Coral Naming

[aarbutina]

Is it just me or is this “naming” corals getting out of hand. I long of the day when we still used the scientific name and a color to describe a coral. It’s so hard to know what you are actually getting these days. And any one can slap a name on a frag and demand top dollar.

Now don’t get me wrong I have been really happy with my purchases that I have made from WWC, but I was watching the EBay sales last night and every piece is named, but when you go to look the name up to see what it is you only find a pervious eBay sale for many of them. Now that being said there were some great deals to be had and I picked up a fair number of different Acro frags that look like they could be pretty sweet, but they fact that they have a name is meaning less if there is zero I formation available in that name to me. I could say hey I just picked up a nice piece of WWC Barn Stormer and I am guessing they would have no idea what it is since there seems to be zero information out there on it.... but it does look could and like it has some big potential.

WWC Barn Stormer

 

[Mattrg02]

WWC seems to name and renamed their corals constantly.

 

[Robthorn]

I hate the names too but they are a decent reference once a coral gets popular. I really don't care who named a coral. Ebay or WWC. I don't think any one person should have a naming authority over another. Especially when the ebayer and WWC owner are pretty likely good friends. ;-)

 

[Mattrg02]

I hate the names too but they are a decent reference once a coral gets popular. I really don't care who named a coral. Ebay or WWC. I don't think any one person should have a naming authority over another. Especially when the ebayer and WWC owner are pretty likely good friends. ;-)

Yes, but keep it consistent. Don’t name a coral that has already been named.

 

[aarbutina]

Yes, but keep it consistent. Don’t name a coral that has already been named.

Totally agree.

Naming should be done to keep lineage consistent so people know what they are getting.

 

[jda]

There are a few that name other peoples stuff, generic stuff and even rename their stuff just to get some sales and drive prices up. Cornbred, Vivid and WWC are among the worst, IMO and most other vendors would just call that a typical pink/blue mille and save the names for the outstanding stuff.

I am not hating. Not by a long shot. This is 'merica and they have every right to maximize their profits, just as a lot of us have every right to stay away. They don't hate on us for staying away, so I don't hate on them for trying to make the most that they can. I hate it when people rename a named coral, but I also hate it when shops close and import less new cool stuff.

Perhaps the biggest offenders are The Typical Joe who buys a $10 frag at a shop, think that it looks like X after being their tank for a while and start to call it X. I know that it always makes me sound like a dooche, but I like to point out that that if it does not come with lineage and name, then it does not have one, but I am sure that they sell them as the real-deal anyway.

 

[aarbutina]

Basically if you do a google search on a "named" frag and the only thing that comes up is the single instance on a vendors website its a made up name. Granted it may be an awesome pieces, but just expect to get a weird look when you tell someone you got a deal on a frag Coral Joe's "Fancy Pants Flying Purple Death Eye".

 

[jda]

...at the same time, something like a Shortcake, Garf Bonsai, Eagle Eyes, Candy Cane, etc. are all very helpful names. I don't think that the names are an issue, it is the names to artificially drive up profit that are an issue. Some corals take off... Fox Flame could have been a BS name, but the coral stuck and people really like it. People like to make fun of others like Walt Disney.

 

[BoomCorals]

There are a few that name other peoples stuff, generic stuff and even rename their stuff just to get some sales and drive prices up. Cornbred, Vivid and WWC are among the worst, IMO and most other vendors would just call that a typical pink/blue mille and save the names for the outstanding stuff.

I am not hating. Not by a long shot. This is 'merica and they have every right to maximize their profits, just as a lot of us have every right to stay away. They don't hate on us for staying away, so I don't hate on them for trying to make the most that they can. I hate it when people rename a named coral, but I also hate it when shops close and import less new cool stuff.

Perhaps the biggest offenders are The Typical Joe who buys a $10 frag at a shop, think that it looks like X after being their tank for a while and start to call it X. I know that it always makes me sound like a dooche, but I like to point out that that if it does not come with lineage and name, then it does not have one, but I am sure that they sell them as the real-deal anyway.

For what it's worth, if I don't know the lineage and/or can't find a name, I'll name it something, simply because people seem to like names for one reason or another. Corals without names don't sell well in today's market. But, when I do name something, I price it based on the cost it costs me and based on the demand that I get for it. I don't name something "Boom's Unicorn Farts" and then charge you $500. In fact, no coral I've ever "named" has ever been more than $99 no matter how pretty it was.

 

[aarbutina]

For what it's worth, if I don't know the lineage and/or can't find a name, I'll name it something, simply because people seem to like names for one reason or another. Corals without names don't sell well in today's market. But, when I do name something, I price it based on the cost it costs me and based on the demand that I get for it. I don't name something "Boom's Unicorn Farts" and then charge you $500. In fact, no coral I've ever "named" has ever been more than $99 no matter how pretty it was.

