What happened to the hobby?

[Reefermadness89]

I blame it on impatience. New people coming into the hobby are from the "instant gratification" generation. They're ignorant about what corals should cost, but they want it RIGHT NOW so they pay the outrageous prices.

Not all of us are like that. I’m new and held out for 5$ hammer and most of what I want is 5$ from locals regardless. A lot of it is the newer but acclimated hobbiest that have the tank and means to care for these harder more expensive corals I’d imagine. No one will sell a coral for 800 unless there’s someone to buy it, and a lot of noobs aren’t going to be paying 800 to kill a frag

 

[Dkeller_nc]

I have been out of the hobby since 2015, and now I'm ready to come back again.

But searching in the livestock classified I found mushrooms, torches, hammer and other corals selling from $100-800, that's way to much for those kind of corals, when I left the hobby you get those from free to $35 for something really rare.

What happened in those years that chea corals are so expensive now?

There's two aspects to it. One is that Indonesia and Fiji banned the export of live corals about 2-1/2 years ago, and shipments of corals and live rock from these locations were easily 90% of the worldwide market. With that much of a reduction in supply, prices were bound to rise.

However, the other aspect of this is that you're looking in the wrong place. There are lots and lots of "ordinary" corals that are no where near as expensive as corals with comic-book names sold by the "live sale" guys. Here's a few examples on Diver's Den's site. These LPS are from Australia, so they are indeed more expensive than the Indo examples were from a few years ago. But most of the euphyllia are in the $100 - $130 range. If you'd like wild-harvested acropora actual colonies, then Diver's Den has quite the selection of these from Tonga and Australia, typically for $80 - $200 depending on size and color.

If you'd prefer aquacultured, then you'll notice that on Pacific East Aquaculture's site, all of their acropora frags are $20 right at the moment.

One thing you'll notice if you do a some research is that the "live sales" sites have little inventory posted on their actual website, and most of the list prices are very high. If you then read through that same company's live-sale threads on R2R, you'll realize that a great deal of their inventory gets sold for considerably less, albeit in a frenzied, you-have-to-click-fast manner.

The bottom line is that if you'd like nice corals at reasonable prices, you're looking in the wrong place. On-line frag sellers that have lots of comic-book name corals are intended for people that are "coral collectors" that take pride in having the latest "named" coral. It's their hobby and their money, of course, but a lot of us are more interested in creating a reef environment than collecting corals as one might for action figures, tennis shoes, etc...

 

[TheHarold]

I have been out of the hobby since 2015, and now I'm ready to come back again.

But searching in the livestock classified I found mushrooms, torches, hammer and other corals selling from $100-800, that's way to much for those kind of corals, when I left the hobby you get those from free to $35 for something really rare.

What happened in those years that chea corals are so expensive now?

Too many people quickly entered the hobby. It created an environment full of money and demand for corals, so stores started raising prices. People were willing to pay these prices, which is why the prices continue to stay so high.

I suggest shopping locally. There are incredible deals to be had. I just picked up 15 snowflake clownfish at $10 each.

I regularly will just give away LPS to locals- candy cane, torches, hammer corals, etc.

There are many vendors who have reasonable prices, with LPS and SPS under $30. There are also huge ripoff vendors that throw a name on anything and charge over $150. Easy to differentiate.

You just have to learn which is which.

 

[kapnkush608]

Really? The fish I’m interested in have gone through the roof in price over the last 2 years. On all but the most common fish I feel prices have increased significantly across the board. It would be really helpful to have some historical databases of prices and species.

Use the way back machine on the web archive

 

[Bob Weigant]

I usually sell frags for at least 50% of what I paid for the coral. So if I buy a frag for $100 you’ll get a piece for $50

 

[dieselkeeper]

Reefing is becoming a rich man's hobby.

 

[NanoDJS]

Its just the fad swing, went from acros , to clams, to chalices, to zoa/pallys , now its torches .... as soon as people figure out what the "best" colored variant is of something , they all flock to it ,all the other variants get forgot about, people stop growing them , until omg there are none avail 10 years later then it becomes the new hot thing again because of "rarity"

 

[Qasimja]

I have been out of the hobby since 2015, and now I'm ready to come back again.

But searching in the livestock classified I found mushrooms, torches, hammer and other corals selling from $100-800, that's way to much for those kind of corals, when I left the hobby you get those from free to $35 for something really rare.

