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

[SpsFanBC]

I have heard a lot of excellent feedback and feel like there are a lot of people who are finally standing up for the hobby. I never meant to come across to anyone like I was "bashing" a sponsor I was only using a vendor as an example for my theory. I am sure they are amazing people especially and never said anything contradictory. All I meant to say was that they may appeal more to a crowd that is impressed more by coral names rather than proven high quality. I agree with everybody here that "limited edition" is being overused and has no meaning anymore. Vendors that seem to come out with a new limited edition coral every 2 days just aren't for me and I think it is very obvious who those vendors are. Tyree has done a lot for the hobby as far as aquacultured corals but I think nowadays he is so drowned out by competitors that he has resorted to partnering up with these vendors and stamping his name on some newly imported chop-shop colony for a profit. Again, I don't blame because its business and they have to make a living. It is just a shame what has happened to a part of the hobby because of them.

I will continue to look for corals that are beautiful and have been aquacultured very professionally and stay away from chop-shop vendors. I will also look for vendors that maintain a high standard for their "releases."

 

[thewackyreefer]

^^ Very well stated.

 

[brahm]

eh I still don't get the hub-bub I've been in this conversation so many times over the years. If I like a coral, I figure out what's it's worth to me and I pay that amount. I don't care what it's called, and I won't not buy something if it's LE either. I think my "pink lemonade" is stunning, but so is this random purple base baby blue polyp "tort" like coral that I picked up for 10$. I also have super $$ "LE" corals that look just awful in my tank, while I have a pile of 10$ frags from MR.Coral that are looking great.. It's a shot in the dark, the one thing that is nice about captive stuff is the majority of time it's going to turn out nice, it may not look as nice as the original growers but nobody is going to waste there time propagating brown corals and sometimes that alone is worth the price. Specifically when it comes to colours that can easily photograph incorrectly... ie if Red Dragon, turned out to Brown Dragon I'd be unhappy but it's red if I just saw pics I would call bs until I saw one in person. So with that said who cares what the name is, who else has it. If it's colorful piece, and has good survivability why not give it ago.. Just check w/your fellow reefers first because there is nothing worse then paying 100$ for a LE Sunset Monti when there are 50 for sale in forums for 10$ a pop.

 

[colorfan45]

If you like it and its LE wait a year or two. I still dont understand the J Fox, Tyree angle. Anyone who has ever had a reef tank is aquaculturing. Some better than others of course.

 

[dimitrge]

I agree with LE being used to frequently as well. I feel its a marketing tactic. From what ive seen being in the hobby for 2yrs now is that people want the rarest stuff from SPS to LPS. As long as people pay for it, then it will continue. The funny thing is that those "rare" pieces that were being sold for so much a yr ago like the orange hammer and My miami chalice have dropped in value significanlty and are more common. As people grow them out, they flood the market to recoup there costs and devalues it because of supply. Its supply and demand. I also think that collectors of corals are going back to the spots where they got them and collecting again. Its a circle pattern. Fish here today and come back in a yr. There are cases that you will have those rare pieces and as they grow in our systems eventually they wont be.

 

[sw4lyf]

It's interesting to read how many people comment about how they have heard the same story over and over and it's starting to get annoying and old. Wouldn't you think that after all this talk it would make a difference or it might change something. But of course it doesn't. It's disappointing that it's past beyond just making a profit, it's how much more you can make. If it was just to make money, prices would be so much lower and we all know that. For example we have watched an auction online go for a chalice with 10 eyes for 350.00 and then two days later it's either on the website or on the forum NEW RELEASE $600.00 an eye. I get that's its a marketing strategy but there is point where it's ridiculous. It would be one thing if it was behind closed doors and nobody knows how much your really pay but when this is starting to become a public thing where the public eye can witness it themselves you better expect a lot of talk to continue until vendors change. And then when vendor say they take the time to really find these beautiful items when only maybe half of it is true the other half is who had the most money to make the most bid. Its not just about making money to these vendor it's how much more can we get people to pay and especially if we can get that stamp on it then it's even more. Then I know you all have made comments about if you don't like the price then don't buy and pretty much stop complaining, did it ever cross your mind that their are so many people that are sitting there drooling at the look at some of these coral and they really want to get it but as soon as they see the price there dreams are shattered because instead of it being 100-200 and eye it's 700-1000 an eye or 200 for a little nub. I get what you guys are saying, i'm teaching and there's a saying that we always tell our kids we get what we get and we don't throw a fit but in a hobby this really shouldn't be the case and politic really shouldn't be involved of who is the better vendor. I'm not going to be the one to specifically throw out any names but i'm just making a point. After I saw this bid happen it really has changed my mind about this whole marketing strategy. Just saying

 

[brahm]

eh there is always going to be the extreme case. We can't all afford the 700$ an eye coral, but I can't afford a lambo either. So I drive a jeep and I buy the corals that I like and can afford. There really is no point in complaining that it's not fair that somebody is trying to make a buck. If it works good for them, if not they are stuck with a coral nobody wants and wasted a bunch of money.. Don't forget to that for vendors they also have to cover there costs. It's one thing for us to buy a coral frag it and sell and if it doesn't no big deal we still have our regular jobs, we still eat we still pay rent. Somebodies who's sole income is from selling corals doesn't have the luxury not every piece is going to be a home run, heck they can get a pest or crash a tank and loss there entire stock.