Frag, mini colony, colony

Scdell

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Let's set a standard here.
What constitutes a colony from a frag?
I've seen encrusted plugs for sale called colonies. No branches, just encrustment.
The things I've seen called colonies!
Just cause you can cut a nub off doesn't make it a colony.
Then we have mini colonies. What's next? Ultra mini or micro colonies?
I'm thinking if you put your time in and grow something to about 6 inches round you have the right to say you have a colony.
If you get there you're doing something right and deserve the right to use the colony description.
 

stephj03

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Anymore it depends on the size of the frag someone started with IMO. I would argue it's more challenging and skill intense to grow a micro-frag to a 2.5-3" whatever you want yo call it vs growing an old school sized frag of an old school proven coral to 6". The former takes nearly 2yrs of perfect conditions for a lot of the newer high end pieces. The later takes about a yr to 1.5yr of "don't F-up" conditions.

I'm an old school reefer and I go out of my way to buy large frags and try to leave them alone until they're 3"

But that's not really the hobby anymore when talking about high end frags.
 

stephj03

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There's plenty of old school colonies out there. But you have to grow them knowing you're going to give frags away or turn them into CaRx media bc no one will pay for them anymore.

The type of reefer interested in that isn't generally interested in posting pics of those colonies on a forum.

And they'd rather chop them up and give them to friends or bleach them than throw them up on the forum and hear only crickets and lowballs rolling around.


The market for newer higher end stuff can't really accommodate large frags anyway. They'd be $500-$1k on a forum thread for 1.5"-2". I've actually gotten requests for smaller frags within my local market.

It's not really my style but it's what the hobby became. Ppl want black light friendly nubs and they want to pay $100-$200 for them so they can have a $300-$600 coral in their tank.
 
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Scdell

Scdell

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Anymore it depends on the size of the frag someone started with IMO. I would argue it's more challenging and skill intense to grow a micro-frag to a 2.5-3" whatever you want yo call it vs growing an old school sized frag of an old school proven coral to 6". The former takes nearly 2yrs of perfect conditions for a lot of the newer high end pieces. The later takes about a yr to 1.5yr of "don't F-up" conditions.

I'm an old school reefer and I go out of my way to buy large frags and try to leave them alone until they're 3"

But that's not really the hobby anymore when talking about high end frags.
High end or old school frags shouldn't make any difference. Just cause a frag cost more than another is based on supply and demand. I do kinda see what you're saying as higher end frags are cut as nubs. But the only thing I see as harder to grow is between maricultuerd or aquacultured. Just cause it's harder to grow doesn't mean a 2" frag is a colony.
 

stephj03

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Bc of the above. 2"-3" is the new colony size. No big deal to get there if you start with a 1.5" frag, but everybody is now starting with .5" frags. Turning a .5" frag into anything is an accomplishment I'm forced to admit.
 
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Scdell

Scdell

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Bc of the above. 2"-3" is the new colony size. No big deal to get there if you start with a 1.5" frag, but everybody is now starting with .5" frags. Turning a .5" frag into anything is an accomplishment I'm forced to admit.
I have corals 2-4 inches or bigger. I don't consider them colonies. And I wouldn't dare cut them yet. If one broke accidentally? I'd frag it, but wouldn't sell it. I personally think a colony should be big enough to be able to cut 4-5 frags without decimating the coral and then sell them.
But, sadly you're right. This is what the hobby has become.
 

stephj03

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High end or old school frags shouldn't make any difference. Just cause a frag cost more than another is based on supply and demand. I do kinda see what you're saying as higher end frags are cut as nubs. But the only thing I see as harder to grow is between maricultuerd or aquacultured. Just cause it's harder to grow doesn't mean a 2" frag is a colony.


Naw man, I really wish this were true but it has not been my experience or the pattern of threads in the SPS forum at all.

Several of these .5" or smaller nubs have died on me after slowly wasting away even when they were strains that have been in the hobby a while.
 
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Scdell

Scdell

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I just paid $ 60 for a half inch frag mounted on a half inch of glue to make it look bigger. From a reputable dealer on here.
 

vetteguy53081

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Let's set a standard here.
What constitutes a colony from a frag?
I've seen encrusted plugs for sale called colonies. No branches, just encrustment.
The things I've seen called colonies!
Just cause you can cut a nub off doesn't make it a colony.
Then we have mini colonies. What's next? Ultra mini or micro colonies?
I'm thinking if you put your time in and grow something to about 6 inches round you have the right to say you have a colony.
If you get there you're doing something right and deserve the right to use the colony description.
When it has 3-4 or more branches and no longer considered a frag- its a colony. I buy many colonies and they are generally baseball size
 

stephj03

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Agree with this. Baseball size or larger is what I personally view as a colony regardless of strain or starting frag.

But I've given up on this ever being the norm again. That could represent 3-4yrs effort by the owner and a used car worth of market value depending on the strain and size of the original frag.

Nobody is going to wait that long or sit on that much value and be the kind of reefer that want to post on the forums.

JDA would be the closest IMO.
 

Stuartmercer

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yea I'm getting tired of people calling what's basically a singular bacteria on a frag plug a colony.
 

JPergamo

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Frag
20191125_123112.jpg


Mini colony
20200323_135625.jpg


Colony
20201219_211641.jpg
 

stephj03

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yea I'm getting tired of people calling what's basically a singular bacteria on a frag plug a colony.


Just let that be the hobby for other ppl and keep your hobby whatever you want it to be.

I haven't really found it hard to find decent sized frags for sale from other like minded hobbyists and vendors.

I could fill my 300 several times over an still not have everything Battle Corals, Therman and Pirate's Reef have for sale.

I don't think it's any real secret which frags go for big money and which vendors sell nubs.
 

stephj03

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Honestly it's our own fault for allowing the convention to not include units of measure back in the day. Or for the norm to be having a ruler in frag pics.

Colony isn't exactly a quantitative word....
 

SamMule

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When not buying in person, I have had good luck buying corals from someone that is willing to "cut to order" and specify an actual size. Eliminates all of the guesswork. Well, usually....

Awhile back, I ordered several "2-3" multi-branch frags" from someone online and received a bunch of these.
1610226143111662768472425714750.jpg


I paid 2.5x the advertised price for 1" frags and this was the largest one I got. Lucky for me, all of them showed up dead, so I was refunded the $ and didn't have to dispute the agreed on frag size.

On the other hand, I just received an order from a member here and even the smallest "standard" frag I received was more than twice this size.

I think at the end of the day, it boils down to some folks are out trying to make a quick buck, while others are just good folks sharing thier love for the hobby.
 
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