When is too much, too much?

[pirate2876]

I'm just as interested in new, cool pieces as the next guy but, I feel like prices are continually increasing on anything of any interest. If a name is associated(not a direct frag even) the sellers(not all of them) aren't even trying to be reasonable with pricing.

Are we okay with the going rate for a nice piece to be $200-400 a frag? How much is too much? What is a decent price for a nice piece?

For me, its 200 bucks. But I really have to like it, and I need to be able to see it in person, or know the vendor is very reputable(BC,Reef Pets,ETC..).

 

[steve&mari]

It depends on type of corals also some you can't touch without spending couple hundred or more on ie scoly welso ect. That's something we'd pay accordingly. But some zoa frags are crazy as well as others as far as prices.

 

[pirate2876]

It depends on type of corals also some you can't touch without spending couple hundred or more on ie scoly welso ect. That's something we'd pay accordingly. But some zoa frags are crazy as well as others as far as prices.

I'm sorry I posted this in the SPS forum but, failed to mention this is regarding SPS frags. Not sure if I can edit the title.

 

[steve&mari]

Answer in poll was for sps I was just saying how others influence us as far as prices

 

[diablomaster9045]

I am willing to spend up to $250 for SPS, Everything else peaks out at about $100

 

[clownfitch]

It is too much if the seller can't find a buyer. Otherwise it sells for what it must actually be worth, right?

 

[Chameleon]

I can always find a frag of a neat piece for less than $60. Try your local reef swaps or drive a little ways to go to one out of state. The internet and local fish store aren't the only places you can get nice coral. Most of the collector pieces running $200+ have very similar morphs that look very similar but cost a lot less.

 

[PeterErc]

That's where this hobby took a wrong turn. Fancy names, photo shop and ridiculous prices

 

[TUSI]

That's where this hobby took a wrong turn. Fancy names, photo shop and ridiculous prices

+ 1

 

[pirate2876]

That's where this hobby took a wrong turn. Fancy names, photo shop and ridiculous prices

+1 as well.

 

[luke33]

Although I have spent over $200 on a coral before, it wasn't on a sps. SPS are my favorite coral but my issue with spending a couple hundo's on them is that they can be extremely finicky so they could easily rtn after placing it in your tank. You just never know what the water parameters were in the previous tank regardless of what you were told. I find zoa's and lps much more forgiving, unless its an evil elegance coral

 

[footballdude2k3]

I prefer to get 2 of whatever I am getting. I have a 125 and a 120 that are setup as different systems. That way if something dies in one, it generally lives in the other. When this might get difficult, is in a house, having an 8-10 foot tank with a full system, and still trying to maintain a separate system, is difficult to justify. For now though, it's not too bad.

 

[acolotto]

I am willing to spend up to $250 for SPS, Everything else peaks out at about $100

Agreed! I will spend about any $ amount on a stick if I like it

 

[cesar]

Unfortunately I have spent quite a bit on a half inch frag that didn't last very long. I never had luck with SPS.

 

[4FordFamily]

IMO anything bigger than 8-10 feet takes away from the beauty of the fish and coral. It's too much to take in, the reef fish that are most showy only get so large, and individual corals have to be enormous to even be noticed by many.

In this hobby, like most everything else, less is often more.

 

[Chameleon]

IMO anything bigger than 8-10 feet takes away from the beauty of the fish and coral. It's too much to take in, the reef fish that are most showy only get so large, and individual corals have to be enormous to even be noticed by many.

In this hobby, like most everything else, less is often more.

I like big tanks filled with enormous corals...so natural looking. I find beauty in the growth forms of coral just as much as the intricate colors.

 

[scardall]

I have payed $175 for a 10" across Elegant Coral, but to Pay $50 or more for a SPS frag that's 1" or smaller. It Would have to be Impressive and at least 1" for me to go $60 . After $125 for a SPS frag, you can just stick it. I know a local LFS asking $179 for a milli and when they have a sale it's $159, now hold on. The Exact same coral somewhere else was $70 online. Hmmm. what's funny about this is alot of people don't know that they over charge for most of their SPS frags. Research is key. Love my sticks. Here's one that I paid $75 for:

 

[scardall]

Although I have spent over $200 on a coral before, it wasn't on a sps. SPS are my favorite coral but my issue with spending a couple hundo's on them is that they can be extremely finicky so they could easily rtn after placing it in your tank. You just never know what the water parameters were in the previous tank regardless of what you were told. I find zoa's and lps much more forgiving, unless its an evil elegance coral

Ditto on that. I bought an Aussie Elgant Coral for $175 and when I got it home it Expanded to 10" across. (It is now my Avatar) Super cool until it died a month afterwards, to a disease that ONLY attacks this coral. !@@##$$%%

 

[Shep]

To me it all depends on how cool and more importantly how large of a frag it is. I have paid $200 for an acan that had 20+ heads but I think for a single frag $60 would be the most and it would have to be really awesome.

 

[4FordFamily]

IMO anything bigger than 8-10 feet takes away from the beauty of the fish and coral. It's too much to take in, the reef fish that are most showy only get so large, and individual corals have to be enormous to even be noticed by many.

In this hobby, like most everything else, less is often more.

I've never been impressed by the livestock (fish coral and inverts) and aquqscaping/coverage of any tank over ten foot long. I see plenty of 75 gallon to 500 gallon that are stunning and have great coverage/beauty.