Vendor Misnaming

[A-10reefer]

Can we just take a second and discuss misnaming and accountability from sponsor vendors. Im in no way saying everyones perfect and accidents dont happen, especially with the millions of names of different strains of corals. Im also not talking about re-naming low dollar eagle eyes to be more marketable. Nor am I talking about the marketplace.

Im talking about paid sponsors for probably the largest reefing forum in the world. There should be some accountability. I do not expect to get knockoff nikes from footlocker, why should I settle for knockoffs from paid sponsors.

This does nothing for the reefing hobby but diminish the value and rarity of the real deal. Maybe im alone thinking this way, just had to rant

 

[Malum Argenteum]

Sincere question from someone who doesn't follow fancy coral names: are you talking about (simple, but maybe too frequent) mistakes in naming? Or are you talking about substituting some other coral for an already named big dollar one ("knockoffs")? Or are some situations just some seller who has a different idea of what counts as 'coral name X' than a lot of other people do, and your concern is that the rules about what counts as 'coral name X' aren't set in stone?

 

[A-10reefer]

Sincere question from someone who doesn't follow fancy coral names: are you talking about (simple, but maybe too frequent) mistakes in naming? Or are you talking about substituting some other coral for an already named big dollar one ("knockoffs")? Or are some situations just some seller who has a different idea of what counts as 'coral name X' than a lot of other people do, and your concern is that the rules about what counts as 'coral name X' aren't set in stone?

Not mistakes, everone makes mistakes. I mean taking coral "x" and nameing it coral "y" because it resembles "y" and "y" is a higher dollar sought after coral. That to me seems like your just pushing an inferior product to make a quick buck.

like when I was in Korea, I could buy throwback jerseys, any named purse, designer suit etc but just because they resemble the real thing doesnt make it real.

Every coral is slightly different, but when the concern is brought up to the vendor and they say thats what it was sold to them as, just doesn't sit right. Just because they bought a fiat as a ferrari, doesmt mean they get to sell it as a ferrari

 

[rtparty]

Unless it’s true lineage that can be traced back to the original, it’s all made up. There are very few true corals that have a lineage any longer. It’s on you the buyer to do your research. It’s not on R2R to police that. What a waste of resources.

 

[Aaron Stone]

Oh how I very much want to plop my soap box down... but I wont.

This is EXACTLY why the whole idea of high end named corals is a total joke to me. A coral in my system, under my lights, with my water chemistry is going to look different than it is in your system, and coral farmer X's system... Those corals could very well have been a "John Doe Nuclear Finger Fire Atom Mashed Potato Acro", they just look different after being in the LFS or farmers system for a while. Who are you, or they, to say otherwise?

I suggest you start a breeders registry

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

I agree this has no bearing on r2r, nor should they be policing it... first off, how could they?

However, it doesn't make it right to have a large colony that didn't directly come from the popular high priced coral it's trying to be.

Lineage is everything, I'm good buddies with Bill @Epic Aquaculture and even if a coral looks exactly like another named coral, unless he can trace the lineage, then he's not selling it under the same name.

Unfortunately it comes down to the person buying it, and speaks volumes to this idea that coral naming is silly. If you like a coral, buy it, don't get caught up in a name unless you're one of those rare collectors.

like when I was in Korea

osan or kunsan? Should've known, seeing the name.

Retired Air Force myself.

 

[A-10reefer]

Oh how I very much want to plop my soap box down... but I wont.

This is EXACTLY why the whole idea of high end named corals is a total joke to me. A coral in my system, under my lights, with my water chemistry is going to look different than it is in your system, and coral farmer X's system... Those corals could very well have been a "John Doe Nuclear Finger Fire Atom Mashed Potato Acro", they just look different after being in the LFS or farmers system for a while. Who are you, or they, to say otherwise?

I suggest you start a breeders registry

Im not saying corals dont look different in different systems. Im not talkimg about color variations in different systems. Im sayinflg its more akin to selling eagle eyes as gmks.

 

[A-10reefer]

osan or kunsan? Should've known, seeing the name.

Retired Air Force myself.

Osan

And I totally agree about lineage, and a lot of vendors are great. They give credit where it came from, ethical etc. Its just the whole paid sponsor thing that gets me. Hawking whatever to make a quick buck. Say someone is starting theyre tank, they think theyre going to a reputable place because they see huge banners, then receive a wish dot com version lol

 

[Aaron Stone]

Im not saying corals dont look different in different systems. Im not talkimg about color variations in different systems.

