What's up with "LE" these days?!?!?!

SpsFanBC · Dec 14, 2011

What's up with "LE" these days?!?!?! Anybody?

I am getting back into the hobby after 5+ years and immediately researched the most beautiful sps. Naturally I looked into Tyree limited edition corals because i was nostalgic about my tyree collection and when I saw the website I was shocked! Seems like every wild colony that is imported by a certain vendor (I won't use names but it is very obvious) become a "Limited Edition???" Almost every new tyree LE acro looks identical to ones that I see all the time on wholesale lists and even diver's den. Has something changed that I don't know about? And if tyree means something different nowadays, does anyone know where I can go to buy unique high quality long term captive-cultures sps?

SpsFanBC · Dec 14, 2011

I'm going to have to find my own wild colonies an send them to tyree

clowns101 · Dec 14, 2011

Tyrees name still name still means alot. Not every coral imported becomes a LE. There are alot of corals on his site that are pretty hard to find.

I know I don't see these in Divers Den often.
http://reeffarmers.com/limitededition_joesrainbowacropora_colony.jpg

Or
http://reeffarmers.com/limitededition_hellfireacropora_seed.jpg

So the statement that his corals are common, isn't totally true. There was a point in time when some of his corals went down hill, every ones did. I believe he is now making up for it by LE'ing everything that is extremely nice or unique. His corals are still very nice. The value is there aswell. I just miss the days when we had to be put on a waiting list and generations were involved. Now it's totally different....

thewackyreefer · Dec 14, 2011

Personally, I don't think the name means as much as it used to and is used to jack up prices more than anything. It really does seem like anything that catches someones eye gets a "LE" tag these days that's why I just forget about the name and buy what looks good to me, not what someone else determined was a "limited edition".

My favorite is when someone labels their piece as a "FUTURE LE".

clowns101 · Dec 14, 2011

I still think the name has alot of value. If it didn't, why would he continue to LE corals? He is the one who LE's everything. No one else has the say of yay or nay on the corals. You send Tyree a coral, he looks at it, grows out a small frag, sells it, if it sells fast, it's LE, if it's slow seller, then it has slighted chance of being a LE.

And it's also kinda hard in today's market, there's not really a huge craze right now, everything is in demand, so it's kinda hard to work with that. Tyree really is a honest man. Without him, there wouldn't be today's coral market.

butts182 · Dec 14, 2011

His name does not drwa the price it used to. The corals are not as nice either.

KLR · Dec 14, 2011

I personally associate LE more with reeffarmers label such as:

WWC-WorldWideCorals
PC-ProCoral
WT-Wetthumb
SC-SexyCorals
AWPSC-AquaWorldPetSuperCenter
RO-ReefOdyssey
BC-BattleCorals
Etc.

When I see LE I naturally think "One of Steve's collection".

A lot of the recent LE's have been in captivity for less than a year, where a lot of the older "classic" ones were in captivity for a year or more before they gained LE status.

I don't understand why people get upset when a new LE has been in captivity for 5 months and then it becomes an LE and they don't get mad over a coral that has been in a hobbyist's tank for 1 month and is being fragged and sold for a high price and they will buy them.

JackoChang · Dec 14, 2011

The name means a lot because there are people who still pay for it. As for value....if you feel that the amount you spent is a fair amount, then enjoy your corals.

Reefer831 · Dec 14, 2011

luvmyacans said:
Personally, I don't think the name means as much as it used to and is used to jack up prices more than anything. It really does seem like anything that catches someones eye gets a "LE" tag these days that's why I just forget about the name and buy what looks good to me, not what someone else determined was a "limited edition".

My favorite is when someone labels their piece as a "FUTURE LE".

You couldn't of said it better...LOL FUTURE L.E....I think the only L.E coral's that are worthy of a name are the old school ones that mainly old school reefers know about and have (it makes it fun to try to find the few pieces of your favorite coral the still exist )...those are the only ones I will pay money for. Most of these so called L.E. corals have not even been in the suppliers tank for more then a few weeks before they slap a stupid name and a pretty price tag on it, and then they want to sell you a fresh cut piece that has not even colored up yet for top dollar. The thing is they are selling them so fast it gives the supplier no reason not to do this, they are a business and the object is to make money right?....so the ones to blame are us the consumer!!!! don't take what I am saying wrong, I have no problem spending money on high end coral I just like to see the collectibility hold because the coral I just spent crazy money on is one of a kind and I probably will never see another like it....not just a piece that is going to be for sale by every vendor within a few weeks....

secretreefer · Dec 14, 2011

Meh, for me if it's nice and I really want it i'll just buy it. No fuss no fightin'.

