umm....ORA corals??

[Patwa]

OK.

What's the deal with ORA-branded corals? they're all over the US...you guys seem to be going nuts for them...

I can tell you, it's pretty rare, if not next to impossible to find them up in Canada....and FWIW, there is not even a demand for these ORA corals, so that prolly explains why we never see them. We do, however, get fish shipments every now and then from them (i see their logo on some boxes at the lfs)

Heck, most SPS nuts up here rarely ever talk about ORA stuff.....they *seem* to be quite content with the regular bag of corals we get in.

SOOOO...why do they garner so much interest with you (US) reefers?

from my point of view, they look like any other aquacultured/wild acropora sp. i've seen...granted, they are nice and colourful....but on the whole, they're nothing special....when I see them going for $80 here and $100 there ...for a tiny frag...well...makes me wonder! what is it that I am missing?? I see regular coloured granulosas, suharsonois, etc....absolutely nothing 'out of this world', imo

what is it that makes them so 'in-demand'? here's my guess

-the ORA name? they've been in the industry for ages...worldwide recognition, etc
-the ORA employee they're named after?
-the silly name they come up to help describe it's appearance? (what's that new one called again? pearl berry?)
-the fact it's mostly aqua-cultured (ie. hardier)

???

i'm cluelesss..

Zach

PS....I actually own an "ORA" coral....didn't even know I had it until surfn posted a pic! LOL

 

[Russellaqua]

In my opinion what makes ORA corals so in demand here in the US is their hardiness. I recently had a tank that the heater died on overnight. The tank got rather cool and much of the SPS in it didn't make it, except for the ORA corals. Combined with the generally bright coloration of their coral they do command quite a price. You're right in that they aren't unusual species, just very hardy and colorful specimens.

 

[NapoliNewJersey]

What makes them command such a high price for frags, is that you know where it's comming from. You know that they will hold that color and you know that they are hardier.

I've gotten a few SPS from fellow reefers that didn't come from a facility and they don't really keep the color. ORA keeps thier coral under natural sunlight and 250w MHs.

Some reefers who grow SPS and sell thier colonies under 400w MHs and when they go in my tank they lose all thier luster.

I guess mostly because you know what your getting is the real deal and not something someone is passing off.

 

[FateX8]

another thing, ORA corals arent just plucked off the ocean that youre getting
their corals have been grown out for years and years and before they release anything
yes their coral came from the ocean but theyre not taking multiple pieces from the ocean, cutting them up and selling them...like some of the people that "aquaculture"
but youre right, why would anyone want to buy a $100 coral frag when they could buy an entire wild colony for less than that? i guess some people actually care about the reefs...

 

[gooch]

There is actually a shop in southern wisconsin that lets the reef club do a group buy for these ORA corals at wholesale. So I know not all of them command a high price in every state. And I know this club plans to frag them up amongst other club members to bring the price down even further. Not saying it is right. I am saying I know it is being done. I own no ORA corals right now.

 

[NapoliNewJersey]

There is actually a shop in southern wisconsin that lets the reef club do a group buy for these ORA corals at wholesale. So I know not all of them command a high price in every state. And I know this club plans to frag them up amongst other club members to bring the price down even further. Not saying it is right. I am saying I know it is being done. I own no ORA corals right now.

Not sure how this works ... ORA has limitations on how many of each coral they will sell a single shop. They usually allow only two of each type and 1 of the more popular pieces. The most they allow is 4 of the common kinds like green birds nest and pink birds nest. Also to get an ORA order you have to order a minimum of $400 worth of fish. They won't just sell coral. Maybe the shop keeps the fish and the club gets the coral....

I guess it would work for a small club. Not sure....

 

[currentking]

They do have a minimum order and it is not 400, but you can only order very small quantities of coral per order.

 

[Russellaqua]

The ORA minimum fish order is $200, and they include clams, shrimp, and snails in that, just not coral, dry goods, or algae. They don't generally set limits on the number of corals you can purchase except in a few cases, like new corals (limit 1 of the Hawkin's blue echinata) etc.

 

[Pitcom]

Personally, i like the ORA stuff because the coloration it holds and as everyone else says the hardiness. When i complete my new tank I plan on putting in a dozen of the ora frags that i have been collecting.

 

[gooch]

The store uses it to get the club in the door. From what I heard they had such a large order ORA relaxed some of the rules they set up and doubled up on some of the corals.

 

[surfn]

i like the ORA stuff b/c of the hardiness and colors. granted, some of the corals are not unique.....i.e. green birdsnest are so common, can't believe people are paying as much as they are for them.

theres a good # of ORA corals that i've never seen anywhere else before...which is nice. granted, these latest ones for $100 a frag are absolutely ridiculous. i think LFS are taking advantage of hobbyists a little too much.

PATWA.....what coral do you have that is an ORA after seeing mine?

 

[Patwa]

thanks for the replies, fellas

What makes them command such a high price for frags, is that you know where it's comming from. You know that they will hold that color and you know that they are hardier.

