Naming corals - When has it gone too far?

[Sk8erSpanky]

Is anyone else getting sick of every coral now being named? I miss the standard scientific/basic name. At first I noticed very high end rare pieces being named. But now, it seems like every coral you see has a name. I just think its getting out of hand. Am I the only one? I mean no offense to anyone that names them. I think its heavily the consumers fault too. Like I said the higher end pieces were usually named, is it because all consumers now see a name to the coral and think its a must have because “its named”?

 

[samnaz]

I agree 100%

 

[BoomCorals]

Except for a few exceptions, people won’t buy without a name. It also makes it easier to find them if someone else wants one. Rather than “that blue tenuis I got from that place, no the other blue one, no the other other blue one” etc.

 

[Rakie]

It's because for corals like Acropora and Zoanthids you can't really use a scientific name. SPS can be challenging, to the point where it literally takes a specialist with a microscope inspecting the corals flesh/growth patterns to differentiate species. And they can't even be 100% certain.

So how many times can you say "I want the red zoa -- NO not that one, the other red one. Nope, it's slightly different than that, but it's red".

They need names. Now where they don't need names, is when it's a junker coral. A brown zoa doesn't need a name. A boring green SPS doesn't need a name. But if it is desirable in any way shape or form, and has any interesting aspects of it -- it needs a name. Because I don't want to spend all month saying "No, it's a different red one", I want to say "Give me the Speckled Kraks, and give me proper lineage so I know it's real".

 

[Rakie]

Except for a few exceptions, people won’t buy without a name. It also makes it easier to find them if someone else wants one. Rather than “that blue tenuis I got from that place, no the other blue one, no the other other blue one” etc.

LOL! We just had the same example at the same time. But I went with the red zoa, not the blue tenius

 

[miPapareef]

I never call my dog Canis lupus familiaris.
And I really call him black lab. Only if someone asks his breed.
Usually I just call him Pete.
It makes him unique vs my neighbor’s lab who goes by Cole.

So I can totally relate to a aquaculturist naming his corals.

 

[BoomCorals]

LOL! We just had the same example at the same time. But I went with the red zoa, not the blue tenius

But what about the orange favia!!

 

[Rakie]

But what about the orange favia!!

The orange favia from JF, UC, WWC, or AquaSD? lol

 

[cloak]

I think it's OK. (to a certain point) If I was to ask you what kind of car you have and you say a Toyota you kind of leave me hanging. Toyota what? When I say Eagle Eyes I think the majority of us know that car.

 

[BoomCorals]

The orange favia from JF, UC, WWC, or AquaSD? lol

Yea that one

 

[o2manyfish]

I think the difference is if you goto the car dealership and ask for a Hyper Blue Camaro ZL1 you know what you are getting. In the industry now there is a very small percentage of 'named' corals that have been farmed and shared so that you know you are getting the right coral. A purple monster or Oregon Tort is pretty distinguishable.

But Backyard Fred goes to Petco, buys a rock of Eagle Eyes, but because his cheapo North Korean Kim Jung Un Black Box LED's put out a teal UV color, and the true blue led's are actually defective Chinese Green LED's - the Zoas in his tank look different. So he calls them Backyard Fred's Gumbo Jambalaya Crackerhead Zoas for $200 a polyp.

Goto your top 5 favorite online vendors and take a look at all the different named corals. If you take into account photoshop tweaks, how many of them look similar to the same coral on someone elses sight. And those of us that have grown out a colony or two know that the same coral on 2 sides of the same tank will turn out totally different.

And now nobody knows what's what any more.

Dave B

 

[Sk8erSpanky]

It's because for corals like Acropora and Zoanthids you can't really use a scientific name. SPS can be challenging, to the point where it literally takes a specialist with a microscope inspecting the corals flesh/growth patterns to differentiate species. And they can't even be 100% certain.

So how many times can you say "I want the red zoa -- NO not that one, the other red one. Nope, it's slightly different than that, but it's red".

