Wondering, how many captive colonies a vendor would have to have on hand, to produce say 500-1000 fresh cut frags every few weeks for a "live sale"?

[TCK Corals]

I’d love to see some mother colonies that size! I don’t think many vendors have them.. that would be an awesome thread with all you vendors actually showing the grow outs and mother colonies! I know it would put a lot thoughts to rest for many people and just be amazing to see! Love me some home grown corals!

Here is a photo we took over the summer of a single 12 x 4 ft run.... the colonies in here are big. Really big. And they start killing each other if we don't intervene by fragging/pruning. The ATO tank underneath is a 40 breeder for size reference. We have 4 of these 12 footers and 16 x 7 footers.

 

[Justin_Casper]

There are a good plenty that order wholesale frags in. Those are still aquacultured just not in their facility. You can usually tell what was ordered in because multiple vendors will have very similar pieces pop up at the same time. There are solid retailers whose entire business is live sales so they are spending 2 months collecting frags for each sale.

 

[MoshJosh]

Legit questions. . . when we say wild caught/collected we mean the coral was ripped out of the ocean where it was naturally growing yes? Where as mariculture are corals that are specifically grown for the hobby but in the ocean (like on those big metal racks)?

How many of the frags we see are maricultured, and are they labeled as such?

 

[DIYreefer]

my issue someone cutting up an 8-12" coral into 20-30 pices.... thats less than 1" per frag.and if its a table (circle) then you might get more but then every single side of thr coral is freshcut. this is the literal definition of coral chop-shopping. Which im not down with. Adam sells coral frags that are of appropriate sizes (IMO) and still at great (better) prices than most vendors, hence why hes one of only a couple online vendors that ill support.

These are all my opinions as stated in my first post. youre allowed to feel differently.

I think you are misunderstanding what a 12" coral looks like (potentially). When someone refers to a coral being 12", they are referring to the size of it from one side to the other. Within those 12" there can EASILY be 50 one inch branches (potential frags). I have a Cali Tort that is a little over 12" across. It was starting to shade a couple of other corals so I cut about 10 good sized frags. You can hardly even tell that I cut it. In a month, I will have to cut that same area again, as well as other parts of the colony to keep it from shading other corals. I could take 10 one inch frags from this colony every month, indefinitely, and sustainably. Without ever really being able to tell it was cut in the first place. I literally give these frags away otherwise they would have to go in the trash.

But to add my 2 pennies to the topic of the thread... the answer is all of them. One would have to have ALL of the corals to sustainably pump out 3000+ frags per month for their lube sales.

Lol, I'm gonna leave that last typo where it's at. It's kinda fitting, IMO.

 

[DIYreefer]

Legit questions. . . when we say wild caught/collected we mean the coral was ripped out of the ocean where it was naturally growing yes? Where as mariculture are corals that are specifically grown for the hobby but in the ocean (like on those big metal racks)?

How many of the frags we see are maricultured, and are they labeled as such?

Yes, that's what both terms mean.

How many are labeled as maricultured during live sales? Idk, I've never participated in one, but I'm guessing very few at most, and most likely, none.

 

[Mschmidt]

I think you are misunderstanding what a 12" coral looks like (potentially). When someone refers to a coral being 12", they are referring to the size of it from one side to the other. Within those 12" there can EASILY be 50 one inch branches (potential frags). I have a Cali Tort that is a little over 12" across. It was starting to shade a couple of other corals so I cut about 10 good sized frags. You can hardly even tell that I cut it. In a month, I will have to cut that same area again, as well as other parts of the colony to keep it from shading other corals. I could take 10 one inch frags from this colony every month, indefinitely, and sustainably. Without ever really being able to tell it was cut in the first place. I literally give these frags away otherwise they would have to go in the trash.

But to add my 2 pennies to the topic of the thread... the answer is all of them. One would have to have ALL of the corals to sustainably pump out 3000+ frags per month for their lube sales.

Lol, I'm gonna leave that last typo where it's at. It's kinda fitting, IMO.

Thought it was on purpose when I first read it, till the last line.

