SPS frags ... Decisions, decisions

Sea MunnKey · Apr 16, 2019

I'm having a hard time deciding on which one of these local SPS frags that I should purchase ... something different & hoping that it's not going to cost too much at the same time

Thanks all!

Mykesocalreef · Apr 16, 2019

All three would be my choice!

jporter17 · Apr 16, 2019

Thats a tough decision! See if you can work a bundle deal get them all. Great mix of colors and growth patterns. JP

Reefpuck · Apr 16, 2019

I like that bottom one...green base with pink top!

Jinko · Apr 16, 2019

Top one looks interesting, bottom pic looks cool, but does it really look like that under normal conditions.

LobsterOfJustice · Apr 16, 2019

Sea MunnKey said:
hoping that it's not going to cost too much

Based on the pictures (and the watermark), it is definitely going to cost too much.

hatfielj · Apr 16, 2019

Grafted corals like that often lose the grafting color as they grow, at least in my experience. The other two are run of the mill rainbow tenuis that everyone is seeing these days. If the price is right, they are nice. Don't over pay just because of the RR label

SeaDweller · Apr 16, 2019

Easy. All of them. You will anyway, no denying that!

bobby.w.hodges · Apr 16, 2019

It's just money, one of each.

Dugless · Apr 16, 2019

That bottom photo is clearly Photoshopped, as is the 2nd one most likely. I'd steer clear.

Sea MunnKey · Apr 17, 2019

The 3rd SPS small colony is actually the Rainbow Splice acropora. Reefbuilders link: https://reefbuilders.com/2019/01/10/the-rainbow-splice-acropora-millepora-from-reef-raft-canada/

And as far as I know the owner doesn't Photoshopped his images as it's all shot from a decent underwater camera. All T5's & only one specific holding tank with Reef Brites LED's.

It's just he has some "magic touch" to coloring up sps. I've seen local reefers having problems coloring up their sps in their own systems and would therefore bring it back to the store to have it colored up again ...

Sea MunnKey · Apr 17, 2019

If the first 2 images are "common" Tenuis then what about these 2 sps specimens? Maybe a little different & worth consideration ...? Thanks

BestMomEver · Apr 17, 2019

Dugless said:
That bottom photo is clearly Photoshopped, as is the 2nd one most likely. I'd steer clear.

I’m not questioning your knowledge but I don’t understand how you know that. Can you tell me what you see that tells you they are photoshopped?

Sea MunnKey · Apr 17, 2019

I've seen the pictures from his underwater camera and gets transferred and posted (smartphone) at the same time. Mind you most camera settings are usually different and with the addition of Reef Brites saturation plus viewing images in different monitors even with color calibrated monitors would never give you a true representation of the actual colors ... IMO. Not taking sides or anything and yes when I see them in plain eyesight, it's always less saturated.

Sea MunnKey · Apr 17, 2019

One of the main reason why I don't visit the store as often is I always fall for these nice corals. It's incredibly tempting.

Nowadays I try not to buy too many stuffs as my old 90 gallon mixed system is running out of space. Window shopping is all I wanna do

maybe.

29bonsaireef · Apr 17, 2019

That Lokani is awesome, I'd grab that over any of the others

Dugless · Apr 17, 2019

BestMomEver said:
I’m not questioning your knowledge but I don’t understand how you know that. Can you tell me what you see that tells you they are photoshopped?

The images have a greenish tint to them indicating the color balance has been played with or an unrealistic camera filter was used. It also looks like the green and red channels were bumped up in the third one. Buyer beware. If a picture looks too good to be true, it most likely is. To claim a picture comes straight out of a camera and is color accurate is also very misleading. With the blue lighting we use over our tanks, every photo needs some kind of editing to represent accuracy.

The biggest 'tell' in the photos above is the over exposure of color. Look and notice how some yellows and greens become a completely solid almost fake looking color. This is an obvious sign that the slider in PS was pushed to the max.

BestMomEver · Apr 17, 2019

Dugless said:
The images have a greenish tint to them indicating the color balance has been played with or an unrealistic camera filter was used. It also looks like the green and red channels were bumped up in the third one. Buyer beware. If a picture looks too good to be true, it most likely is. To claim a picture comes straight out of a camera and is color accurate is also very misleading. With the blue lighting we use over our tanks, every photo needs some kind of editing to represent accuracy.

The biggest 'tell' in the photos above is the over exposure of color. Look and notice how some yellows and greens become a completely solid almost fake looking color. This is an obvious sign that the slider in PS was pushed to the max.

Thanks!

Dugless · Apr 17, 2019

I grabbed a quick photo from my library and added a sample of how over exposing/saturating a color can start to look solid. This was the result of 2 secs in PS. Notice how the rest of photo looks untouched and accurate. It is very easy to isolate colors and make a photo look much better than it really is. Easy money.