I'm a new reefer and certified sps addict. I've only been keeping tanks for 16 months, but I caught the bug.
I've spent all night looking at frag prices trying to understand why people are willing to put up $200 for microscopic chalices but are unwilling to put up $30-$40 for "rare" acro frags - at least in the for sale section of this forum. Supply and demand might be to blame. Acro colonies explode once they get to a certain size and are easy to frag while chalices are a pain to frag and seem to grow more slowly. Another problem might be the relative prices of the frags themselves. For example, people are trying to sell 1/2 frags of ORA colonies for $15-$20 per piece. In my experience, $40-$50 ORA colonies could be broken down into 6 or more of these 1/2 inch frags so buying directly from ORA makes more sense. In contrast, chalice prices are exorbitant everywhere. Good luck finding a nice chalice frag bigger than 1/2".
I recently purchased frag packs from two members, one of which was one of the ORA frag packs. I paid about $20 per frag for 10 frags. I guess I'll find out soon whether or not it was worth it. If they are small, half inch, one branch frags, it probably won't be.