They need names. Now where they don't need names, is when it's a junker coral. A brown zoa doesn't need a name. A boring green SPS doesn't need a name. But if it is desirable in any way shape or form, and has any interesting aspects of it -- it needs a name. Because I don't want to spend all month saying "No, it's a different red one", I want to say "Give me the Speckled Kraks, and give me proper lineage so I know it's real".

I get the higher more aught after ones. That totally makes sense to me. But literally everything is named now. Literally almost everything at least. Is this just the new norm i guess?

 

[WVNed]

I named all my corals and they are all high end stuff now.

LOL

 

[Sk8erSpanky]

I dont want to use any business as an example. But your basic corals have a names. IE franks blue tenuis. Then on another site, you have Joes Blue tenuis..... yet they look exactly the same. Also, Ive seen corals morph so much going from one tank to another. Since the coral has a diffrent color tone to it, should it be renamed?

 

[Dom274]

I get the higher more aught after ones. That totally makes sense to me. But literally everything is named now. Literally almost everything at least. Is this just the new norm i guess?

Named corals = breeds for cats/dogs.

I have a cat. That’s a pretty general statement, as I promise you the cat you are picturing in your head does not look like my cat at all.

With distinguishable features, it makes sense to name. Shady business and crazies take this to the extreme with huskypomeranianbulldoodles, but that’s not the mainstream.

 

[Dom274]

I dont want to use any business as an example. But your basic corals have a names. IE franks blue tenuis. Then on another site, you have Joes Blue tenuis..... yet they look exactly the same. Also, Ive seen corals morph so much going from one tank to another. Since the coral has a diffrent color tone to it, should it be renamed?

Those "morphs" are temporary and it's all due to the lighting. I bet an experienced eye can spot it. Many vendors nowadays are using an LED/T5 combo - I have a similar combo and the coral in my tank always look like the coral I saw in the picture.

 

[Sk8erSpanky]

Those "morphs" are temporary and it's all due to the lighting. I bet an experienced eye can spot it. Many vendors nowadays are using an LED/T5 combo - I have a similar combo and the coral in my tank always look like the coral I saw in the picture.

They are not always just temporary. Yes you probably wont see any change if you have the exact set up as your vendor. But they usuall have a decent change. Ive seen some with major changes. So if they guy who had purchased steves aqua tenuis, should he change the name when he frags it to sell it because its no longer blue, but more teal?

 

[BoomCorals]

I dont want to use any business as an example. But your basic corals have a names. IE franks blue tenuis. Then on another site, you have Joes Blue tenuis..... yet they look exactly the same. Also, Ive seen corals morph so much going from one tank to another. Since the coral has a diffrent color tone to it, should it be renamed?

Problem is, if I can’t verify lineage that my coral is “Joe’s Blue Tenuis” then I can’t call it that, and it needs a different name.

 

[that Reef Guy]

Except for a few exceptions, people won’t buy without a name. It also makes it easier to find them if someone else wants one. Rather than “that blue tenuis I got from that place, no the other blue one, no the other other blue one” etc.

I disagree (Although alot of people do Only buy Named Corals) - Those Tend to be the more Hardcores Collectors.

I have seen a ton of "Casual Collectors" They buy what they like and could care less if it has a name or not. They are usually more Concerned with Price it seem. If they like it and it is in their Price Range they buy it.

 

[Dom274]

They are not always just temporary. Yes you probably wont see any change if you have the exact set up as your vendor. But they usuall have a decent change. Ive seen some with major changes. So if they guy who had purchased steves aqua tenuis, should he change the name when he frags it to sell it because its no longer blue, but more teal?

I would disagree. I've seen both minor and major changes in coral I have sold to local aquariums revert back. My AP700s are overkill for my tank, which I noticed brought out new colors in a few different colonies (Colors that were not in the vendor picture). It sometimes has taken a couple of months, but I have never seen a "morph" stick.