Are scolys worth it?

[FriendoFish]

I am soooo tempted to get a scoly. Their colors are so beautiful and I love the way they eat. But they are soooo expensive. So I’m just wondering if people think they’re worth the price/hype?

 

[jsvand5]

No

 

[Kehy]

Are they worth it to you?

 

[Fishingandreefing]

Just like others think we are crazy spending on these money and time on corals. As long as you’re not paying more than current market pricing, and you like them and able to afford it, why not.

 

[xxkenny90xx]

I spent $100 on a scoly from some guy and love it. Problem is that all of my other corals pay for themselves through fragging and selling. The scoly doesn't get fragged. I won't buy another for that reason

 

[Daniel@R2R]

I like them! I will probably be getting another one at some point

 

[Patientman]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder … and if it makes you happy … then it is worth it!

 

[JayLu]

I think they are beautiful too, but I am curious as to how easy they are to keep healthy and alive long term. in my opinion, that would go into if they are worth the price.

 

[footgal]

I love them! I have had a lot of success fragging them but it’s a long process... you use a coral saw to cut them like a pizza and the pieces regrow into the original circle shape. This is very dangerous for the coral though and not all pieces make it through the process. Back when I worked at an LFS I was able to try this and I had about a 60% success rate. They take at least a year to regrow into the circle shape depending on how large the original one was. I believe WWC sells frags occasionally.

Personally, I have 3 scolies and the most expensive one was $99. One orange with blue stripes, one pinkish/orangey solid color one, and one that’s purple with a pink center and blue/turquoise stripes. I love them and I think they look beautiful. If you like it then go for it! Not everything is about profit.

 

[92Miata]

From what I understand, they're all wild collected because we can't reproduce them. I'm trying to do everything I can to avoid wild collected animals.

So its a no for me.

 

[xxkenny90xx]

Not everything is about profit.

True, money isn't everything but not having it is. Some of us have to make our reefs pay for themselves or we wouldn't be able to afford them

 

[DHill6]

Worth it....
I bought two very tiny fingernail tip pieces from a well known vendor and paid a hefty price. The photo of the mother colony was so unique. Years later I’m glad I did purchase, very colorful and I’m still watching to see what they grow into, not your normal round scoly. I did frag one of them with a scalpel, all pieces survived. I only feed them pellets once a week or a little longer. They get LRS frozen from what floats around in the water and KZ LPS drop.

 

[footgal]

True, money isn't everything but not having it is. Some of us have to make our reefs pay for themselves or we wouldn't be able to afford them

If you’re looking to make a profit, sps and zoas are your money makers. Euphyllia grows too slowly (although if you invest in some nice buy not over priced pieces your ROI is pretty good) and LPS is difficult to frag without a saw. Sps you can just snap off pieces and it’s easy as pie, and if you grow the zoas on a frag tile they’re super easy to just scrape off and glue.

Personally, I have a lot of corals that I can frag, but I also like some corals that are just for me like my RFAs, scolies, lobos, etc. I understand about the money situation (I’m 16 and jobless so selling coral is the only way I’m able to support my hobby) but Id prefer to have a scoly that I love to look at than a bunch of sps/zoas that I think are meh.

 

[YaboiNathan]

For sure they are pretty

 

[BrandonS]

My wife likes the look of scoly's. If letting her pick one for the tank makes her happy I will do it. However I don't buy them because I can't propagate them.

 

[FriendoFish]

If you’re looking to make a profit, sps and zoas are your money makers. Euphyllia grows too slowly (although if you invest in some nice buy not over priced pieces your ROI is pretty good) and LPS is difficult to frag without a saw. Sps you can just snap off pieces and it’s easy as pie, and if you grow the zoas on a frag tile they’re super easy to just scrape off and glue.

Personally, I have a lot of corals that I can frag, but I also like some corals that are just for me like my RFAs, scolies, lobos, etc. I understand about the money situation (I’m 16 and jobless so selling coral is the only way I’m able to support my hobby) but Id prefer to have a scoly that I love to look at than a bunch of sps/zoas that I think are meh.

Yah this is kinda my problem too. I really love the look of lobos, scolys, etc. but I am in college and only work part time for minimum wage. I think the most I’ve ever paid for a single coral was like $50? But my birthday is coming up and I’ve always wanted a scoly so I’m wondering if it’s worth it to save up (which I guess is more of a personal choice...) I do have a frogspawn with 10+ heads that I was gifted that’s honestly getting a little big for my tank so maybe I can frag/sell some of those and offset the price? I’ve never sold corals before...

 

[footgal]

Yah this is kinda my problem too. I really love the look of lobos, scolys, etc. but I am in college and only work part time for minimum wage. I think the most I’ve ever paid for a single coral was like $50? But my birthday is coming up and I’ve always wanted a scoly so I’m wondering if it’s worth it to save up (which I guess is more of a personal choice...) I do have a frogspawn with 10+ heads that I was gifted that’s honestly getting a little big for my tank so maybe I can frag/sell some of those and offset the price? I’ve never sold corals before...

Selling corals is easy breezy, everybody wants to buy corals. Just make sure whatever you’re selling has been healed for a couple weeks and is 100% healthy. Try to sell locally first, easier than trying to hassle with shipping and DOA and stuff. Best of luck to you and happy early birthday!

 

[xxkenny90xx]

Yah this is kinda my problem too. I really love the look of lobos, scolys, etc. but I am in college and only work part time for minimum wage. I think the most I’ve ever paid for a single coral was like $50? But my birthday is coming up and I’ve always wanted a scoly so I’m wondering if it’s worth it to save up (which I guess is more of a personal choice...) I do have a frogspawn with 10+ heads that I was gifted that’s honestly getting a little big for my tank so maybe I can frag/sell some of those and offset the price? I’ve never sold corals before...

I HIGHLY recommend a dremel for fragging frogspawn. It can be done without one but it's a pain. It's awesome buying new coral with $ you get from selling frags!

 

[footgal]

I like bonecutters for the branching euphyllias, the heads snap right off! If you have a LFS that you’re friends with (not a Petco type place, like a dedicated fish store) they may frag it for you. I have to do this when I want to sell LPS because I don’t have a coral saw and they do. Lots of ways to frag a frogspawn!

 

[wenliu51]

I have a goal to add a handful or more scolys at the bottom of my tank! I've seen some beautiful layouts and it would look like spilled skittles lol