Tips for buying from other hobbyists: What do you look for?

How often do you buy coral from other hobbyists?

  • Very Often

    Votes: 119 23.2%
  • Occasionally

    Votes: 178 34.8%
  • Very Rare

    Votes: 93 18.2%
  • Never

    Votes: 107 20.9%
  • Other (please explain)

    Votes: 15 2.9%

  • Total voters
    512

doubleshot00

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 13, 2022
Messages
2,653
Reaction score
2,601
Location
Wilmington
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
The problem is that most hobbies want to sell you corals and used equipment at a retailer price, I have yet to find a deal on corals or used equipment here.
This. Im not paying LFS prices for your frag; i would rather support the LFS.
 

jfoahs04

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 2, 2021
Messages
804
Reaction score
1,436
Location
Boston
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Just about all of my coral is from hobbyists. We have an awesome local club and a bunch of guys grow some great stuff. I personally like seeing the person’s system but it’s not a deal breaker if I can’t. I only do local pick up though, no shipping. I also look for guys who are selling at reasonable prices rather than dealing with the handful that are charging retail. In my experience, the guys who grow the healthiest stuff are not the people trying to turn a big profit. Most of the guys are super generous and have an established reputation in the club. My most recent pickup was a nice Maleficent (back left) and a 1.5 inch chunk of Orange Creamsicle (front right) - $50 total. Just can’t beat that.
22889B27-0F2B-49B2-8E23-169238ADA4BA.jpeg
 

Chrisv.

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 17, 2012
Messages
3,202
Reaction score
3,810
Location
United States
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
[
Just about all of my coral is from hobbyists. We have an awesome local club and a bunch of guys grow some great stuff. I personally like seeing the person’s system but it’s not a deal breaker if I can’t. I only do local pick up though, no shipping. I also look for guys who are selling at reasonable prices rather than dealing with the handful that are charging retail. In my experience, the guys who grow the healthiest stuff are not the people trying to turn a big profit. Most of the guys are super generous and have an established reputation in the club. My most recent pickup was a nice Maleficent (back left) and a 1.5 inch chunk of Orange Creamsicle (front right) - $50 total. Just can’t beat that.
22889B27-0F2B-49B2-8E23-169238ADA4BA.jpeg

+1 for the Boston Reefers having an amazing community of folks who share awesome corals for fair prices. I have two tanks stocked exclusively with corals from local reefers.
 

Gary67

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
May 7, 2021
Messages
114
Reaction score
82
Location
Chicago ill
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Cool thing about coral is that it grows (hopefully), and then you can trade for more coral or sell some to buy more coral! I love it! As hobbyists we're presented with the opportunity to buy from other hobbyists and sometimes it can get tricky if you don't know what to do and what not to do! Today I thought it would be cool if we traded some tips on this topic!

When you're buying coral from other hobbyists what are some things to look for to protect yourself and to make sure your getting a good deal?

image via @Reefinometry
IMG_5056 copy.jpg
 

Gary67

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
May 7, 2021
Messages
114
Reaction score
82
Location
Chicago ill
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
i never bought from a hobbyist but i think i would do better about 2 months ago i bought 3 frags just around2 inches so when i got the box of coral they were at best fair with some bald spots so i took a couple of weeks that they were going to change the corals. they said pick 1 and they were going to pick the rest i said i'm dead well the frags came to me this morning. good great until the frags i put in my tank got to the last one and the coral was as white as snow i'm not going to name the company just fed up with them and one time from the same seller said he was sorry the plane forgot to put them on the plane well they did send them 2 days later all shot crappy ths seller is bad ju ju
 

CNDReef

Formally Toomanyfish
View Badges
Joined
Mar 19, 2017
Messages
1,859
Reaction score
2,080
Location
Boston
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I like to see pictures of the colony’s they came from in more of a daylight setting. Blue light hides a lot of nastys.
 

Darksidereefer

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 2, 2015
Messages
50
Reaction score
39
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I tend to only buy from people in the hobby. I can see their tanks and have most of the time a good conversation. Prices are fair.LFS prices have gone crazy since covid hit. I understand shipping has gone up but the prices for a nub of a coral are ridiculous. I have also found hobbyists are more willing to replace a piece if you lose it.

Most important you gain another persons brain to pick. Hobbyists are willing to talk about their tanks and the steps it took to get to the success they are having. If the tank isn't nice don't take their advice, or corals.
 

adsf430

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 26, 2020
Messages
1,657
Reaction score
2,467
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
I don't get the comments about lighting, retailers take far more deceptive photos than hobbyists. I hate paying $50 shipping when that money can be spent on more coral and don't have great local fish store options so I prefer to buy from local hobbyists, will even sometimes turn it into a roadtrip and make a day of it exploring the town. I think it isn't too hard to find local hobbyists other people are clearly happy customers of on the platforms and get specimens from them for much better deals. My favorite corals in my tank are all from hobbyists.
 

Gary67

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
May 7, 2021
Messages
114
Reaction score
82
Location
Chicago ill
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I tend to only buy from people in the hobby. I can see their tanks and have most of the time a good conversation. Prices are fair.LFS prices have gone crazy since covid hit. I understand shipping has gone up but the prices for a nub of a coral are ridiculous. I have also found hobbyists are more willing to replace a piece if you lose it.

