Tips on becoming a designer coral collector

[reefwars]

Well I'm sure the new folks into the coral game wanna know......how do you get them?

Lets hear your tips for beginner collectors on how to achieve their goal, lets hear your story on how you started , how bad the addiction got and where you are now:)

Game on!!!

[Slyguy00]

Haha this should be good. I think if we say how much $ we have into our systems now it will scare away all the new comers :mrgreen:

[BC564]

are you really sure you want to shock new people this way?

[Reef Pilot]

Yeah, and you think the real experts are going to give away their secrets??!!...

Here's my newbie story. When we bought our last house, I inherited a 10 year old tank full of softies and some LPS. It was also full of aiptasia, nitrates and phosphates.

So first step was get the tank into shape and get my nitrates and phosphates down to near zero. That actually took about 2 years for me. Of course it didn't help that I didn't know anything about SW. Bio pellets with MB7 took care of the nitrates, and GFO for the phosphates. Pearlscales got rid of the aiptasia.

Then I started with easy SPS, and more LPS. First lesson was turn down my Radion LEDs so I didn't bleach and kill the new frags. Growth took off, and after about 6 months or so, started selling frags to pay for more expensive "designer" frags that I had my eye on.

Now am adding more "deeper water" SPS, and learned that they need even more gentle care, especially with dipping.

And BTW, I dip everything, and with most, break off the frags from their plugs, and remount on new ones. Also, I QT some new corals, and give them more than one dip. My biggest fear is getting some of these nasty bugs, like AEFW in my tank. So far, I have been lucky.

So, yeah, now I am on the hunt for designer corals. Have a few now, and they are looking good. But a long time still before they will be ready for fragging. Of course, my first objective is to have a good looking tank. So at this time, I am only fragging as a result of pruning (some accidental) and making room for other corals.

And that's my story,... and I'm sticking to it....

[reefwars]

Here's a few:

Keep eyes on the forumns, collectors are always ready to pull the trigger

Know your coral !! Be up to date on what's hot and what's not , know the values and how to buy , sometimes bulk is better than being quick.

Before taking the financial dive make sure you can care for what you buy, I rarely ever lose zoanthids no matter what the species

Keep an arsenal to trade , sometimes collectors arnt interested in cash so having some sway plays a good role

Be prepared to pay more than you think is fair , designer corals can be costly and market value can be tough to swallow sometimes



Will touch on this later when not on my phone

[duncangweller]

From my experience the easiest and only way I can afford some of the fancier corals is to let everyone else buy them and then purchase frags.

That may sound arrogant, but as I can't generally afford any of the rarer corals from retailers, the local reefing community is an invaluable resource. The likes of Rich and Kelly, have made it possible for me to get some really nice corals for a fraction of the price of some retailers.

Then again, there's the likes of mad jelly and fragbox which are also very affordable with drool worthy stuff.

One day I will be that guy that purchases the $400 chalice frag from reef raft and I fully intend on returning the favor to the generous local reefers that have sorted me out over the years.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

[Proteus]

I started with the mixed reef with most of my sps being monties. When I down graded to a smaller tank I was able to sink more money into better equipment and realized that I can't house some corals due to size of tank from there I had to decided sps or lps. I went for sps as I liked the challenge. I started with frags from lfs and found others in area that were into sps and from there we were able to do larger orders from places like reef raft. From there it's complete addiction.
Though I try to be self sufficient with my hobby selling frags and equip to buy the $$$$ pieces.

[Reef Pilot]

That may sound arrogant, but as I can't generally afford any of the rarer corals from retailers, the local reefing community is an invaluable resource. The likes of Rich and Kelly, have made it possible for me to get some really nice corals for a fraction of the price of some retailers.

+100

[reefwars]

Absolutely guys , community sharing is what makes these even available , the types of corals I collect arnt or rarely found at stores often , do the community is the best place to find them , like I always said the nicest corals are across the street:)

[windcoast reefs]

Here's a few:

Keep eyes on the forumns, collectors are always ready to pull the trigger

Know your coral !! Be up to date on what's hot and what's not , know the values and how to buy , sometimes bulk is better than being quick.

Before taking the financial dive make sure you can care for what you buy, I rarely ever lose zoanthids no matter what the species

Keep an arsenal to trade , sometimes collectors arnt interested in cash so having some sway plays a good role

Be prepared to pay more than you think is fair , designer corals can be costly and market value can be tough to swallow sometimes



Will touch on this later when not on my phone

That pretty much sums it up for me to!

