Is this an $800 coral?

I would pay $800 for this coral

  • Yes! It’s amazing

    Votes: 1 0.7%
  • Only if it had a fancy name

    Votes: 3 2.2%
  • If it was 50% off I would

    Votes: 3 2.2%
  • Here’s $20 bucks kid. Take it and buy something nice for your mom.

    Votes: 50 37.0%
  • Ah, No….

    Votes: 78 57.8%

  • Total voters
    135

TangerineSpeedo

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What makes an expensive coral expensive? Or rather what makes you want that coral?
Green smoothie with reddish PE and pink coralites.
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Red_Beard

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Cheap cars and expensive corals are out there. There is a market for both. What are the factors that make it so.
Demand. Stuff is 'worth' whatever someone is willing to pay for it. I would say that one is pretty, but no way $800 pretty. I would go maybe $100. That is what it is worth to me.
 

jabberwock

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Cheap cars and expensive corals are out there. There is a market for both. What are the factors that make it so.
Deep snow, primary transportation is a motorcycle. Bought a 1978 GMC Sierra that was an old City of Cleveland, OH DOT vehicle. I gave $200 bucks for it in 1991.
 

areefer01

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Which is the point I am exploring. What makes a coral more remarkable than another.

Hobbyist. Social media, influencers, instagram, and the marketing machine. Those are probably the driving force behind the price. Some will say lineage but one could argue that is difficult to prove as we don't have any registry (think AKC) for proof. ORA used to provide certificates with some corals is the closest I've personally experienced.

If we look at say a Acropora coral. Brief example of recognized species:
  • Acropora abrolhosensis Veron, 1985
  • Acropora abrotanoides (Lamarck, 1816)
  • Acropora acervata (Dana, 1846)
  • Acropora aculeus (Dana, 1846)
  • Acropora acuminata (Verrill, 1864)
  • Acropora alvarezi† Wallace, 2008
  • Acropora anglica† (Duncan, 1866)
  • Acropora anthocercis (Brook, 1893)
  • Acropora arabensis Hodgson and Carpenter, 1995
  • Acropora arafura Wallace, Done & Muir, 2012
  • Acropora aspera (Dana, 1846)
  • Acropora austera (Dana, 1846)

I don't see Home Wrecker or Walt Disney listed although both are Acropora tenuis I believe. Point being is that both are considered to be some of the best looking Acropora with articles and vendor/sellers promoting it as such. Color morph probably the driving factor.

To put this into perspective there is a rather long thread here asking if a particular coral is a ORA Pearlberry. As you can imagine there are lots of guesses, pictures, and jokes that shed light on the subject. How does one justify the price and trace it back to the actual parent colony and/or lineage without a registry of sorts.

Quite the conundrum if we are being honest.

Note 1: these are just my opinions
Note 2: what is remarkable to me may not be to you
Note 3: color morph or name doesn't give me satisfaction, growing a frag into a colony does (hobbyist are different)
Note 4: vendor/seller or coral in question source of origin may be a factor


Note 5: most important note of all - hope your day and evening is well.
 

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