What happened in those years that chea corals are so expensive now?

i was out of the hobby since around summer 2014 i just recently started up a new tank the first thing i noticed was how i couldn't find live rock online anymore then i noticed how high the price of corals have gotten

 

[Dkeller_nc]

i was out of the hobby since around summer 2014 i just recently started up a new tank the first thing i noticed was how i couldn't find live rock online anymore then i noticed how high the price of corals have gotten

Sure you can. Just not wild pacific rock. KP Aquatics and Tampa Bay Saltwater sell gulf aquacultured rock. Walt Smith has also been selling aquacultured pacific man-made rock, though I'm not sure whether you can get it online.

 

[Qasimja]

Sure you can. Just not wild pacific rock.

thats the type of rock i was talking about.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

You know, if I had to buy a car for $50, and then buy another car for $175,000. I'd really take care of the $175,000 car like it's the last one on the planet. Especially if it's true , about the latter one. If it's expensive it's gotta be rare or well made. Especially if it comes from over seas. Exotic import. Hahaha

 

[Qasimja]

Sure you can. Just not wild pacific rock. KP Aquatics and Tampa Bay Saltwater sell gulf aquacultured rock. Walt Smith has also been selling aquacultured pacific man-made rock, though I'm not sure whether you can get it online.

i used to get my live rock from marcos and they stopped selling it all together

 

[Dkeller_nc]

i used to get my live rock from marcos and they stopped selling it all together

If you'd like the real-deal Walt Smith pacific cultured rock, here's where to get it online. I've purchased about 50 lbs. from my LFS, and it's nice stuff.

 

[Joedubyk]

I blame it on impatience. New people coming into the hobby are from the "instant gratification" generation. They're ignorant about what corals should cost, but they want it RIGHT NOW so they pay the outrageous prices.

Uh no

 

[Rcpilot]

Uh no

LOL!!
That's all you got?

I never said ALLLLLL of the newer folks. It was a generalization and you know it. But your rebuttal is hilarious.

I stand by my opinions and statements.

 

[HawaiianReef]

Didn't know about the indo ban, but that shouldn't have affect farm grow corals that are already avaliable everywhere.

I think greedy and dump people are responsible for this, paying $800 for a golden torch, you've got to be kidding.

It seems I'll go with local hobbiest, and want I can find in the price ranges I consider fair.

You would think so, mainly because it's so obvious.
But when the imported corals went from $20 per head to $200 almost overnight, people who had them already jump on board with the inflated prices. Even individual hobbyist were selling them this high.
I guess it could also be considered that it was being sold at a replacement cost and not just as a greedy sale of a profits from demand. I guess it's just the way you look at it.
Personally, I'm just as happy keeping my "almost free" livestock from systems I buy with the livestock included. It makes for more stress on the day of the sale, having to support so much animals in just a few hours, but it does get me familiar with a diverse selection I would otherwise pass on. And it's how I can afford this Crazy inflated hobby.

David

 

[Tamberav]

I am guilty of buying a gold torch for 350 but I also put it near some generic Duncan's that I also like which were 15 bucks. I just buy what I like if I can afford it at the time. As my tank fills up....I have been buying more expensive stuff for the last few spots on my rock because they are often a nice color that I don't have.

I will be done buying coral entirely soon and am actually thankful for that because prices are so high.

 

[Brew12]

For acros I think the big driver in coral prices has been the high level of actinic lighting from LED's. If you see a Walt Disney, Homewrecker, or some of the other crazy priced frags under regular white lighting I doubt you would be impressed. I know I wasn't.
Since these types of acro's didn't look great under metal halides or most T5 setups they never became popular so stayed rare.
So you had rare corals that looked great under the latest lighting trend and prices skyrocketed. This pulled up the prices of other nicer acro's until they almost all became expensive.

Well, at least that is my take on what happened.

 

[MnFish1]

Nothing has happened to 'the hobby' that hasn't happened to every aspect of our lives. In some sense - the internet allows prices to come down - another's - they go up. Nothing forces anyone to pay anything thought - right?

I approach the prices a bit differently - I call the place and say - I'm interested in these corals - I will take all of them for xxxxx dollars. I have often gotten a positive response. It all comes down to money in the vendors pocket at the end of the day - if you think the prices are too high - tell the vendor and make an offer - the worst thing that can happen is that you'll be turned down

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

The more something cost, and we pay for it. The more we're incline to take care of it.