Whats new???

[Reef Pets]

I have noticed that the interest in Acans are fading a little. What are your thoughts on the new trend in coral?
I thought Acans would be one of those coral that people would never lose interest in due to the huge varity of color that they offer. Not only that, they are extremely easy to keep....

 

[Kris Zmurk]

I'm trying to save up to get into the fad of acans, then now it's going out?

Why can't I be cool?:nerd:

Don't worry Gary, I'll make it up there sometime to buy some off of you!

Kris

 

[ReefRunner]

It seems to me that zoas and palys as well as anything that could be remotely identified as a chalice are the hot corals right now. There certainly are a lot of them popping up on eBay right now.

Robin

 

[MikeB]

I blame the President! :tongue:

 

[oceanarab]

I wished i had it to spend.The wifey might make me sleep in the living room in front of my tank since i love it some much.

 

[Reef Pets]

Kris - The problem is that you are a zoo collector, says it under your name.

Robin - I would have to agree. The zoas and palys slowed down about a year ago and are now back in demand.

Browns - Trust me, any chance given he will be to blame! This week was the lowest I have ever sold on ebay in the last two year, people are scared!

Oceanarab - You are going to have to choose, the wife or the reef....... Both are expensive.

 

[chadfarmer]

i am done with acans -- they last about 6 months in my tank and just die

I thank my tank is too clean for them

 

[Reef Pets]

WOW. I have never heard of them just dying. Sorry to hear that.

 

[Russellaqua]

I agree that chalices are a hot item right now.

 

[Kris Zmurk]

Gary, I'll change that to zoo/acan collector soon.

 

[Reef Pets]

Kris - If you plan to start collecting acans then you might want to consider keeping the lights that you now have. They would look great under those.

 

[H@rry]

I remember 2 or 3 years ago the Oregon Tort was the craze. They were $75 - $100 and some vendors put you on a "waiting list". A lot of people bought them (and they started growing). Now you can find them for $20 all day long. Last year it was the "Aussie Acans". Now they talk about the dendros.

The people who hope to make money from corals are about a year to year and a half out of cycle with the demand. By the time they buy the high item corals and raise them to the point that they can frag and sell them, everybody else (and their mama) has also done the same thing.

Buy the coral that you like for your display tank. Don't worry about the price if you can afford it. If you want it, buy it. This is not a hobby to try to make money from. If we can acquire a coral that we like, probably somebody else will want it too. We can frag it and sell frags to others at a reasonable price to recover some of the cost of maintaining your reef(s). This is not a hobby to be commercialized!

 

[Reef Pets]

Oh yeah, I remember the craze of the Oregan Tort.
If I were just a hobbyist then by all means I would purchase only the coral that I like. But, being a vendor I have to purchase all of the coral that everyone else likes.
For me it would be Acans and SPS in my reef tank. Myself, I dont care much for zoas or palys unless they are really brightly colored or a very nice pattern. But, as you know many people mainly like zoas and palys.
The reason that I ask about the trend of coral is so that i can offer the coral that people are looking for. Several people have said that chalice are the new trend. For this reason I will start importing more chalice. Myself, I do like chalice because they offer and variety of color.

 

[H@rry]

Several people have said that chalice are the new trend. For this reason I will start importing more chalice. Myself, I do like chalice because they offer and variety of color.

If you hope to make $$ off chalice, you need to have imported chalice a couple of years ago. How long will it take from the original "import", to the "mother colony", to the frags ready to sell? By that time, people will have moved on the the latest fad.

I buy the corals that I like for my display tanks. If they grow out to the point I can frag them, good; if not, I still have the corals I enjoy. Of course, money is not my primary concern.

 

[ecotoxlady]

I guess I've always kept what does well for me in my tank. I've found that acans don't seem to fare well for me. I think my cuc think they are a tasty treat. Chalice also are hit and miss so I'm wary about spending a fortune on the really nice ones. I think colorful zoas, palys and sps will always make me happy.

 

[mak060]

As H@rry said, for coral farmers, fads are hard to stay on top of (Oregon Tort example given above). The same is not true for vendors. If chalices are selling, it is a matter of ordering more from the distributor. Those who buy what they like are still influenced by fads, as we only see what the vendors are offering for sale, and that selection is definitely affected by market trends. Some end up buying only what survives in their tanks, which is a market share the vendor may or may not think worth capturing.

One thought I had was that, in tougher economic times, acans might not sell as well because they are more costly. Personally, reefpets, I don't think the acan fad is over. Although they've been out a while, many don't know yet they are so hardy you can cut them to pieces and the pieces grow back. Many don't know yet they do have a lightling and feeding requirement, with the latter contradicting what many current textbooks are saying.

The best vendor strategy I can think of is that because it is difficult to predict the next best-seller, broadening the portfolio will reduce risk (just as with financial investments).

As H@rry might say, if it stops being fun, then aim for fun.

Best of luck.:angel: p.s. It might also take some time for people to adjust to the new name.

 

[ahayes13]

well i hope the fad for acans isnt over yet... cause i dont even own one. :)

i guess im not big into what the "fad" might be. for me i just choose what i like not what everyone else is buying...

 

[Saltysteele]

Gary, you've got two client bases out there: the sps guys, and the lps guys (well, then, i guess the softie's)

i don't know what the sps guys are wanting or doing.

the lps guys, from my handle on the situation, are after chalices. sweet z&p's will be popular until the end of time, IMO

i'm actually thinking of selling my acans. they do great, eat lots and get puffy, but my tank just isn't getting them to color up. i posted a month or so ago, that i've noticed the acan fad was starting to wind down. to bad, they really are awesome! wish i could get them to color up.

 

[Reef Pets]

As a vendor a chalice can be purchased at a "frag"size. With this being said I can order them this week, have them next week and then have them on the internet for sale. So, the turn around time is about 7-9 days for the time I make the order until its time to offer the coral for sale.
I have a couple in stock now that I have fragged. When cutting them it takes about 2 weeks to heal and ready to sell. The turn around time in a health system is a very short amount of time.

If you hope to make $$ off chalice, you need to have imported chalice a couple of years ago. How long will it take from the original "import", to the "mother colony", to the frags ready to sell? By that time, people will have moved on the the latest fad.

I buy the corals that I like for my display tanks. If they grow out to the point I can frag them, good; if not, I still have the corals I enjoy. Of course, money is not my primary concern.

 

[JuniorMC8704]

well for me, acans are tops. However, at this point, there's very very few i havent seen before, or ones way to close to another ive seen before. Having bought frags of the ones ive liked, there doesnt seem to be much coming in that gets me excited.

Its certainly not to say the ones coming in arent awesome, just repetitive.

I sure keep my eye out for ones that are truly unique, its just getting harder and harder.

im really after contrasting colors with defined patterns these days...it may sound crazy, but im kinda tired of the random rainbows. I love them, but have more than enough of them.