Why Are You Here???

[TopNotchCorals]

Im in this hobby because I love reefing as a whole,being able to maintain a reef and watching it thrive and flourish is crazy rewarding mentally for me.I hate seeing people in this hobby that take advantage of us who are in this hobby for the love of it and are here to make a quick dollar.If I saw a vendor selling something over priced I would kinda understand because they are vendors and thats what they are here to do "make money" they have a business to run,but if I saw another hobbyist who is not a vendor all of a sudden come across a colony of this same coral and try to profit off it then I can pretty much get an idea of what your all about and why your here:sad:This may just be me but if I saw something being sold as rare and came across a colony of it that kinda proved it wasnt as rare as it was thought to be I would spread the love and at a much better price to help improve the outrageous pricing on some of these corals,and as a vendor also I would drop the price too if I saw more surface.I know there have been many of threads such as this and Im sure it wont be the last but this is just how I feel which may be different from the next man and thats alright.

 

[nayrgaijin]

I agree. For vendors this is their life and what they depend on for their bread and butter.

As hobbyists it's a plus if we can make some extra cash, which any true hobbyist probably dumps right back into their tank haha, I know I do!

However this hobby isn't for making money, it's for enjoying the ocean in your very own home IMO. That's why i started.

I missed the ocean so much after moving from Japan to Kansas I had to do something about it!
Now I have a wonderful reef :)

 

[ReeferRob]

I hear ya, I get more satisfaction out of giving someone a frag than I do selling it to them for loot. And boy I could use some loot right now! The camaraderie is gone in this hobby.

 

[drainbamage]

I enjoy watching a sterile glass box come to life in both the macro and the micro. Long term though, the growth and cultivation of the animals is something that just excites me, I have no idea why, I'm an engineering major so far from a farmer or bio type of guy. All the same, watching everything in the tank grow, and being able to succesfully cultivate it, is really just, well, awesome. That's why I keep in the hobby, and that's why I'm still in it for as long as I have been.
That said, the money is a fun part of it. I'm not looking to get rich by having a tank, but being able to sell stuff that I've grown to afford other things is huge. I'm a full-time student and almost all my incoming funds is student loans. Selling a few corals allows me to go snag a higher priced one that I've been eyeballing for awhile. I don't try and sell at retail price, because as of yet (who knows, there's a dream someday of starting a farm/shop) I'm not a retailer, I'm not paying overhead, employees, etc. But I don't just give things away, because as much as I wish I could, it'd simply prevent me from having more fun IN the hobby.
Towards your last point-to each their own. Some folks like collecting antiques. Some get the thrill out of the buy and sell process. I'll admit to both. A lot of things I love cultivating and growing. Others, I enjoy snagging, keeping a chunk of, and then selling off the rest to justify my purchase and perhaps allow me to buy something else. I've never bought something that I didn't want to keep at least one piece of, but I won't hesitate to buy a big colony with the intention of fragging it out. I don't think this makes me evil or a horrible person for the hobby, does it?

 

[Reef Goddess]

I love creating an ecosystem and watching all the creatures that develop in a reef tank. I love that there are so many different corals and variations, I feel sure that I will never have it all even if I had a whole warehouse full of tanks. I love the science of reefkeeping and also never being able to know it all.

 

[nayrgaijin]

I think this will turn out to be a good thread :)

 

[TopNotchCorals]

I enjoy watching a sterile glass box come to life in both the macro and the micro. Long term though, the growth and cultivation of the animals is something that just excites me, I have no idea why, I'm an engineering major so far from a farmer or bio type of guy. All the same, watching everything in the tank grow, and being able to succesfully cultivate it, is really just, well, awesome. That's why I keep in the hobby, and that's why I'm still in it for as long as I have been.
That said, the money is a fun part of it. I'm not looking to get rich by having a tank, but being able to sell stuff that I've grown to afford other things is huge. I'm a full-time student and almost all my incoming funds is student loans. Selling a few corals allows me to go snag a higher priced one that I've been eyeballing for awhile. I don't try and sell at retail price, because as of yet (who knows, there's a dream someday of starting a farm/shop) I'm not a retailer, I'm not paying overhead, employees, etc. But I don't just give things away, because as much as I wish I could, it'd simply prevent me from having more fun IN the hobby.
Towards your last point-to each their own. Some folks like collecting antiques. Some get the thrill out of the buy and sell process. I'll admit to both. A lot of things I love cultivating and growing. Others, I enjoy snagging, keeping a chunk of, and then selling off the rest to justify my purchase and perhaps allow me to buy something else. I've never bought something that I didn't want to keep at least one piece of, but I won't hesitate to buy a big colony with the intention of fragging it out. I don't think this makes me evil or a horrible person for the hobby, does it?

Getting your money back is one thing but to just see a coral as a money machine as a hobbyist and not a vendor is another;)

 

[alexshefchik]

I have to say the most rewarding piece of this hobby is when you can nurse a coral back to health! To be able to bring a living creature back to life and have it make a full recovery makes me feel like picked the right expensive hobby :wink: On topic though I would to have to agree that you should not try to make money in this hobby you should do it for the love of the animals. But I am also guilty of buying bigger corals and fragging them to pay for that coral. I wish it was not like that but I am also in college and I sell my frags in order to buy new corals and feed a chalice addiction!!:squigglemouth:

 

[TopNotchCorals]

I think this will turn out to be a good thread :)

I hope so Ryan,there is a lot of tension growing in this hobby because of people who are taking advantage of us hobbyist and I think we need to have a place to talk about it instead of just letting these feelings build up and resulting in people leaving the hobby.

 

[drainbamage]

Getting your money back is one thing but to just see a coral as a money machine as a hobbyist and not a vendor is another;)

Err....I'm sorry, but why?

