Coral availability and prices

[Bos]

Have you notice a marked difference in availability of corals whether it's softies, lps, sps over the last few years?

I've only been in the hobby for a couple years and already noticed some species are not available now. Scolymia and Acanthophyllia are seriously expensive.

Asked about lps Pectinia and LFS says they are super rare now.

Guessing the 1 reason is the Indonesian ban?

 

[James M]

Prices rise and fall all the time. Couple months back a bubble tip at the lfs was $50 now they are $25-39

 

[Hemmdog]

Yes indo ban has made certain ones more expensive, pectinia & torches for sure.
Prices in general are higher online due to these live sales and vendors seeing prices, live stock, and that the frags at outrageous prices are selling instantly; it’s definitely a sellers market right now.
Support your LFS. I get $5 and $10 frags from my LFS that would be easily $200 in these live sales.

 

[reefwiser]

With most corals in the hobby coming from Indo. You are going to see less corals and higher prices into the future.
The ban has been in effect now for a year. Each week we thought it would be lifted but nothing has changed. An I don’t see anything changing it. An as more time goes by it doesn’t look good for the future.

 

[Dkeller_nc]

Actually, I think you'll only have to wait a little while (not for an Indo Ban lift - that's probably semi-permanent). You may have noticed a marked increase in corals from Tonga; and at least for LPS & SPS, the Australians export quite a lot. There are several other coral mariculture operations either in advanced start-up or planning stages that I'm aware of at the moment in other locations in the Pacific.

There's certainly profit to be made, especially if you're living on an island and there are few other job opportunities. And the Indonesians demonstrated the business model very effectively; it's unfortunate that their income and livelihoods have been cut off by government policy change, but others at least have a template to follow.