable. has to be a better way?

:tongue:

like was already said, if we didn't pay higher prices for them, they (divers) wouldn't take the time to find the nice ones.

i've got a couple. i have one that i love, but won't frag, because it's about 4" x 4", and i wanted a big one, not a nail chip. i purchased 2 chips from aquasd for the price i purchased this whole colony for, and they both died on me. my colony is going strong, and is a beauty! :smile:

SDguy · Apr 18, 2009

treylane said:
Ok, new answer:
* Yes, it's a conspiracy, it's the man tryin to keep you down
* Get over it.

:snicker:

acronautical · Apr 18, 2009

Peter, I didn't say I was concerned with other's finances. I said I was amazed at some folks' ability to throw down large sums so often. That didn't come out the way I intended. What I meant to say was, I am impressed with that ability! Didn't mean for that to come out with such a negative connotation.

acronautical · Apr 19, 2009

On another note, the prices of many great acros and montis, from many good sources, have either come down or remained relatively affordable. Stocking a reef with quality sps has never been so easy!