Is the carpenter who sells his birdhouses as his primary source of income more entitled to the money from his labors than the hobbyist who does it on the side from his primary job? I'm not disagreeing for the heck of it, and I'm all for the casual enthusiasts, I just don't understand the need to look down on how people enjoy the different aspects of the hobby, ya know? Why bash, eh?

 

[Paul_N]

OK I'm going to play devils advocate here. What is wrong with one of us making some money off of the hobby we love. I was always taught that if you can find something that you love to do and make money from it then you have succeeded. To say this hobby isn't for making money is your opinion, but it doesn't make it right or wrong. I have no problem with someone selling frags out of their basement and paying for their reef tank and maybe paying a couple other bills along the way. People that are into photography love the hobby and sell their pictures. Also I don't know about you but I don't want to be overcharged by anyone; hobbyist or vendor. Just because someone files for a TIN doesn't give them the right to all of sudden say coral A is worth X amount. With that being said, I am in this hobby because of the satisfaction I get from the success of my reef. I sell my used equipment when I upgrade or have no need for it and fish or coral when I don't want them or have too much. I also have every right to buy a large colony, frag it and make some extra $$. JMO

 

[TopNotchCorals]

I have to say the most rewarding piece of this hobby is when you can nurse a coral back to health! To be able to bring a living creature back to life and have it make a full recovery makes me feel like picked the right expensive hobby :wink: On topic though I would to have to agree that you should not try to make money in this hobby you should do it for the love of the animals. But I am also guilty of buying bigger corals and fragging them to pay for that coral. I wish it was not like that but I am also in college and I sell my frags in order to buy new corals and feed a chalice addiction!!:squigglemouth:

I have no problem with getting your money back if you can, and I have no problem with just trying to make money to support your hobby needs,but if you got a good deal on a piece then why not give the next man that same deal or even better???If I paid $50 for a piece that on average goes for $100 and after it grew out I sold it for $100 then Im taking advantage of others right??

 

[Paul_N]

I have no problem with getting your money back if you can, and I have no problem with just trying to make money to support your hobby needs,but if you got a good deal on a piece then why not give the next man that same deal or even better???If I paid $50 for a piece that on average goes for $100 and after it grew out I sold it for $100 then Im taking advantage of others right??

If that is how much the coral is worth then no. If you try to sell something that is worth $50 for a $100 then that is taking advantage of someone.

 

[TopNotchCorals]

Err....I'm sorry, but why?

Is the carpenter who sells his birdhouses as his primary source of income more entitled to the money from his labors than the hobbyist who does it on the side from his primary job? I'm not disagreeing for the heck of it, and I'm all for the casual enthusiasts, I just don't understand the need to look down on how people enjoy the different aspects of the hobby, ya know? Why bash, eh?

No bashing here just my opinion;)

 

[Troylee]

Great thread Tim.... I was getting burned out for awhile after spending thousands of dollars and still am...:(
Just when I'm ready to throw the towel in a spend a few hundred more lol... Never satisfied thou!!!! One thing that bothers me is my picture taking skills I need to work on I have the corals to make people oooh and awe but I can't share it with the world because my pics suck and no body really gives them a second look.... My local club appreciates it and it shows when they stop by and check out my tank I see there faces and most of them look up to me locally so that has kept the fire burning for now... How long it will last I don't know but I miss the days of 10 corals lol.... As for coming across a rare colony I always break my homies off free because they would do the same and have when the situation arises.... Dunno man just dead tired at the moment and the tank has been declineing so it's tuff right now....:(

 

[drainbamage]

I have no problem with getting your money back if you can, and I have no problem with just trying to make money to support your hobby needs,but if you got a good deal on a piece then why not give the next man that same deal or even better???If I paid $50 for a piece that on average goes for $100 and after it grew out I sold it for $100 then Im taking advantage of others right??

No, you bought a car with some rust, cleaned it up, and sold it for what it would sell for in a nicer condition. Taking advantage of others would be if you created a shoddy deal the first time (hey man, give me that car for cheap cause I'm poor/need it to get around/guilt trip of sort), and then flipped it, especially engaging in a shady deal to the buyer (hey man, it's worth more than I'm asking/some sorta pushy used car lot salesguy tactics.)

 

[Paul_N]

No, you bought a car with some rust, cleaned it up, and sold it for what it would sell for in a nicer condition. Taking advantage of others would be if you created a shoddy deal the first time (hey man, give me that car for cheap cause I'm poor/need it to get around/guilt trip of sort), and then flipped it, especially engaging in a shady deal to the buyer (hey man, it's worth more than I'm asking/some sorta pushy used car lot salesguy tactics.)

+1 I had a fellow reefer give me a frag tank that leaked for free. I fixed it but realized I couldn't fit it where I planned so I gave it to another local reefer for free. All I did was use Weldon I had so I spent no extra money on it.

 

[TopNotchCorals]

No, you bought a car with some rust, cleaned it up, and sold it for what it would sell for in a nicer condition. Taking advantage of others would be if you created a shoddy deal the first time (hey man, give me that car for cheap cause I'm poor/need it to get around/guilt trip of sort), and then flipped it, especially engaging in a shady deal to the buyer (hey man, it's worth more than I'm asking/some sorta pushy used car lot salesguy tactics.)

Im not cleaning no coral up and adding money to rebuild it, that was a bad analogy:(

 

[Paul_N]

Im not cleaning no coral up and adding money to rebuild it, that was a bad analogy:(

No but you are growing it out and putting time effort and money into that.

 

[TopNotchCorals]

+1 I had a fellow reefer give me a frag tank that leaked for free. I fixed it but realized I couldn't fit it where I planned so I gave it to another local reefer for free. All I did was use Weldon I had so I spent no extra money on it.

Guys,we are not adding extra value to these corals.