Most important you gain another persons brain to pick. Hobbyists are willing to talk about their tanks and the steps it took to get to the success they are having. If the tank isn't nice don't take their advice, or corals.
can you give me some names here is my e-mail address if thats ok thanks again gary
 

Double monti 61

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 19, 2019
Messages
784
Reaction score
587
Location
New York State us
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I’ve never met anyone locally that keeps a marine tank or coral I live in an area with many boring people but if you like colorful coral you might like these succulents they are lithops they do not live in water and do not need that much.
 

Attachments

  • 56600728-3FD6-48CD-A63D-3629D02180D1.jpeg
    56600728-3FD6-48CD-A63D-3629D02180D1.jpeg
    263.4 KB · Views: 48

shakacuz

7500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 7, 2021
Messages
8,432
Reaction score
32,551
Location
Eastern PA
Rating - 100%
5   0   0
i usually try and see how the DT or frag tank looks. too see if any pests are present. after, i see if the plug is new or not because chances are if the plug is old, it’ll carry in the pest. lastly i look for what light it was kept under. i try to buy LED grown frags
 

Gary67

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
May 7, 2021
Messages
114
Reaction score
82
Location
Chicago ill
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
i'm still looking to buy corals mostly acropora 's but i will take some time i look on here with the classifieds or marketplace i have a few corals on my frag rack and thats about 8-10 frags some look great some look like crap i have to finish up cleaning m tank tomorrow take 1 off the frag rack and one off the rock i just don't get it why would my frags loose there out of there skin i would say i lost about 5k in corals since i started this venture i have a 75g tank i have changed my water the last 2 weeks at 27 gallons a week just finished 22 gallons have 5 more to go i go through 3 different kits for finding what im lacking or to much in that has to come out
 

Derrick0580

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 6, 2022
Messages
1,707
Reaction score
1,897
Location
Lafayette Indiana
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
This. Im not paying LFS prices for your frag; i would rather support the LFS.
I agree, the lfs here is a very small shop and I would hate to see them close up shop. As a hobbyist I have no overhead to cover so there is no reason to charge retail prices. Lfs has to pay charges based on collectors, shippers, gas prices, and most of the time they eat the cost of dead arrivals and anything that doesn’t make it due to other problems like aggression amongst tank mates once in their tanks. As far as used equipment goes…chances are if I have replaced it I won’t be using it again so why not pass it along to someone who can get some use out of it! If they could afford new they wouldn’t be buying your used equipment.
 

Wasabiroot

FW Convert and now Addict
View Badges
Joined
Mar 17, 2021
Messages
1,877
Reaction score
2,850
Location
Metro Detroit
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I will if the price is fair, the distance isn't too far, and it's a coral i'm looking for. My main reason I don't usually is the ones local to me either sell so infrequently that I miss it, or are selling higher end stuff I can't really afford to acquire at the moment.
It also doesn't help that I'm within driving distance of a great LFS and Cherry Corals.

Buying local is great if it's a very obscure strain of zoanthid/acro/etc for example.
 

Solga

2 lost souls swimming in a fish bowl ...
View Badges
Joined
Oct 20, 2021
Messages
212
Reaction score
372
Location
Indiana
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I think this is kind of a 2 part Q&A. You have the poll question, and then the post questions. :p
The poll question, I answered 'other' to, and here is why. I mean absolutely no negativity, or discontent in this response, so please do not take it as such. Coming from a background that is rich in the field of law enforcement, attorneys, and the court/judicial system, questions like these are used quite often. They are called leading questions and can be used to shape or sway opinions or made to have things look like something they are not. In order to be, no so leading, if a person was to ask "When buying coral, how often is it from other hobbyist ?", that would appear to be more direct poll question. I can elaborate further, but I don't think anyone would be as interested in this stuff. Lol. Now, I very highly doubt this poll was created with something like that in mind, but it is still there none the less. Anyway, to answer the poll question, I will say that I don't buy coral very often at all. But in the times that I have purchased coral, a few of the times, have been from other hobbyist or at frag swaps, a few of the times have been from vendors online and frag swaps, and the other couple times were from actually buying something else and the coral either was attached or supplied as an additional 'thank you'.

As far as the question in the post goes, I am not REALLY experienced in the coral side of the hobby yet, and I am new enough that I do not have a set standard for which I look for when buying. I am a person that appreciates the live rock from the gulf (or wherever), and I understand that there will be anything and everything with it, so "pests" are really not much of a concern with me. I do not have any high dollar, prized corals or fish either, so there is that. Also, I have bought a couple coral that look ... not so good, just to see if I can nurse it back to health, and to see what it will look like later on. Not to mention, those coral come really cheap, so I'm not at much of a loss if it doesn't work out. I guess I am kinda different like that, but I enjoy not having the standard, picture perfect, glass box of water
As an example, here is a picture of my 10g...
 

Attachments

  • received_987101895329467.jpeg
    received_987101895329467.jpeg
    152.2 KB · Views: 46

Forty-Two

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 15, 2021
Messages
500
Reaction score
422
Location
Israel
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
i usually try and see how the DT or frag tank looks. too see if any pests are present. after, i see if the plug is new or not because chances are if the plug is old, it’ll carry in the pest. lastly i look for what light it was kept under. i try to buy LED grown frags
I want to see the main tank as well. Look for pests/problems/overall health of the tank.
 

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

  • Ball valves.

    Votes: 68 52.3%
  • Gate valves.

    Votes: 67 51.5%
  • Check valves.

    Votes: 33 25.4%
  • None.

    Votes: 29 22.3%
  • Other.

    Votes: 9 6.9%
Back
Top