I try to buy coral in person so I can judge the lighting it is under and see if it is healthy. I do same thing with fish and still I have brought home fishes that had open wounds that I missed when I got in a hurry and didn’t see both sides.
I recently asked for a frag of a Wilsoni that I had been eyeing for months and when I got to the counter I noticed that the salesperson had switched frags and didn’t tell me. I asked him what was up and he said that the one I wanted was retracted on one side and since it was all from the same colony he gave me the healthy one. He moved the one I asked for into the space where the other (uglier) frag had been.
I got home and put the swapped frag in my tank it’s still ugly and I don’t think it’s from the same colony. I saw the frag I asked for a few times since then and even today it’s glowing nicely in their tank, hasn’t changed or retracted and the one I brought home is still ugly.
I have not mentioned it to anyone else, just yet and I contemplated buy or acquiring the one that is still there by reaching in and getting what I asked for but I don’t think I am ready to settle the score yet, which is a difficult thing for me to avoid. I am cut from a very difficult line of people and I don’t want to do anything in anger or evil but that’s what I instinctively want to do, and I am really good at it, which is really a bigger problem than getting screwed over by the fish store guy.
All that to say, it’s a beautiful thing if you find a coral or fish that you value and are willing to pay for shipping and take the risk of ordering a thing from an online retailer. Whenever I decide to take those risks I have to be careful to consider that the order might get ruined in a few possible ways.
Then I order and decide that I am going to be happy no matter how the thing turns out. When the OP posted a beautiful coral that they feel is a great deal I agree with that person and am happy for them sharing their joy. I pray that the item exceeds their expectations when it arrives and then thrives in their tank. I hope that they experience the best possible outcome from the purchase.
Early last year I bought another unusual coral online from a vendor that I can pick up from in town in person. The salesperson could not find the coral I had ordered and he brought a different “WYSIWYG” coral bagged up but again it wasn’t the same color, but he told me that he thought it was the best one that they had. I asked him to get another one that was visible on their website and I took that one home, even though it wasn’t really the one (or color morph) that I wanted.
Last month they had a sale on their website and I ordered 2 more of these corals, in a slightly different color morph and when I went to collect it they gave me an extra one, in the bag?
I didn’t even know until I got home. I must be stupid, but I’m over getting angry when people let me down. I’m happier cutting them some slack but I find that isn’t always easy when I feel that someone has let me down.
Sorry if this post isn’t helpful or useful for a conversation. I felt compelled and I didn’t think I was going to harm anyone by saying a few things that were on my mind.
aquasd.com