Acrokeeper3729 · Dec 14, 2011

+1000^^^^^
Theres nothing like the classic old LE's
Lime in the sky
Ultimate blue stag
Purple Monster
Pink Lemonade
Shades of fall
Those were the days..............

secretreefer · Dec 14, 2011

Lol, that's why I got thems in my tank.........

mainereefer · Dec 14, 2011

names used to be a way to identify corals, now they are to impress the costumer.
LE just means they are fraging a frag or small colony. future LE means they are selling allot of small frags from something they consider rare.
with the advances in lighting and water chemistry corals grow fast now days, so waiting lists are a thing of the past
not to mention there are hundreds of people importing now instead of the select few there used to be. so more corals are collected = more of the same coral = more than one person has it

there are almost no one of a kind corals just the ones we cross in our tanks, that couldnt cross in the wild.

KLR · Dec 14, 2011

Good point mainereefer, I never took the advancement of technology in the hobby into consideration as a partial reason for certain corals not being as collectable.

shred5 · Dec 14, 2011

luvmyacans said:
Personally, I don't think the name means as much as it used to and is used to jack up prices more than anything. It really does seem like anything that catches someones eye gets a "LE" tag these days that's why I just forget about the name and buy what looks good to me, not what someone else determined was a "limited edition".

My favorite is when someone labels their piece as a "FUTURE LE".

I agree. Also most the named corals or Le are not even from the origional colony anymore, if it looks the same they (being a person or vendor) give it the same name. The whole naming and LE thing has gotten stupid and the prices have gotten stupid on some of the stuff too.. I have always bought what I like and if it had a name so be it.

I would never pay some of these crazy prices. I have been in this hobby too long to see these 1000 dollar corals and a couple of years later no one cares about them because they have moved onto something else. Also if they are worth that much everyone will be selling frags and the prices falls fast so you are better off waiting.

jerl77 · Dec 14, 2011

i think its just a way to charge more its a joke in my book

brahm · Dec 14, 2011

Agree'd I bought a ton of named frags from some fellow reefers when I first reset up my tank. I don't remember what's what anymore (with the exception of a few). Super Magic Blue TNC whatever LE thingy.. is now just blue hoeksemai, and I'm ok with that. It's an amazing coral. What somebody else calls it doesn't matter to me. I'm sure I can dig up the old pms and emails but can't be bothered..

Reefing8EZ · Dec 14, 2011

nicks387 said:
+1000^^^^^
Theres nothing like the classic old LE's
Lime in the sky
Ultimate blue stag
Purple Monster
Pink Lemonade
Shades of fall
Those were the days..............

And thats exactly why I think Tyrees LE corals are important. He has limited the amount of times he frags to preserve the coral that he thinks is special. So now these classics are around and we have him to thank, so quit hating already. How many times have we seen a beatiful new coral be overfragged and lost forever? Just buy what you like. These new LE corals will someday be classics for us newbs as well as the experienced reefers. JMO..
Why focus on this stuff instead of acquiring corals you like personally and just have fun with the hobby. And just let others be what they are..

H2O · Dec 14, 2011

Its a big mix up imo.. let it fly...some corals were LE like 10 years ago now everyone got a frag of it .. but the coral still it keeps the LE name ... the coral nameing game could use a serious update

SpsFanBC · Dec 14, 2011

Thanks for your input everyone! It seems like my husband and I will have to just buy the classics for now and keep an eye out for beautiful peices rather than trust the vendors "LE" status. It is a shame that it seems tyree has partnered up with one specific vendor, DRYTOE INC or whatever, to advertise corals that look pretty average to make buck. Can you blame em? No. Just a shame for us old timers that knew what it meant to have a collectors piece.

I'm not sayin that there aren't nice new pieces coming out. Only that the "LE" or "collector" status is useless.