Current trends in reef keeping?

[astiesi]

So today I made my first trip to the LFS in probably 5 years and I was surprised to see how what is popular and therefore expensive has changed. Just a few observations:

1. Designer clowns are now everywhere and as such, relatively cheap. What was selling for $100+ 5 years ago are less than half of that right now.

2. SPS frags are somewhat cheap when compared to multiple types of LPS. It seems the torch craze has pushed prices up on even the common morphs. What I previously could buy for $25 a head is now $75+ a head.

Are there any other trends I should know about?

 

[SuncrestReef]

It would be really interesting to see a timeline of trends over the past several decades, and whether anything that was popular at one point declined and then returned to popularity.

 

[dk2nt9]

Trends is sales: not so trends because of buyers tastes, more like changes in supply chain. Some areas were closed for export, marinecultured corals are more available, inflation and so on. SPS grow faster and easier to frag, labour also counts. I see more larger colonies than it was. Cheap rescue corals are no longer available, use small affordable frags instead of this.

Take a look around, at other LFS and online. Some offer sales periodically, and twice an year grand sales, when no name frags can be bought at $5-7 (CAD in my case), comparing to regular sale prices $10-15. This is more for SPS and zoas, hammers on sale can be found at $30 vs. close to a hundred.

Switch to affordable kinds, some newer varieties like chalices and cyphastreas are interesting. Newer for me, had a break more than 10 yrs.

With fish, I have read stories of LFS owners, everything is much more expensive, quarantining is limited to a mandatory minimum and they sell what they can get. Make sure to quarantine by yourself too. Prices are higher than a while ago, but this should be expected.

From buyers' side, there is a trend to expect mandarin dragonet live on pods in the tank, instead of weaning it to frozen food and small pellets.

In reefkeeping:

• not relying on rock alone for biofiltration,
• new biopellets and reactors for them, if you have efficient skimmer and too high nutrients,
• dosing nitrates and phosphates if you have them at zero level, and low alkalinity salt mixes for this kind of systems (ULNS),
• advanced method of testing and more complex additives if you are into micro-managing,
• more sludge removers and bacterial formulations for dealing with specific situations in the tank.

 

[ZoWhat]

The current trend in reef keeping is to run up a $30,000 credit card balance then declare bankruptcy

 

[homer1475]

The current trend in reef keeping is to run up a $30,000 credit card balance

Wait you forgot showing off on instagram, facebook, and any other type of social media for instant gratification.

 

[homer1475]

Gonipora is the newest trend.

LPS are starting to come down in price compared to a couple years ago, but the price of goni's has exploded.

The torch/euphyllia craze is starting to die down some now that indo is open back up for maricultered.

 

[astiesi]

The current trend in reef keeping is to run up a $30,000 credit card balance then declare bankruptcy

Wasn't that a trend 10 years ago as well...

 

[astiesi]

Trends is sales: not so trends because of buyers tastes, more like changes in supply chain. Some areas were closed for export, marinecultured corals are more available, inflation and so on. SPS grow faster and easier to frag, labour also counts. I see more larger colonies than it was. Cheap rescue corals are no longer available, use small affordable frags instead of this.

Take a look around, at other LFS and online. Some offer sales periodically, and twice an year grand sales, when no name frags can be bought at $5-7 (CAD in my case), comparing to regular sale prices $10-15. This is more for SPS and zoas, hammers on sale can be found at $30 vs. close to a hundred.

Switch to affordable kinds, some newer varieties like chalices and cyphastreas are interesting. Newer for me, had a break more than 10 yrs.

With fish, I have read stories of LFS owners, everything is much more expensive, quarantining is limited to a mandatory minimum and they sell what they can get. Make sure to quarantine by yourself too. Prices are higher than a while ago, but this should be expected.

From buyers' side, there is a trend to expect mandarin dragonet live on pods in the tank, instead of weaning it to frozen food and small pellets.

In reefkeeping:

• not relying on rock alone for biofiltration,
• new biopellets and reactors for them, if you have efficient skimmer and too high nutrients,
• dosing nitrates and phosphates if you have them at zero level, and low alkalinity salt mixes for this kind of systems (ULNS),
• advanced method of testing and more complex additives if you are into micro-managing,
• more sludge removers and bacterial formulations for dealing with specific situations in the tank.

I had to do a double take the first time I saw someone commenting that they were purposely dosing nitrates/phosphates. So counter to what was the standard when I started.

 

[homer1475]

I had to do a double take the first time I saw someone commenting that they were purposely dosing nitrates/phosphates. So counter to what was the standard when I started.

Same here when I got back in. Years ago we couldn't get nutrients low enough. Now with more knowledge, and better equipment we can certainly drive nutrient levels to 0.

 

[brandon429]

Current trend to watch out for, bigtime

skipping disease preps when buying and adding pet store fish to a new setup, it’s a big deal. It’s the largest cause of fish waste loss in the hobby orders over any other cause at the buyers level