Stock in LFS doesnt match web?

[Tabasco1]

I do not live very close to a LFS, the closest is 2 hrs. :) I was in the big city this weekend and visited 2 LFS and found that for the most part their stock of coral was fairly disappointing compared to what I am seeing on the internet. I can think of a couple reasons and wanted to hear what was most probable.

1. Pictures on the internet are very enhanced and don't really represent what the actual animals look like. (I am really HOPING this isn't the case)

2. Cost-the better colored animals raise the price so high that with the additional mark up from a LFS they would be cost prohibitive.

3. The better colored corals are mainly sold directly from the propagator to the customer so no middle men?

Please let me know what you think or if there is another reason all together.

 

[viper1972]

I am not very good at this but most of the coral you see on the internet comes from there personal stock that they have cared for like a family member. The pet stores just gets in what the wholesellers sends them and trys to make a few dollars selling them. The retailers are there only to make a buck and the reefers on the net really cares for what they raise and sell. I worked in a pet store for years and if you do not live next door to a wholeseller so you can cherry pick you get whatever they send and most of the time its crap nobody near them wants. Fellow reefers are the only way to go and they will give you the best price they can. The only problem with the internet is shipping cost which overnite is very high, but the quality of coral you are getting makes up for it. Thank you!!

 

[mdb_talon]

I would not worry too much about #1 being the case. Now of course there are times when the picture taking is less than straightforward, but there are also just some amazing looking corals out there.

Your average LFS that is just buying blind from a wholesaler small amounts is likely not going to get that stuff, and if they accidently do there probably someone snatches it up immediately. Plus at the LFS you have a situation where it gets shipped to the wholesaler and then generally with short turnaround time shipped to LFS who probably does not have the best water parameters anyway (speaking of what I know as the "normal" situation to ones I know well enough). Most of that coral is not going to look as good after the stress, but it a good opportunity for buyers with a good eye to find that diamond in the rought that might color up nicely.

Another important factor I think is many of the really nice stuff you see online is not something that is just coming in weekly on the plane from Australia the best stuff is grown out and farmed. Generally your LFS is not taking all their good stuff in the back and then fragging it for a few generations they are more about turnover getting regular shipments in and get it out the door quickly. Definetely exceptions to that I just stating from my experience.

I remember seeing WWC website and thinking the chalices and some of the acros were just insane and wondering how they could get their pictures like that. Then I went to Orlando about a year ago so went ahead and stopped by. I was just shocked at how amazing the stuff looked in person. If anything it was better than the pictures. Unfortunately I had to choose between disney tickets for the kids or taking home a whole lot of stuff from WWC. The kids won... but it was close call :)

 

[Tabasco1]

Thanks so much for the answers. I am glad to hear that, you'd think that a LFS would try to get on the program to have some great corals and have some grow out tanks of their own, since they already have the space. Hmmm, maybe business opportunity ;)

My husband and I are thinking about having kids... you bring up a good point there... maybe we will just skip it. ;)

 

[Captain Nemo]

Another thing that may have hapened is that they sold out of the pieces you were looking for and not updated the website, or they receievd lower quality stuff than what is listed. Jsut my thoughts.....

 

[Wy Renegade]

Actually its generally a combination of factors. If the LFS is getting in wild colonies, in many cases these colonies have not been in a stable environment long enough to color up yet. I've brought home some brown colonies that color up very nicely over time and with the proper lighting. I've also seen shops that have some amazing looking stuff. Another major factors is the lighting; many LFS have cheaper/poor lighting or old bulbs, so much of the amazing color you see via the internet is not apparent until you get it home. And lastly keep in mind that many of the pictures displayed on the internet are macro shots; Mohawks for example look pretty amazing when utilizing a macro lens, but are often times overlooked as a pretty drab zoa when viewed with the naked eye in the aquarium.

 

[Bruno]

Photoshop!!!!

 

[ReeferDan]

Im in same position were theres only 2 lfs which arent close to me and their lovestock isnt that great, and their expensive, so now i just place orders online now through live aquaria, or vivid aquariums and have never had any problems with ordering online and they both have 14 day alive guarantee.

 

[Tabasco1]

Ahhh, didn't even think of the macro shot effect where you can see all the small color detail. That makes alot of sense too. The lighting was another good point that I meant to list. It seems like they just had a standard MH over the tanks and no supplemental actinic to help pop the color.

Just feeling a little out there putting a order an order in for a couple c notes of coral and really not knowing what they will actually look like. :neutral:

 

[droblack]

Some online vendors are also local fish store owners.

 

[steamer51]

I know of LFS that are always looking for new suppliers for good quality and reasonable prices. Since they are the new customer, the suppliers meet their expectations and continue to on the next order to keep the business. They don't just have stock for the sake of having something to sell in their store, they have awesome stock at prices that tempt someone cheap like me. I am a $5 or $10 frag kind of a customer who frequents frag swaps and club members frag tanks. I recently bought a $40 Cynarina as my first LPS that is absolutely gorgeous, healthy and a fair size. It took three trips to the LFS admiring it and researching on line before I finally purchased it. Online pictures were not as nice as mine and ran anywhere from $50-$120 plus shipping. It is possible for LFS to have good stock at fair prices and we are blessed in Louisville with several great ones.

 

[Michael7979]

Pictures can be photoshopped to make items look better. But what I have found is that alot of LFS websites do not update their pages as often as the really web focused retailers do.
And it seems really apparent when it comes to the corals. Once they get a good looking mother colony they never change the picture. So it becomes more of "this is what yours COULD look like" not a "this is what we have in" type of thing.