[KPG007]

Here are a few of my tips:

1. Know what you are getting into. Don't buy colorful corals just because they are pretty. Know what it takes to keep them happy, know where to place them and have a ton of patience! A small frag will eventually turn into a colony, but it may take 2 or 3 years if not more.
2. Networking. Buying frags from other reefers is the way to go. Wild / maricultured coral can take a long time to acclimate to an enclosed system, and suffer a much higher rate of death (at least in my experience) then coral raised in an enclosed system. Pluses to this are a much better idea as to color, growth and placement, quicker acclimation time, and a person who can tell you their experiences with the coral. Also there can be a substantial savings, as private collectors do not have the overhead that a LFS has. Cons are pests - whats in their tank will soon be in yours. Take Reef Pilots suggestions and dip, dip and dip some more. This may sound like I am bashing the LFS's, not true. Most will buy from local collectors, so check their selection out (they can buy from a much larger variety of collectors). If you insist on a larger colony then the LFS is usually the way to go. Few private collectors offer colonies. You will have to have more patience with the LFS colonies due to the issues stated earlier.
3. This is a long term hobby. You don't need to buy it all at once, so if you want a super rare high end frag, like say a Oregon Tort, you may pay a lot for a small frag, but with a lot of patience you will get what you want. As mentioned earlier, frags will grow into colonies - it just takes time.
4. Be prepared for failure. As many nice colonies I have, I have a sump full of dead ones.

One of the things I like most about this hobby is talking to other reefers and seeing other tanks. Their is a wealth of information and a wealth of beautiful corals - you just have to look for them.

Enjoy!
Kelly

[Spyd]

I happened to get lucky.... Very lucky....

Once I decided to get my first SPS to test in my original tank, I responded to an ad on another forum here in Ontario. Turns out I ended up getting them from none other than Darryl (Reefermadness).. You know the one who won TOTM on RC... So, needless to say, my A1 supplier lives 20 minutes away from me and we have become good friends along the way. He has helped me out big time and really answered a ton of questions while I was figuring out the whole SPS route. Definitely owe him for a lot of my success in the hobby and coral selection. ;)

Also, we have the luxury of many, many quality LFS around here that bring in rare pieces. I much prefer tracking which customers get the rare pieces, see if they can successfully keep them, then purchase a frag directly from them. Saves big $$$ than purchasing wild corals and having them die on you. I would rather someone else take the risk and pay them more for a frag if it is doing well than dishing out tons of money to only have a success once in a while.... Wild corals really are a 50/50 gamble.

I would say my success rate for aqua-cultured corals is around 95%. Maricultured... 65% and wild corals 50%... Keep in mind, 80 - 90% of my tank is all aquacultured so you can see just how much easier it is generally to keep aquacultured frags and helps save the coral reefs.

[Madreefer]

Is it evil of me that I wont share some of my stuff with locals in my town? :twised: Not like I have any cool corals though:sad:

[thmh]

Is it evil of me that I wont share some of my stuff with locals in my town? :twised: Not like I have any cool corals though:sad:

Sharing is caring! Unless it's std then you keep that to your self!

~Tony

[Magickiwi]

Thanks to retailers like Tony I already have a decent collection of softies, LPS and a couple SPS corals. I'm on board with the sharing idea. Wonder if there's ever been a swap meet for coral frags?

[thmh]

This was a rap song I made for Denny zoa trade thread which I assume inspired him to make this thread! :-)

Everyone wants to be a pokemon master! But is it your destiny to catch them all? I know many of us is on this journey but many have returned with empty balls.....ballsss. Take my hand and follow my lead, shop at mjc and you will succeed!..... Pokemon!

Lmao that's my 2min free style!! P. S I agreed with everyone in this thread! I myself got started my collection because of visiting all these amazing local reefers like darryl, thang and Alex!

~Tony

[jorjef]

If I asked the dealers I buy from they would tell me I'm their biggest PITA "until " we get to the cash register. Always keep in contact, know what's coming next and when. One pce. of advise to new collectors is if you are serious about collecting don't haggle prices with your suppliers if you want to remain in the loop. Pay the price or walk away.

[kien]

what are these "designer corals" you speak of??? Are they custom made ? I'm invisioning someone sitting in their sump room designing how a new coral is going to look.

[typezero]

Another tip that works well if you have a good reefing buddy is share purchases with a buddy. Me and tony have plenty of pieces that we decide on who is going to be the grower. Once the frag grows to a fragable size frag it and everyone gets one!
Determining who grows it out usually comes down to rock paper scissors!

[thmh]

Adding on to what long said..... Also remember to pick someone who you can consistently beat in rock paper scissors! :-)

~Tony

[Proteus]

Adding on to what long said..... Also remember to pick someone who you can consistently beat in rock paper scissors! :-)

~Tony

I always use dynamite!

[typezero]

I go for the dragon claw but somewhere in the books, thats cheating :(

[J_T]

I have witnessed the rock paper scissors... THere was almost tears...

[Kwood]

I have witnessed the rock paper scissors... THere was almost tears...

Im guessing the coral was called "Caw Caw Phoenix Flame Formation Falcon Flyer"?

[thmh]

Im guessing the coral was called "Caw Caw Phoenix Flame Formation Falcon Flyer"?

You know how we are always fighting over for Kwood named corals! :-)

~Tony

[Snappy]

For what it's worth all designer corals start out as just another cool coral somebody has until someone names it and it gets marketed as such.

