Is anyone else frustrated with the "per polyp" game?

[ca1ore]

Ha! You should start a nuisance coral eating service for local reefers. ;Hilarious

You jest, but there an important point there .... I also have no problems with clove polyps, Xenia, aiptasia or majanos. Wish I could find something that eats green hairy mushrooms.

 

[NeedMoreReef]

I think some names are absolutely ridiculous, as are the prices. But there are some that stick. For every few crazy named zoas that will just be chopped and renamed and chopped again, there are a few that stick. Utter Chaos, Rasta, Sunny D, etc. Everyone knows what you're getting when you see that name. The per polyp game, it is what it is. I think it is silly to go to a frag swap, blow a G on 10 corals, then complain. I've come home with much more for much less from swaps. Don't chase the craze, don't buy into the hype, find good corals at good prices. Its not that hard at bigger swaps.

Oh I was able to get 36 really great animals Lol. But spending the G was silly! I did win a raffle which helped ease the sting
when I saw my credit card statement[emoji3]

 

[NeedMoreReef]

The reason I don’t like it is because typically the piece I want has 8-10 polyps when I may only want one or two. (Can you split that please? And please try not to kill it!) In the end, it’s still an $80 Coral it just sounds better to the buyer to say that it costs $10/polyp. It’s all in the marketing. Whether or not it’s worth $80 really depends on how bad you want it!

Your post is really what my original post was all about. I love bright bang’n corals, but If you have a Zoanthid frag and tell me those are going for 40 per polyp and there’s 1,2,3,4 on here so $160please.

Let me just say that I’m feel truly blessed to be able to participate in this hobby! I absolutely love it.

I’m also really fortunate that there are people offering captive breed corals with amazing color that will adapt to home aquarium limitations, and are willing to spend a lot of effort to sell to us taking pressure off the reef.

 

[sde1500]

Your post is really what my original post was all about. I love bright bang’n corals, but If you have a Zoanthid frag and tell me those are going for 40 per polyp and there’s 1,2,3,4 on here so $160please.

This is the biggest thing I've gotten into arguments with some people that have been in the hobby a long time about. I get that some of the corals they had 20 years ago are now going at a higher price and per polyp with a silly name. But every time they'd concede that the variety of corals and colors they had back then are nothing compared to what it is now. So with more corals and way more colors, comes more hype. Is some of it crazy overblown? Definitely. And I agree with the multi polyps. I don't think anything over like $20 or $30 pp should be sold as a bunch. I don't mind buying a zoa thats 30-50pp, but if you are only selling plugs with 4 or 5 on the plug, well thats a pain.

 

[d00dy]

The part about reefing that I enjoy is the growing out part... I don't buy super high end stuff unless I find a good deal... And then when I frag it, I sell it for the same deal I got....

For example, I know these aren't super high end, but I think it looks pretty cool and I probably spent about $50-$100 total from small frags.

 

[alpinestar]

The part about reefing that I enjoy is the growing out part... I don't buy super high end stuff unless I find a good deal... And then when I frag it, I sell it for the same deal I got....

For example, I know these aren't super high end, but I think it looks pretty cool and I probably spent about $50-$100 total from small frags.

Looks fantastic!

 

[FishyDP]

Most high quality reef stores in my area in SW Florida charge per polyp. This seems to be across the board. I am not sure how else sellers are supposed to price frags..it is hard to pay 20-30 pp though, you end up getting a "designer" 1" zoa frag for $60-80. Tough to fill up a larger tank with coral like this. When I go to a reef shop I look closely at the frag, if I see tiny heads forming at the bottom I try to buy those ones. They usually do not charge for the "baby" polyps..so in a month or two you will have new heads and your price pp went down..that's how I justify my spending haha. Buying online is inconsistent in my experience so far. If I buy 4x 2-3 pp zoa frags, some will come with 2 polyps, others 5-6, so it is luck of the draw. I like buying in person, but not everyone has a good reef shop near them, so online vendors are in business.