I want the first frag if Boom’s Unicorn Farts. I bet it sparkles.

But you are right names drive prices. But on the flip side how much have prices been inflated due to all the names. Remember when there used to be racks full of unnamed $5 frags that were and inch long... well they done exists any more... every thing has a name so it cost 5 times as much.

 

[BoomCorals]

I want the first frag if Boom’s Unicorn Farts. I bet it sparkles.

But you are right names drive prices. But on the flip side how much have prices been inflated due to all the names. Remember when there used to be racks full of unnamed $5 frags that were and inch long... well they done exists any more... every thing has a name so it cost 5 times as much.

It sparkles, and plays your favorite song and then dances.

 

[aarbutina]

It sparkles, and plays your favorite song and then dances.

You better not charge me more than $99 for it... plus I want free shipping.

 

[olecaptainj]

I’d put it like this.

If your tired of overpaying for small nubs if named frags, then STOP supporting these vendors until they change their selling practices. If people stopped buying I would guarantee these vendors would would get in line or go out of business.

Talk is cheap, take action as a hobbyist if you want change.

 

[aarbutina]

I’d put it like this.

If your tired of overpaying for small nubs if named frags, then STOP supporting these vendors until they change their selling practices. If people stopped buying I would guarantee these vendors would would get in line or go out of business.

Talk is cheap, take action as a hobbyist if you want change.

While this is not untrue. It would be awful difficult to get our hands on some corals for quite some time.

 

[olecaptainj]

Perhaps, but I cannot ever recall a coral shortage in my 11 years of the hobby. There may be a shortage of named overpriced corals I suppose.

 

[littleruttiger]

...at the same time, something like a Shortcake, Garf Bonsai, Eagle Eyes, Candy Cane, etc. are all very helpful names. I don't think that the names are an issue, it is the names to artificially drive up profit that are an issue. Some corals take off... Fox Flame could have been a BS name, but the coral stuck and people really like it. People like to make fun of others like Walt Disney.

I agree with this.
I personally like names and lineage, because it's information. I can google and find colony shots from a variety of tanks, and know what to expect with regards to color in a range of different conditions, growth patterns, price, etc. But, if the names have no information, i.e. it has just been slapped onto a new peice, they are useless to me. If they are changed, they are useless.
There are people here who sell frags from their tanks, "billy's dream acro", that's fine to me, because it tells me where it came from, I can look up their thread, etc. A random named coral from WWC's eBay auction, with no history associated with it, or colony picture, there's no information there. It would be interesting to go back and check their listings, see how many names actually repeat, or if they are all new each time - I always check them out every week, I recognize some, but a lot seem random. And I don't mean to pick on them, I've bought a lot from WWC and have absolutely no complaints.
I was at a local shop, and the owner had gotten a shipment of pretty nice mariculture pieces in. He called one of them Walt Disney - that seemed wrong to me. Tierra Del Fuego is another one that's abused, now it refers to any acro that has red and green, instead of (to me anyway) the couple specific pieces it originally referred to

 

[aarbutina]

I agree with this.
I personally like names and lineage, because it's information. I can google and find colony shots from a variety of tanks, and know what to expect with regards to color in a range of different conditions, growth patterns, price, etc. But, if the names have no information, i.e. it has just been slapped onto a new peice, they are useless to me. If they are changed, they are useless.
There are people here who sell frags from their tanks, "billy's dream acro", that's fine to me, because it tells me where it came from, I can look up their thread, etc. A random named coral from WWC's eBay auction, with no history associated with it, or colony picture, there's no information there. It would be interesting to go back and check their listings, see how many names actually repeat, or if they are all new each time - I always check them out every week, I recognize some, but a lot seem random. And I don't mean to pick on them, I've bought a lot from WWC and have absolutely no complaints.
I was at a local shop, and the owner had gotten a shipment of pretty nice mariculture pieces in. He called one of them Walt Disney - that seemed wrong to me. Tierra Del Fuego is another one that's abused, now it refers to any acro that has red and green, instead of (to me anyway) the couple specific pieces it originally referred to

Exactly.... my thoughts exactly.

 

[jda]

Red Dragon is another one. I have the real-deal from Coral in the Reef - the CITR Red Dragon. It will encrust and it gets WAY better colors than the mari stuff that came in later. They are like two different corals.

BTW - the TDF from Wet Thumbs is amazing... I know what you mean about the other knock-off ones.

 

[Velcro]

 

[Robthorn]

The people calling knock offs seems to be the reason so many of the almost identicle corals get named over and over again. So I don't get called a scammer I might just throw another silly name on something. Way better than being called a cheater or fake.