 

[twentyleagues]

I think you are misunderstanding what a 12" coral looks like (potentially). When someone refers to a coral being 12", they are referring to the size of it from one side to the other. Within those 12" there can EASILY be 50 one inch branches (potential frags). I have a Cali Tort that is a little over 12" across. It was starting to shade a couple of other corals so I cut about 10 good sized frags. You can hardly even tell that I cut it. In a month, I will have to cut that same area again, as well as other parts of the colony to keep it from shading other corals. I could take 10 one inch frags from this colony every month, indefinitely, and sustainably. Without ever really being able to tell it was cut in the first place. I literally give these frags away otherwise they would have to go in the trash.

But to add my 2 pennies to the topic of the thread... the answer is all of them. One would have to have ALL of the corals to sustainably pump out 3000+ frags per month for their lube sales.

Lol, I'm gonna leave that last typo where it's at. It's kinda fitting, IMO.

I had a few acros that grew really well for me and some that barely grew but looked good. 2 of my best growers were the pearl berry and red planet, I had a few colonies of both and would have to do the same thing on a regular basis. I wish I could find someone that would give me the deals I was giving on those corals.

 

[Jasonak]

Right. That seems to be the typical fare for some of these offer recurring “live sales”.

Is that cool now? Or maybe some people don’t realize that’s what’s going on?

I certainly didn't know that was going on. Never even crossed my mind to be honest.
But I really don't follow any other vendors besides you TSA and Harrys. I see all the sales banners every time I log on but its white noise to be honest. Ive popped into a couple other vendors live sales but not bought anything. Ive done two live sales both TSA it was fun got some deals but not my go to way to buy coral at all. I like to window shop for months change my list ten times (see picture) LOL

 

[Daniel@R2R]

As has been stated above, most vendors aren't running live sales every weekend. They run them a few times a year. This allows plenty of time for those focused on aquaculture to regrow their stock and be ready for the next sale.

I think on the mariculture vs aquaculture frags question, that's usually going to come down to business model. Some vendors frequently import and sell what they bring in which will generally be wild or mariculture. (It's also worth noting that many businesses that use an import model hold those pieces for a set amount of time in order to be sure of the viability of what they're selling. Nobody wants a bunch of unhappy customers!) Other vendors focus their business model on aquaculture. It's not usually hard to identify which is which based on a perusal of their website and offerings. And IME if you ask most businesses what their model is, they'll generally tell you with a full explanation. When a business holds a live sale, I've generally found them to stick to whichever business model they usually follow, so their customers are generally receiving the same kinds of corals that are offered when they're not running a live sale.

I think it would be a complete mischaracterization to assume that just because a business holds live sales that they are just hocking a bunch of recently imported pieces. There are MANY vendors who do not do this and who hold live sales throughout the year.

IMO if you're considering shopping a live sale, choose to shop from a vendor you trust. There are plenty of great sponsors here at R2R that you can check out. If you're curious come window shop at a sale with a vendor that interests you. If live sales aren't your cup of tea, then skip them and shop in a way that you're more comfortable. However, don't conflate a style of sale with an ethical question or make assumptions about someone's business practices just because they offer large sales. That's not a fair way to look at anyone.

 

[ninjamyst]

Just want to say kudos to TCK for jumping in and sharing some colony shots and providing insights...it's not too often we see vendors doing that.

 

[YOYOYOReefer]

I’ve got about 150 colony size pieces been reefing since the 80s. Mostly acans ,branching hammers, and sticks. 500-1000 plugs a month would wipe me out in a year . I think a lot of these places are coral chop shops that are turning big numbers out.

 

[ronnie]

Retail is detail. I’d love to know the sell through on some of these live sales. My guess is that only a small percentage is actually moving. Maybe upwards of 30-40% for a “good” sale.

Strategy I feel happens more than it should:
1. Increase price by 45% leading up to sale
2. Advertise thousands of coral leading up to sale
3. Post pics of 10-20 amazing drop dead gorgeous coral leading up to sale
4. When sale starts, drop prices by 35-40% to show great savings for sale
5. Sprinkle gorgeous coral in throughout sale as teasers to keep people’s attention.

 

[ninjamyst]

Retail is detail. I’d love to know the sell through on some of these live sales. My guess is that only a small percentage is actually moving. Maybe upwards of 30-40% for a “good” sale.

