Why Does the Name Matter?

[Shep]

Its pretty common to see an I.D thread on here with a person asking what the name of their new coral is, I mean the fancy name people give corals like "purple people eater" or "red dragon". I will never understand why people care so much about names or lineages of their corals. Knowing the name does nothing for you, won't make you enjoy a coral any extra or make it do better in your tank. Is it just for bragging rights or something? Why can't people just get a coral and enjoy it for the way it looks and not worry about if it has a lineage to Neptune all powerful king of the ocean or not. This could just be me ranting and if so sorry lol :tongue:

 

[Longnose Hawkfish]

Because if they go to sell it it's easier for the buyer to know what they are getting.

 

[MrDJeep123]

Because if they go to sell it it's easier for the buyer to know what they are getting.

To be fair, it's a silly point. I don't buy based on the name ubber goober stomp acan or what have you. Shep, I think it's mostly "a look what I got" kind of thing. Which is ridiculous imo because name determines price. I have some acans from Sexy Corals, I dont even know their "name". Green or blue with red center is good enough name for me. :tea:

 

[afamousjohnson]

There is the aspect of bragging rights or for a high dollar sale - but when I am looking it is to find where my coral came from, conditions it was/has successfully grown, and of course pics of the momma it came from. All these are great benefits of knowing a lil something about your coral. A name gives it a searchable aspect to gain info on specific said coral.
I have a lot of unknowns in my tank and they tend to take on my logo (AFJ) with a fitting name so when the new person gets it they can search and find out specifics on that specific coral, conditions it came from and pics. It does no good for them to search what it resembles or almost looks like or could be.lol Granted if you have a red dragon - it is a known named piece so it stays red dragon.lol JMO

 

[GHill762]

To be fair, it's a silly point. I don't buy based on the name ubber goober stomp acan or what have you. Shep, I think it's mostly "a look what I got" kind of thing. Which is ridiculous imo because name determines price. I have some acans from Sexy Corals, I dont even know their "name". Green or blue with red center is good enough name for me. :tea:

I'd agree most of the time with this, but it does make it easier for some of the more well known corals. if you're talking with a local fellow reefer and say "hey I've got eagle eyes and some orange bam bams," they're likely going to know what you're referring to, or easily find out what they look like with a google search.

that said, there's a difference between knowing names of well-known/popular corals for easy reference and giving the name of some "radioactive dragon puke zoa" or "fairy fart sprinkled acans" to get top dollar.

 

[MrDJeep123]

"fairy fart sprinkled acans"

:snicker:

 

[LILBUDDHA]

Let's face it . Even a gold torch commands a higher price even though its not called a Goldfinger Torch .I may be incorrect but Tyree started this whole named le collection craze and it moved from SPS corals to other LPS n then etc ,etc . This resulted in different classification grades of Clam's , Utra Acan's, blah blah excluding z's n p's where the named the coral craze took off .This trend has been going on for years now and the higher prices don't seem to be slowing down due to supply and demand . Of course once the market is saturated ,as with anything else , the price falls . It's a hobby and most hobby's I know of, have collector's pieces vintage (old school ) to new releases . Some will say just buy it if you like it regardless of a name .Just don't be shocked when you find out it cost's $$$$ and of course there is a name attached to that coral .
I don't mind it and I think it just makes it easier to identify and remember the coral since the name is usually closely associated with the way the coral looks. One a side note I have never figured out how a chalice got named Patron ...u got me on that one . :whistle:

 

[LILBUDDHA]

Not trying to be rude .
The more I think about it the more it sorta grinds on me on the complaints of named corals . Most people don't have a problem with buying a fish, dog, cat, bird that is a named specimen . I would say they don't even think about it and place the name of said pet before anything else . I think if you looked at it from this point of view it's of easier acceptance . The reefkeeping hobby hasn't really been all that old in age compared to other hobbies . It just seems natural to me that this naming has gone in this direction with the growth in this hobby itself .

 

[tonymission]

What's the difference between a Kia and an Audi? They will both get you to work. Personally, I'm an Audi guy and it's not because of the name.

