What the..... ORA Red Planet prices

[BirdFish5000]

I know everything is more expensive nowadays, but what the heck is up with the Ora Red Planet getting so expensive now? Everywhere I look is easily over $50.
When I had my first frag that grew into a colony four or five years ago, people practically couldn't give away frags. But now these seemingly once super common acro has become pricier and not as super easy (still easy, just not EVERYWHERE) to find.

Am I missing something? Am I just looking in the completely wrong places?

 

[Troylee]

Classic piece! With todays prices I think $50 is really fair lol..

 

[threebuoys]

Classic piece! With todays prices I think $50 is really fair lol..

Not sure it's "fair", but, as the saying goes, "it is what it is", and, as long as there's a wiling buyer, it'll be what it is.

 

[Reefer Matt Verified Media Partner]

I guess it depends on the size of the frag. But they are calling 2” sticks “mini colonies” nowadays.

 

[threebuoys]

I guess it depends on the size of the frag. But they are calling 2” sticks “mini colonies” nowadays.

More than one zoa polyp on a frag is now a colony.

 

[Troylee]

Not sure it's "fair", but, as the saying goes, "it is what it is", and, as long as there's a wiling buyer, it'll be what it is.

It’s a classic piece that is aquacultured and been in captivity for over a decade so it’s a proven to do well! People are paying $250 at a hack shop for a wild coral cause they put some tacky name on it haha! To each their own!

 

[djf91]

Yea I feel like $50 today is the $30 of just a few years ago.

Mine grows like a weed. Won’t stop encrusting. Kind of a nuisance.

 

[stephj03]

Part of the cycle. Red planet is reaching timeless status.

Price gets driven down on those after all the garage reefers start growing them just to sell.

After they saturate the market and there's no money to be made on a strain, fewer carry it.

Things then net out based on how nice of a coral a strain is without tricked out photos.


Think Oregon Tort.

 

[CBonito]

I guess it depends on the size of the frag. But they are calling 2” sticks “mini colonies” nowadays.

Not with me they aren't.

 

[Troylee]

I guess it depends on the size of the frag. But they are calling 2” sticks “mini colonies” nowadays.

#sadbuttrue

 

[CBonito]

 

[CBonito]

It was a freebie. I didn't pay for that. But talk about feelings of inadequacy...

 

[ronnie]

I need another red planet. Lost my dinner plate colony in 2014 to AEFW. Would love to have it and several other timeless classics.

 

[twentyleagues]

This was one of my best growing acros in mid '00s. I got it because it was so pretty red and green go so well together. I used to sell nice size frags of it ( by todays standards they'd probably be called colonies) for $10. I cant find it anywhere now I mean on line but $40-50 a small frag and $30 shipping thats nuts. I think I paid $50 for my original frag.

 

[KrisReef]

Nice established colony, maybe 45 polyps?

 

[KStatefan]

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That is where mine came from

 

[CBonito]

Nice established colony, maybe 45 polyps?

I'm surprised something this small can even survive on its own without being in some kind incubator or something.
I've had it on the bottom for the past couple weeks or so to let it settle in, but once I setup my new lighting tomorrow, I will place it....with an orange flag next to it so I know where it is.

 

[ReefingDreams]

I guess it depends on the size of the frag. But they are calling 2” sticks “mini colonies” nowadays.

Scientifically, I believe a colony is just more than one polyp. In that case, I have some massive colonies with 5 or 6 polyps that look like boogers . Usually only see smooth skins of a higher price range and slower growth rates with single polyps (think Purple Monster and similar).

 

[SamMule]

Wow, that's huge! Check out my WD frag.

Jokes, of course.... lost mine and decided to chop it up. Piece of encrustment was all that survived. I didn't even realize it was there until a couple months after the colony died. Just noticed a little green speck on my rockwork.


Love red planet. @djf91 yours really likes to grow up. I cant get mine to do anything but encrust!

 

[areefer01]

Not sure it's "fair", but, as the saying goes, "it is what it is", and, as long as there's a wiling buyer, it'll be what it is.

What is fair then?