But that's the point. Without some sort of registry, you can't possibly say that the coral they are selling you isn't what they are claiming it is. They very well could be lying about it, and they very well could be telling the truth. You can't tell by coloration, you can tell to a certain extent by growth habit, but its going to take 3 years for that $200 booger to actually show relevant growth, if you manage to keep it alive that long (proverbial you, not you specifically).

If you like a coral, buy it, don't get caught up in a name unless you're one of those rare collectors.

Exactly, if you enjoy the look of the coral, buy it and love it. If your worried about having "THAT" coral for your social media feed, go buy from the source.

 

[A-10reefer]

But that's the point. Without some sort of registry, you can't possibly say that the coral they are selling you isn't

No matter how long you wait, these will never look a like. Extreme example, but it doesmt matter tank, lighting, water chemistry

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

No matter how long you wait, these will never look a like. Extreme example, but it doesmt matter tank, lighting, water chemistry

Have you reached out to the vendor? That seems like a case of sending the wrong coral.

edit, I missed that those were an extreme example.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Can we just take a second and discuss misnaming and accountability from sponsor vendors. Im in no way saying everyones perfect and accidents dont happen, especially with the millions of names of different strains of corals. Im also not talking about re-naming low dollar eagle eyes to be more marketable. Nor am I talking about the marketplace.

Im talking about paid sponsors for probably the largest reefing forum in the world. There should be some accountability. I do not expect to get knockoff nikes from footlocker, why should I settle for knockoffs from paid sponsors.

This does nothing for the reefing hobby but diminish the value and rarity of the real deal. Maybe im alone thinking this way, just had to rant

I think I know who you are referring to and its been very much ongoing but we are not here to bash known and unknown vendors. I have walked away in part to this in addition to sudden high jump in prices, Like myself, simply walk away

 

[Aaron Stone]

No matter how long you wait, these will never look a like. Extreme example, but it doesmt matter tank, lighting, water chemistry

Okay, if you bought based on the first picture and got shipped the second, you got a case there my friend!

 

[Aaron Stone]

Sorry, I have a completely irrational hatred of the named coral thing.

 

[A-10reefer]

Sorry, I have a completely irrational hatred of the named coral thing.

Haha i see that. I wasn't posting from personal experience buying something, I just see it.

 

[Aaron Stone]

So... You just posted an example that wasn't really an example. Setting that aside...

I would agree that it is not R2R's responsibility to verify the lineage of a given vendors corals. I would suggest that if something like the "not really an example" example happens, the individual that bought the coral document the complaint on the vendors thread and ask for a response. Issues like that build up and will, hopefully, provide that accountability you are looking for without R2R having to be the coral name police.

 

[A-10reefer]

I posted an example because you were talking about color variation under different lighting etc. My example was that x can never be y. And its not about R2R being name police, its about having trusted sponsors. If you list a bunch of fake merchandise on ebay, I garauntee they will take down the listings and flag your account.

 

[Malum Argenteum]

It’s not on R2R to police that.

I agree this has no bearing on r2r, nor should they be policing it.

it is not R2R's responsibility to verify the lineage of a given vendors corals

I'm not sure exactly what would constitute 'policing', but I took the OP to be suggesting that such a fine forum loses a little cred if it accepts sponsors of lower quality -- not that R2R ought to look at each coral and make sure it is properly named (because that, of course, would be insane).

Presumably there are some sponsors that a forum wouldn't accept, and this need not involve 'policing', exactly -- simply their attention to optics.

 

[Aaron Stone]

I am not saying that scrutiny is not warranted, but how exactly is that to be accomplished?

 

[Malum Argenteum]

I am not saying that scrutiny is not warranted, but how exactly is that to be accomplished?

If you're asking me: there's no 'exactly' about it.

If the implicit suggestion is 'maybe don't accept money from sketchy vendors', then attention can be paid to which vendors might be thought to sketchy, and some consideration could be given to whether that sponsor is worth taking money from in light of what that might do to the public perception of the site.

There's no algorithm -- it is just paying attention to the issue.

I don't claim to speak for the OP, but it looked like you were asking me.