Naming corals - When has it gone too far?

[that Reef Guy]

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?

New Norm? This has been going on for the Last 10, 15, 20 Years.

There is Nothing New about Naming Corals.

No, not Everything is Named.

Xenia is still Xenia and there is No Way to Sugar Coat it with a Fancy Name.

Green Star Polyps
Common Mushrooms
Common Zoanthids
Common Everything

That stuff doesn't get a Fancy Name.

Alot of stuff that is Rare, Beautiful, and in Demand Does Tend to be Named.

 

[Dom274]

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.

By "price range" you mean <$20? Which at that point is basically an aquatic scratch off ticket.

 

[that Reef Guy]

Back before Names People had to "Try" to Describe a Coral.

Imagine Trying to Describe a Coral with a Bunch of Colors like Rastas?

This Color Skirt, This Color Center, This Color Ring Number One, This Color Ring Number Two.

After Someone Wasted a Minute of their Time Describing it I am like "I have No Idea What You are Talking About.

But if Somebody spends just One Second saying I am Looking for Rastas I Immediatley know exactly what they are Talking about.

So I Disagree because Names make things a Million Times Simpler.

 

[BoomCorals]

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.

Sales don’t lie. No names will sit for quite a while unless it’s something truly exceptional. But give it a name and suddenly they will sell.

 

[ZoWhat]

Truth to Power....let's cut the B.S.

Every Marketing Name makes a $20 coral a $120 Coral

Before that stupid Finding Nemo movie, clowns were $8. Now they're $30+

 

[that Reef Guy]

By "price range" you mean <$20? Which at that point is basically an aquatic scratch off ticket.

I am not sure what you mean by that but????

Lets use your example of $20

If the most somebody is willing to pay for a Coral is $20 and a They ask a Vendor how much a Coral is (They see the Coral and like it but are unaware of the Price) and the Vendor says $20 they buy it (Because they like it and it is in their Price Range of $20). If the Vendor says $10 they also buy it. If the Vendor says $30 then they don't buy it because it is out of their Price Range. And they don't care if it has a Fancy Name and are NOT willing to pay the Extra $10 just because it has a Fancy Name.

 

[Dom274]

I am not sure what you mean by that but????

Lets use your example of $20

If the most somebody is willing to pay for a Coral is $20 and a They ask a Vendor how much a Coral is (They see the Coral and like it but are unaware of the Price) and the Vendor says $20 they buy it. If the Vendor says $10 they also buy it. If the Vendor says $30 then they don't buy it.

I agree. What I was saying, is that the no-name stuff is usually less than $20 a frag, at which point it's a gamble on whether that frag will turn out nice, or be a brown looking turd lol.

 

[Dom274]

Truth to Power....let's cut the B.S.

Every Marketing Name makes a $20 coral a $120 Coral

Before that stupid Finding Nemo movie, clowns were $8. Now they're $30+

That movie was 15 years ago... At this point, inflation has increased the prices more...

 

[Sk8erSpanky]

New Norm? This has been going on for the Last 10, 15, 20 Years.

There is Nothing New about Naming Corals.

No, not Everything is Named.

Xenia is still Xenia and there is No Way to Sugar Coat it with a Fancy Name.

Green Star Polyps
Common Mushrooms
Common Zoanthids
Common Everything

That stuff doesn't get a Fancy Name.

Alot of stuff that is Rare, Beautiful, and in Demand Does Tend to be Named.

New mormal as most corals are named. 10 years back was never like it is now.

 

[Sk8erSpanky]

Sales don’t lie. No names will sit for quite a while unless it’s something truly exceptional. But give it a name and suddenly they will sell.

This is what I am saying. Why did it ever get to this point. I guarntee if you hold a sale with two exact coral frags taken from the same colony of a SPS one named one unnamed. Chances are that named will sell right away and at a higher cost than the one you didn't name. Is it because the consumer automatically feels like its a better coral because its named?