You're welcome to put your money behind your opinion and only buy unnamed corals for maximum value. Everyone is entitled to that choice.

Names are for lineage and knowing what to possibly expect from a tiny frag that one day hopefully grows into a large colony.

 

[KoleTang]

ID threads are silly in my opinion (unless we are talking about a scientific ID). There is hardly any chance that the random LFS coral you have is some well known coral.

On the other hand, I do like the idea of named corals. Imagine if ORA Red Planet didn't have a name. There would be no discussions or information about the coral because no one could be sure that it came from the same colony. No one would know that the red and green acropora is actually the same as that red acropora. But because it has a name we know that the green shows up under certain lighting and flow conditions. This is why look alikes are undesirable. Becuase they arent going to have the same tendancies and traits as the true coral. Vendors and hobbyists are always going to try to slap names on their corals because they are either proud of the coral or are trying to make money. Although it can jack up the price, its not necessarily a bad thing. I saw that The Coral Kings released a bright yellow acropora last year called Pikachu. I made a note that a I want that coral and I can ID it in the future from a seller because of name and lineage.

Some people just aren't going to get it, because not everyone is a collecting type. But the practice in itself has merit and is deeply rooted in the hobby.

What's the difference between a Kia and an Audi? They will both get you to work. Personally, I'm an Audi guy and it's not because of the name.

You're welcome to put your money behind your opinion and only buy unnamed corals for maximum value. Everyone is entitled to that choice.

Names are for lineage and knowing what to possibly expect from a tiny frag that one day hopefully grows into a large colony.

+1

 

[MrDJeep123]

Some people just aren't going to get it, because not everyone is a collecting type. But the practice in itself has merit and is deeply rooted in the hobby.

I think this is a fair point. I certainly prescribe to the each to their own mantra.

 

[KorD]

to me the name is forgotten before I leave the stare... My wife seems to rename everything in the tank before it is done acclimating.. LOL

 

[Longnose Hawkfish]

To be fair, it's a silly point. I don't buy based on the name ubber goober stomp acan or what have you. Shep, I think it's mostly "a look what I got" kind of thing. Which is ridiculous imo because name determines price. I have some acans from Sexy Corals, I dont even know their "name". Green or blue with red center is good enough name for me. :tea:

Name does not always demand a higher price. Eagle eyes, mind blowing, Captain America, nuclear greens are all cheap zoas/palys that look very good. The names help people understand what they are getting so maybe they can google to see what colonies look like. I often see no name corals selling for higher prices than corals with names. It's not for bragging rights to collect named corals. People personally like the coral and if they want to buy it they will use it's name not the corals it has. Heck I have a bunch of different zoas with similar colors but different patterns.

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

For me, I do not really look at the name when I am buying corals. I pretty much buy it if A) I like it and B) it's in my budget. The actual naming of the corals doesn't bother me.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I'm only interested in knowing the species names of creatures I keep. The rest of my family can name the creatures when they want to.

 

[Reefnjunkie]

Because if they go to sell it it's easier for the buyer to know what they are getting.

This is why I keep track or want to know lineage. Granted with a name being put onto every new wild/maricultered piece that comes in I find a to be a joke and is mainly used as marketing. I think having a name on a unique piece is fine but naming every single chop shop piece is comical and does nothing more than drive costs

If I see a colony picture of ORA Pearlberry I know what a frag "should look like" once that piece grows out and with that, looking for that piece by name easier. The rotten part is when a seller aquired a piece that has a name and then renames it educate "their" name is better-

A perfect example is the MattV Burning Candle and Jason Fox Flame Acro, Jason Fox's name pulls more money than MattV but when Jason buys the frag from GB and renames for marketing purposes solely that's low and there are many real life examples like that


EDIT: I will add though that I have came across unique pieces that I have not seen anywhere and I will add my initials of RNJ to that piece, maybe it is a bragging move but this is done on pieces that I have kept in my system for sometimes years and has kept its color.