Strategy I feel happens more than it should:
1. Increase price by 45% leading up to sale
2. Advertise thousands of coral leading up to sale
3. Post pics of 10-20 amazing drop dead gorgeous coral leading up to sale
4. When sale starts, drop prices by 35-40% to show great savings for sale
5. Sprinkle gorgeous coral in throughout sale as teasers to keep people’s attention.

There's no increasing price by 45% leading up to sale. Most vendors just leave "nonsale" prices very high all the time and lower them during sales. People are trying way too hard to paint vendors as greedy corporations making millions off us working folks. Most of the vendors are small businesses themselves and of course they need to turn a profit to keep supporting their staff and their family.

TBH, I am surprised this topic is started by Adam / Battlecorals. I had a lot of respect for BC before and purchased from them before. However, I have to say I am quite disappointed that Adam continues to market himself as different / better than other vendors because he doesn't do gimmicky sales, but ultimately he's a business too and runs sales throughout the year. He doesn't call them "live sales" but they are essentially the same thing. Instead of putting other vendors down, maybe focus on partnering with them and elevating the hobby?

 

[OrchidMiss]

As many as I can. This is probably the only real trick I have to keeping a reasonably steady supply.

Of course the stuff no one wants always grows the fastest! Lol

I'll take em! and some mints.

 

[Cthulukelele]

Here is a photo we took over the summer of a single 12 x 4 ft run.... the colonies in here are big. Really big. And they start killing each other if we don't intervene by fragging/pruning. The ATO tank underneath is a 40 breeder for size reference. We have 4 of these 12 footers and 16 x 7 footers.

Do you plumb all those systems together or run them separately in case of catastrophic failure of a particular system? Also what sort of gargantuan monster of a calcium reactor is necessary to support this? I think a lot of reefers would die for a behind the scenes look at a setup like this.

 

[DIYreefer]

I think a lot of reefers would die for a behind the scenes look at a setup like this.

I would. Aquaculture is my jam! By far my favorite aspect of the hobby. I would love to see more behind the scenes stuff from any/all of the guys that are growing corals on this kind of scale.

 

[ronnie]

There's no increasing price by 45% leading up to sale. Most vendors just leave "nonsale" prices very high all the time and lower them during sales. People are trying way too hard to paint vendors as greedy corporations making millions off us working folks. Most of the vendors are small businesses themselves and of course they need to turn a profit to keep supporting their staff and their family.

TBH, I am surprised this topic is started by Adam / Battlecorals. I had a lot of respect for BC before and purchased from them before. However, I have to say I am quite disappointed that Adam continues to market himself as different / better than other vendors because he doesn't do gimmicky sales, but ultimately he's a business too and runs sales throughout the year. He doesn't call them "live sales" but they are essentially the same thing. Instead of putting other vendors down, maybe focus on partnering with them and elevating the hobby?

Give me good pricing any day over a perceived “XX percent off” a number that nobody would pay ever.

 

[magallonbuckinbulls]

In the bucking bull industry, we have a governing agency that govern the blood lines. We have events we compete in to raise the value of the blood line.

To compete in the PBR, bulls have to be registered with the ABBI. This keeps order and control of the blood lines. Of course there’s records of DNA and other prevalent information. If not everyone and their mother would be raising and selling bulls for the PBR. Lol

Same is done with a lot of industries.

Would be nice to see something similar in this industry.

Looks like the drug dealers left the drugs and starting selling frags now lol. Everyone and their mother has a business lol.

I can throw a stone and hit a reefer with a business, they're everywhere here in Socal. Even some of the fruit vendors started selling frags. It's like going to the fish market in Chinna.

I just returned to the hobby after 12 years, and I was like "holly ****", there's more people selling frags than street vendors.

It is what it is, lol. Just have to adapt and stay a few steps ahead of the game. People who look for quality, will always search for quality. I found you Brother Adam lol.

 

[Gtinnel]

 

[liddojunior]

I assumed farms would have many chunky frags from the frags that didn’t sell. And they can frag those for more instead of the mother for something or selling super fast

Is it possible to move that much coral ?

During live sales for places that do aquaculture, I’m only see around 5-10 frags of a certain type and the following live sale doesn’t always have the same selection.