Rant and minor complaininy

[Atlantisdelux]

I didn't see a place for rants or bickering so I figured I would tuck it into the lounge and liable as so anyone who doesn't want to hear complaining won't view it.

I understand that its been a few year since Iv run or even looked into saltwater equipment or even CUC for that matter.
I also understand that with technology comes price.
But at what point did it go from running a $150 high end power head over a $100 show piece blasto turn into running a $300 average power head over a $400 glow in the dark, colors of the rainbow on acid, chameleon color changing blasto?

I get it, some of these new corals are amazing, and BEAUTIFUL! But when you get excited cause your driving home from a new construction site and you find a new store so you swing in real quick, to find out they don't sell a single frag plug for under $200.......I feel like maybe returning to the hobby is a poor decision.
What happened to the good old days of "oh, that's connected......ahh what ever, take that to" "$20 please"

Well, I think that's all for now. Back to searching the web for more fair priced things I'll have to take a gamble on. It seems like everything that's priced fairly is a hit or miss these days.

 

[TheEngineer]

Welcome to the future! haha

There's a lot of hype around some corals. Prices for things like mushrooms which you used to not be able to give away are now in the $100s because they have a name attached to them. There are still plenty of reasonably priced corals out there. Find a better LFS if the one you went too was all super expensive :)

 

[Coastie Reefer]

I just want to add, that just because it has a price tag on it that's not always the price you have to pay. Build a relationship with the vendor or store and you can usually get a little discount. This is one hobby where the price tends to be, but not always, negotiable.

Prime example... look at the prices on Adam's (Battlecorals) website and you might go; wow... some of those things are $$$. But, if you have him do a grab bag for you, what would have a sticker price of 600 bucks doesn't come close to that! I think most budget minded reefers enjoy the hunt of a good deal aspect of this hobby just as much as anything.

 

[TroutbumNV]

I've been out of the hobby for a bit, one thing that surprised me the most was cleaner shrimp! 10 years ago they were like $9. Now they're $35-$45. For a cleaner shrimp?!?!?

 

[ReeferBob]

Get into a local club that has coral swaps. Or start one yourself! Coral prices are ridiculous.

 

[ahiggins]

I wasnt around for "the old days" lol Ive only been in the game about 2 years...but I agree with the crazy pricing.
Specifically with frags. Im doing my part to help ease that down. Im around the Cleveland area and any frags I make (no matter what they are) Im going to sell for a resonable price-not the $50-100 I paid. After a few frags, Ill make my money back and people can get nice things that dont want to spend hundreds.

 

[skybears]

I really understand I have been planning building and organizing and I'm still not up and running for 16 months now and I was floored when I had to buy everything for my maintain and then my sump refugium then I needed everything to my Hospital tank everything for my quarantine tank all I can say is oh my God I must really love this which I do so that states at all

 

[Atlantisdelux]

I get its not every store. I live in the Manchester NH area, so I'm lucky enough to have 4 or 5 small local shops within a short drive from me, and for the most part still remember who I am which was a big surprise when I walked back in the door.
But I was pumped to find a new place and totally blindsided by the numbers.
To be fair my few stores close to home don't have the types of coral they mainly had (made in a lab type, I don't know what you would call them but they weren't natural). My locals all have a more natural selection.

 

[Greybeard]

Set a budget, and stay within it. Yeah, there are incredible looking 'super xray hero' frags, but that doesn't mean you need a tank full of them. Still folks around that are happy to trade frags, or even give frags to new reefers.

If you're being serious, that your local reef shop doesn't have anything on the shelf under $200... I'd suggest finding another store. I'm out in the sticks, there's only 3 places within an hour drive that sell anything marine related, only two of those I'll even go in, and both have a $10 section in their frag racks.

These arbitrary names people are assigning to corals these days is the silliest darned thing. We used to actually try and assign the correct scientific name to our corals... at least the right family. That seems to be out of fashion these days. When I came back into the hobby a couple years back, that was the one thing that bothered me most. Comic book corals? Who decided that was a good idea?

 

[Jason mack]

I wasnt around for "the old days" lol Ive only been in the game about 2 years...but I agree with the crazy pricing.
Specifically with frags. Im doing my part to help ease that down. Im around the Cleveland area and any frags I make (no matter what they are) Im going to sell for a resonable price-not the $50-100 I paid. After a few frags, Ill make my money back and people can get nice things that dont want to spend hundreds.

I might just have too move too America I think !!! You guys seem too keep all the best ones..or it's near impossible too get hem shipped too Europe .. unless you own a lFS I guess !!!

 

[vertigo01]

Give it a unique and fancy name, have a few friends rave about it relentlessly on social media and you too can polish a turd into big $$$.

 

[tupes]

I wasnt around for "the old days" lol Ive only been in the game about 2 years...but I agree with the crazy pricing.
Specifically with frags. Im doing my part to help ease that down. Im around the Cleveland area and any frags I make (no matter what they are) Im going to sell for a resonable price-not the $50-100 I paid. After a few frags, Ill make my money back and people can get nice things that dont want to spend hundreds.

This is the best thing that can help keep the prices down. Ive done this with several corals that ive purchased. Another this is to do a group buy. Get 2-3 people put up the money for the coral and if its big enough at time of purchase (most of the time its not) cut it and each get a piece. If its not big enough pick one person to grow it out the split it after it grows enough.

 

[Atlantisdelux]

@Jason mack Move to America? I love European tanks. You guys have actual REEF tanks over there. Most Americans have 800 gallon frag tanks. You go on any social media and 8/10 tanks are full to the brim with frags. They fill up so much they have to buy frag racks cause the glass is the only real estate left. There's no way half of those corals will grow out packed in like that.

 

[ahiggins]

This is the best thing that can help keep the prices down. Ive done this with several corals that ive purchased. Another this is to do a group buy. Get 2-3 people put up the money for the coral and if its big enough at time of purchase (most of the time its not) cut it and each get a piece. If its not big enough pick one person to grow it out the split it after it grows enough.

true-thats what I just did with some bowsers :) group buy less than $100 for 4 heads

 

[d2mini]

You can still run your tank like the "old days".
Buy cheap simple powerheads that are on or off.
Buy petco tank.
Buy old fluorescent lighting.
Buy a simple venturi or airstone skimmer.
Buy easy, very common coral. My LFS have $5 and $10 frag sections.
Buy common fish.

Most of the stuff you are ranting about is a change/improvement in technology, collection, and propagation. With a dash of good old "what the market will allow".
If people keep spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars on little nubs of rainbow sticks or mushrooms with giant zits, or inbred clownfish, then they will keep selling at insane prices.

To save some money...
Buy used equipment and buy livestock from fellow reefers.
DIY as much as possible.


And WELCOME TO REEF2REEF! :)

 

[ebushrow]

I might just have too move too America I think !!! You guys seem too keep all the best ones..or it's near impossible too get hem shipped too Europe .. unless you own a lFS I guess !!!

Actually Japan gets the most awesome/highest price stuff....stuff we will never see...they pay 5000.00 for a coral frag openly there....

 

[Atlantisdelux]

I am running a Petco tank........

And Iv actually been debating on throwing my 4x24 T5HO over the 40 breeder with some ATI bulbs in it just because I have it. At least take that off my plate of things needed to buy, I can put the money toward a good skimmer and return pump and worry about a better light later if it isn't meeting my needs.

And thank you everyone for making this rant such a successful thread. Its been a lot of fun, tonight I'll put together my Members Tank build thread. I keep putting it off at night cause I get caught up looking at all the new gear.

 

[Atlantisdelux]

*I am running a Petco tank......o_O:D*

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