I've gotten a few SPS from fellow reefers that didn't come from a facility and they don't really keep the color. ORA keeps thier coral under natural sunlight and 250w MHs.

Some reefers who grow SPS and sell thier colonies under 400w MHs and when they go in my tank they lose all thier luster.

I guess mostly because you know what your getting is the real deal and not something someone is passing off.

Where is the ORA facility located? that's cool they use natural sunlight in additon to MHs

I see what you're saying though...ORA = peace of mind....SPS corals are much more demanding than other corals....dang near tricky to get the right colouration, polyp extension, etc.

another thing, ORA corals arent just plucked off the ocean that youre getting
their corals have been grown out for years and years and before they release anything
yes their coral came from the ocean but theyre not taking multiple pieces from the ocean, cutting them up and selling them...like some of the people that "aquaculture"
but youre right, why would anyone want to buy a $100 coral frag when they could buy an entire wild colony for less than that? i guess some people actually care about the reefs...

yeah...from what I know of ORA, they pride themselves on having a more environmentally sustainable operation...cheers to them!

re: aquaculture.....can you elaborate more on these 'crooked' aquaculture operations.....i don't know diddly-squat on this...

but, from what I know of this particular industry, it's relatively heavily regulated (not sure on the level of enforcement, though! that's a whole different ballgame).....in fact, the operator license is dependent on them sticking to prescribed methods and procedures in producing their aquacultured coral products....all this without the need to remove any wild colonies.....that is, the "mother colony" is not plucked from the ocean.

I don't have any sps, but know quite a few locals that do. Most of them have told me that they would rather buy ora corals, because of their hardiness, and also they pretty much know what they are getting. Many people have had them and posted pics under different lighting conditions, so unlike wild colonies, you have a general idea of how it should color up. I also know others that like wild colonies because they don't know what it will be like when the colors fade and then recolor up, might find a diamond in the rough.

yeah...imo, ORA SPS corals seem to take the mystery and surprise factor out of the equation, as you know what you're getting from start to finish.......actually, this sort of coral collecting style is not my cup o tea, actually...i'd much rather wing it and see what happens

...but, yeah....I clearly see why some people do remain loyal to ORA products....they're tried and true, in the purest sense.

i like the ORA stuff b/c of the hardiness and colors. granted, some of the corals are not unique.....i.e. green birdsnest are so common, can't believe people are paying as much as they are for them.

theres a good # of ORA corals that i've never seen anywhere else before...which is nice. granted, these latest ones for $100 a frag are absolutely ridiculous. i think LFS are taking advantage of hobbyists a little too much.

PATWA.....what coral do you have that is an ORA after seeing mine?

exactly...i guess it's the pricing that got my attention at first....the price for a ORA green birdsnest...woah.....i've paid much LESS for a Ponape Birdnest up here in Toronto....and the Ponape KILLS the ORA green birdsnest in colouration and shape....hands down...oh well

ORA = the original 'Aussie-style' coral???

BTW, the coral you posted was the ORA Australian Delicate.....I've had it for about 1.5 years now....had no clue where/what it was until you posted the pic..LOL......I got the frag from a buddy when he tore his tank down (he also visited the US quite often, so I guess that's when he acquired it)

Zach.

 

[twon8]

ora is in florida, they also have a clam farm in the marshall islands.

orafarm.com

 

[reefboy]

Honestly ORA is fair in there pricing to ware we as vendors can mark up reasonably but I think some are taking addvantage of the rarity or the short craze when a new coral is debuted so I'd shop around you might be surprised to see the mark up I was.

 

[Patwa]

coral vendors taking advantage of the rarity or the short craze!? naaa.... never heard of anyone doing that! j/k

 

[fragjunkie]

Some of the stuff I don't even know why they bother farming but they do have some nice stuff and the reason why theres a demand is because of all the mentioned above.

 

[racermike27]

ORA rocks! Everything I have gotten from them has done extremely well. Here in FL we tend to get the ORA stuff pretty readily as they are local to us. I have had some frags double and triple in size in a few months and the colors always hold.

 

[Russellaqua]

Some of the stuff I don't even know why they bother farming but they do have some nice stuff and the reason why theres a demand is because of all the mentioned above.

This is part of what I like about ORA and why I carry them. They farm corals that aren't always going to make them a ton of money or aren't particularly special, but every one sold is one more that gets to stay in the ocean. I farm many things that aren't super expensive or ultra-rare because it helps keep more corals in the ocean where they belong.

 

[Patwa]

yeah gotta hand it to them for propagating the corals out....it's a very noble undertaking, imo.

but yeah, $80-$100 for what amounts to a very tiny piece of a common/easy to find SPS?...that would make anyone shake their head in disbelief (especially up here in the far north )

Zach

 

[twon8]

yeah gotta hand it to them for propagating the corals out....it's a very noble undertaking, imo.

but yeah, $80-$100 for what amounts to a very tiny piece of a common/easy to find SPS?...that would make anyone shake their head in disbelief (especially up here in the far north )

Zach

any of the stuff going for 80-100 is not in anyway common; not like they are breaking pieces off wilds and selling them as cultured as some etailers do