 

[that Reef Guy]

Sales don’t lie. No names will sit for quite a while unless it’s something truly exceptional. But give it a name and suddenly they will sell.

There is Merit to that but like I said depends on the Person.

Most people that keep Coral are Very Casual. Many do not even know about the name game. (Yes, I know the people on sites like this know and may or may not care about fancy names).

You have to understand there are different markets.

For Instance The Super High End Bounce Mushroom Market is very very small.

For Every Person that wants a Bounce there are 100 that want Xenia (And these people have never even heard of a Bounce Mushroom).

I know the above statement might sound crazy to most of you but people that are really into coral collecting are the minority not the majority.

Most People with Coral are not even on this site even though it is one of the biggest sites around.

 

[that Reef Guy]

I agree. What I was saying, is that the no-name stuff is usually less than $20 a frag, at which point it's a gamble on whether that frag will turn out nice, or be a brown looking turd lol.

I guess I misread what you were trying to say.

I was merely talking about peoples budgets and the name game.

My comments have nothing to do with "Morphing"

 

[Sk8erSpanky]

And im just trying to have a casual convorsation. Dont want anyone getting offended. Theres no right or wrong answer. Just always been curious on this subject.

 

[WVNed]

Once everything is named we are back where we started and names will mean nothing.

I don't buy names. I buy coral.

But there are peo0ple that do. Let them pay more. Stupid should be taxed.

 

[that Reef Guy]

Sales don’t lie. No names will sit for quite a while unless it’s something truly exceptional. But give it a name and suddenly they will sell.

I am not referring to No-Names.

I am talking about Casual Collectors that just buy what they deem beautiful.

I am saying those people buy because they like it not because it has a fancy name.

And they do not care if it has a fancy name and are not willing to pay more.

What I am trying to say is fancy name or not they don't care.

If they like it and they like the price "Casual Collectors" will buy it.

 

[that Reef Guy]

Truth to Power....let's cut the B.S.

Every Marketing Name makes a $20 coral a $120 Coral

Before that stupid Finding Nemo movie, clowns were $8. Now they're $30+

Naming is part of it but most of it is supply and demand not the name

And Clownfish don't hold their Value well because people breed them by the thousands.

I remember a Clownfish came out at $600

A Year later they were $200

2 Years after they were first sold they were $60

And that is LFS Pricing.

Be Patient and Wait.

When Red Hornets came out they were Over $300 a Polyp.

Now they are usually $10 a Polyp (But I have seen them much cheaper than that).

I think a big part of the Problem is people are new and don't realize how the industry is.

Those of us that have been around the block like me (Since 2009) know this.

We know the trends and know how things work.

 

[ZoWhat]

...............

 

[ca1ore]

I think the whole thing is just silly, and I refuse to 'play'. Part of the problem is that SPS particularly has variable growth and color forms based on where it's collected ..... and these characteristics won't necessarily persist in different light, chemistry or flow conditions. Just look at the SPS listed at DD - many different appearing pieces have the same scientific name. I'll pay $$ for certain fish; not for coral frags.

 

[that Reef Guy]

New mormal as most corals are named. 10 years back was never like it is now.

From what I see it is pretty much the same.

In demand corals are named.

Non-In Demand are not.

Most Corals are Not in Demand.

Go to your LFS (Xenia, GSP, Common Mushrooms, Common Zoanthids, Common whatever.

For every Named Coral there are 100 Non-Named Corals.

Most Corals imported in do Not get Fancy Names.

It sounds like you only care about named corals which is fine but you are making a blanket statement saying all corals are named which is far from the truth.

Named Corals are much much rarer than non-named corals.

For Ever Walt Disney Acro and WWC OG Bounce out there there are 10,000 Maricultured Acros and Discosoma Mushrooms with No Names that jsut got pulled out of the Ocean.

It s like for every Ferrari made there are a Million Fords Made.

 

[ZoWhat]

If they marketing renamed Aiptasia
"Ms. Medusa Mistress"

......everyone would be buying it....growing it on fragplugs. Lol