- Joined
- May 6, 2016
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- 1,367
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If hobbyists really want to make some money growing corals, concentrate not on trying to grow out and make a fortune on the latest glow in the dark Acro. Instead, grow easy to keep softies. Local stores would buy as many as you can grow. I sell tons of green star polyps, Xenia, Leathers, galaxea, etc. Those are the corals that most folks want. They all grow quickly, don't die for some silly reason, don't change in color constantly depending upon the amount of foo foo dust sprinkled on them.
I think you nail it with these two quotes. Facebook, Insta, auctions, and R2R, they really aren't indicative of the hobby at large. Face it, most people in a hobby get somewhat into it, participate in it through whatever means they do, and thats it. It may not be "hardcore" persay, but to join forums and constantly talk about it, thats next level. Those are the types of people that are more likely take things a step further, through high end equipment, pricey/flashy corals, etc. Not saying they all do, but that is my feeling/experience. Being that run of the mill corals tend to still be the bread and butter for many stores proves that the average hobbyist is not going for the crazy stuff, thus this hobby will be fine. Much more threatened by the bans than silly names and high prices on some corals.R2R appeals to the "desinger" crowd. All the Live Sales and Auctions. That's fine, live and let live. It's not really my way. Sometimes we all border on being the proverbial used car salesman, the auctions and live sales give me that feel.
I'd disagree. Because I don't think anyone has ever really said that. You're talking lineage, and lineage is ridiculous. Two coral colonies side by side could look exactly the same, be harvested and sold as the same name, but not be clones. To go with the most basic recognizable name, eagle eye zoas. Most anyone knows what they look like, but are they all clones? no. They are a common color variant from Vietnam.A named coral frag should be genetically identical to the original colony. Those are the rules of the name game but many coral vendors aren't even aware of these rules.
Then you didn't look very hard. All the forums are rife with budget builds. I've spent a decent chunk, but hardly have gone insane on my build. No build thread here yet, but basic research can easily point out how little is actually needed to run a reef.I think the problem is as a new person to this hobby (me) you never hear about how to do it cheaply but effectively.
I believe that attitude is garbage. Most people aren't jealous of others spending 1k on a "rainbow" tenuis that is missing 4 of the colors of a rainbow. They think it is silly.I believe a lot of people who can't afford the "higher end" stuff hate on it because they can't afford it.
I've moved very few corals around my current tank over the 3.5 years it has been up. I know the care of all of them. I also know the trade name associated with almost every single one of them that has one. As a new aquarist, I'd suggest avoiding writing someone off so quickly just because they know the trade name of a coral. Take a spin around the SPS forum for Farmer Ty or Bubbaque, among many others, and see that they both keep amazing tanks and can give you the trade name of the dozens or hundreds of corals they have.Personally, if you try to sell me a "snowy mountain unicorn fart" as a coral, I feel I can safely assume youre a Drs office aquarium keeper and the corals are probably starved for nutrients and on their last leg and 5x what they should cost. Every successful reefer I know calls things what they are. Paly's, zoa's, acan's are true descriptions of things and makes me feel the seller has some care knowledge.