- Joined
- May 12, 2018
- Messages
- 582
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- 428
This is true as well, I just think some us as reefers do take things for granted because of the abundance we have.Well vendors need to survive too. Charging just enough to pay the bills to upkeep the tanks (and all the associated bills) seems a bit presumptuous.
Does this mean I think they don’t over charge? No, many do. And then they name a coral and call it super ultra rare and charge even more. And then what the probability that the super ultra rare coral survives in a reefers tank?
Not all vendors can be coral farmers. They don’t have the space to do grow outs - and think about how long that actually takes for some corals. It’s not really something that can be managed. I read somewhere about them figuring out how to get scolys to “reproduce”.
There are people out there trying to mimic nature to get corals to spawn naturally. BUT this also cost money.
Should aquacultured corals be cheaper - they do tend to be hardier. So yes and no. There is a fair amount of work involved to get to the point that you can call a coral aquacultured.
I love my tank.
I have suffered through a tank crash. So yes I lost plenty of corals.
I've lost fish. Plenty of people lose fish during the QT process. Or during the shipping process.
The cost to breed fish in captivity and then raise the offspring is high. As each species requires specific needs that may or may not be able to be met within a tank.
Should there be regulations on the way we catch fish. 100% yes. But then they need to enforce it- which cost money.
I think money made from collectors of wild caught fish or harvested corals went directly to enforcing and protecting the reefs this would help….but there are black markets for everything…
Prohibition happened….didnt stop moonshine!!!
I do my best to give my tank and its inhabitants the best care…..that’s all I can do. I sell stuff randomly at a lower price than vendors - but I only have to maintain my tank. I don’t have overhead to think about, family to support, or employees to pay.