I'm confused as to the difference between these?

[softball13]

I guess I'm a little confused...

These all basically look the same to me... I mean they are a little different..but I'm assuming that the camera used and the lighting can have subtle effects... but the prices are all so different... is it just a matter of what people are willing to pay..or is there a difference between these I'm not seeing?

I don't really see the difference between the watermelons and eagle eyes..but it just seems like once they have a name on them..the price goes up..although I've seen the eagle eye ones go pretty cheap on ebay too.

We've got these on one thread..that are $5 a polyp
http://www.club-zoa.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=737

Then these on a site for $10 a polyp
http://maggiesaquariumsupply.com/viewitem.php?it_id=286

Then these .. a rock of them for $20
http://www.insanecorals.com/mm5/mer...de=I&Product_Code=918-T1B-12&Category_Code=ZV

Then these which they are calling watermelons for $29 for 5-8 polyps:
http://yourreef.com/SOFT.html (the first one)

 

[Randy]

Mine are propagated not wild.That is one difference I see.

Also the Eagle Eye are orange and not red like the ones I have.

 

[softball13]

Ahhh... ok... so if its propagated... then they are more?

This means they've been in the tank a while then..right? Where as some of the others may be just out of the ocean?

Do some corals survive better than others right out of the ocean? I was just wondering cuz I've seen ppl on ebay from the Keys selling ricordea ..and I'm assuming that isn't propagated...

 

[surfn]

i'm with you that they are all so close they are basically the same thing.

but to the person with deep pockets, and endless amounts of room in their tank they could see them as different.

so i guess they are worth different amounts to different people (usually depending on the area)

 

[Randy]

Ahhh... ok... so if its propagated... then they are more?

This means they've been in the tank a while then..right? Where as some of the others may be just out of the ocean?

Do some corals survive better than others right out of the ocean? I was just wondering cuz I've seen ppl on ebay from the Keys selling ricordea ..and I'm assuming that isn't propagated...

Yes they are tank raised.I have only seen a few places sale tank raised rics.I know Atlantis had some last week and one guy on ebay.Most people that have tank raised corals will note that they are tank raised or propagated.As for the question of a "Do some corals survive better than others right out of the ocean?" no not that I have seen.

 

[Randy]

i'm with you that they are all so close they are basically the same thing.

but to the person with deep pockets, and endless amounts of room in their tank they could see them as different.

so i guess they are worth different amounts to different people (usually depending on the area)

So you are saying that tank raised corals are not any better than a wild collected?

 

[surfn]

i wasnt paying any attention to the fact that they are aquacultured or wild, just color.

half the time its impossible to tell if its wild or aquacultured unless the frags have glue on them or on frag plugs.

 

[softball13]

I know my hammer corals were ordered from overseas by my LFS..they weren't propagated..and the are great

I've gotten some zoos from friends that they had in their tanks..small pieces..just a couple of polyps..and about half lived and half didn't.....then I also got some soloman island zoos from my LFS right after they got them in..most of those died...except for one little piece...

I also got xenia from a friend and it died off the first time..then did good the second time they gave it to me... and I did the same stuff to it..

Seems like a crap shoot with some of it..heh..no matter where its from..

 

[Randy]

I know my hammer corals were ordered from overseas by my LFS..they weren't propagated..and the are great

I've gotten some zoos from friends that they had in their tanks..small pieces..just a couple of polyps..and about half lived and half didn't.....then I also got some soloman island zoos from my LFS right after they got them in..most of those died...except for one little piece...

I also got xenia from a friend and it died off the first time..then did good the second time they gave it to me... and I did the same stuff to it..

Seems like a crap shoot with some of it..heh..no matter where its from..

I will not set here an talk down about wild collected corals they are a 50/50 when added to the home aquarium.IMO tank raised corals are around 90/10.The tank raised corals will grow faster are more hardy than WC.Xenia is one of those corals that you can keep it alive or kill it all.It does not ship well.I have had some tank raised zoas die after fraging for no reason.They looked good for weeks and one day they died.It has happened to everyone at one point.It seems that everything else in the tank looks good but that 1 cool coral you love so much.The ugly corals always lives.

 

[Mr. Ugly]

I have had some tank raised zoas die after fraging for no reason.They looked good for weeks and one day they died.It has happened to everyone at one point.It seems that everything else in the tank looks good but that 1 cool coral you love so much.

I totally have had that happen

I can remember at least 3 occasions where I had grown stuff out for almost a year before fragging. One Dragon Eye colony I completely lost after fragging a small piece for a trade. Two others had major recession after minor fragging, and I almost lost those too

 

[jonbar1]

Captive raised will cost more typically, but that discussion is well explained in another thread.

Basically, zoas are quite variable. Eagle eyes are especially variable in my tanks(one original piece is now 3 different looking pieces). Many factors contribute to what a zoa goes for, and if one vendor thinks they can get a price they'll charge it.

I recently did some searching on the popular pink with green center palys, and surprise, same thing. I've found a dozen prices under a dozen names. I decided to wait, because the last time I forked out a lot of money for a frag, my local coral shop got a colony in of the same thing for a quarter the price...if only they would get some of the ones I've really been wanting.

jon