[Kwood]

For what it's worth all designer corals start out as just another cool coral somebody has until someone names it and it gets marketed as such.

Emphasis on cool coral ;)

[PFoster]

If you are looking to get into the super nice sps a lot of it has to do with
a) your ability to keep pieces well coloured
b) having an eye to see beyond what the pieces is now and seeing what it can color up to be assuming of course you have the appropriate mad skills for part a

Here is a good example.
Now the first pic here is a plana we have already had for a bit. But when these first come in the are pretty much entierly white with the slightest hints of green. Sometimes the tips have some purple. sometimes the tips are solid brown. This piece came in, solid brown but the tip now have some purple in them.

http://reefwholesale.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=19095&g2_serialNumber=1

This piece arrived on the same order but had much better color on arrival so its been coloring up for the same amount of time, but started better so its looking much better right now. Base have more green, tips are much more purple/blue.

http://reefwholesale.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=19098&g2_serialNumber=1

Now this piece is one we have had for a while. This is one that was a "left over" that did now sell, so we just added to our collection and put it to the side to color up for a bit.
Crazy vibrant tips, crazy vibrant base.

http://reefwholesale.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=19101&g2_serialNumber=2

I used the same developing specs for all these pics. Basically set the white ballance on the first pic, cropped it and applied the same config to the other pics.

So from the first pic to the last you can see a major difference in both the base color and the color in the tip of the plana. If you find the first piece at that coloration at a store, you could probably expect to pay 1/2 the price compared to the same piece at max coloration.



Here is another piece for you.
This piece always comes in poo brown. We set this one to the side to see what we could do with it.
All these pics are from the same colony. its just starting to color up, so we anticipate amazing color across the whole pieces, but its not there yet.

This is a branch in the center of the colony and what the whole piece looked like on import:
http://reefwholesale.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=19113&g2_serialNumber=2

Pretty freakin boring.....


Here is some of the coloration we are starting to get on some of the outer tips

http://reefwholesale.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=19110&g2_serialNumber=2

http://reefwholesale.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=19107&g2_serialNumber=2

And now we can see the potential in the piece :)

[Reef Pilot]

http://reefwholesale.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=19107&g2_serialNumber=2

And now we can see the potential in the piece :)

That's nice, but what is it called? To be "designer", doesn't it need a designer name?

I have a few that are transforming into something really nice, but have no clue what they are called...

[PFoster]

For what it's worth all designer corals start out as just another cool coral somebody has until someone names it and it gets marketed as such.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

If a piece comes in and could be one of a kind. Someone hangs onto it and colours it up to amazing colours. Usually this process involves the store, hobbiest, importer or whatever bringing in a great many number of pieces and selecting the absolute best of the best that they have ever seen and culturing that specific piece out.
Grow it out.
Names it.
Now its "designer" or a named coral.

The names really just serve to help people identify a specific coloration or variation of a coral.
If I say a superman monti, everyone here know exactly what I am talking about (although there are technically multiple colour variations depending on where they are from, but thats another storey and when you get into the is that a "true" superman....)

Lineage refers to the origins of a piece. It identifies where it came from and lets you ensure that under the right conditions you have the potential to colour it up to the same colour that another person has had it at.

We have several rainbow tenuis here that we have been playing around with. One specific piece has colored up to gang buster freakin amazing.

http://reefwholesale.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=19104&g2_serialNumber=2

But only one of them. The others are ok.... but not like this!

So now we will take this specific piece, grow it out to a large colony and we will have frags of this incredible piece.
We will give it a name like "RW Over The Rainbow Tenuis"
Other people may be able to sell you a rainbow tenuis but it may or may not colour up to look like this (we have been playing around with a ton of these and only ever found 1 that looks like this!)
So you MAY get one that can color up like this, but chances are that unless it has the lineage of being a frag from this colony it may not color up quite like this one.

Thats what makes it a designer acro and that what the lineage refers to.
So when see people posting asking what the lineage is or saying "is that a Steve Tyre double hippy flipper acro" (ok so that may not be the name but still)



But you can still get some really insane, really nice piece without them being a true "designer" piece.

That was what i was trying to point out in my previous post.

[Reef Pilot]

But you can still get some really insane, really nice piece without them being a true "designer" piece.

That was what i was trying to point out in my previous post.

That was a very good explanation, and thanks for taking the time.

I guess that is part of the intrigue with keeping SPS. You don't always know what you have, and sometimes can be very pleasantly surprised as they grow out.

[reefermadness]

Thats what makes it a designer acro and that what the lineage refers to.
So when see people posting asking what the lineage is or saying "is that a Steve Tyre double hippy flipper acro" (ok so that may not be the name but still) Lineage means it came from the exact same imported coral, to assure it is the exact same one, with the same potential for growth, colour, hardiness.

Sometimes there are look a likes and maybe its the same one maybe not. That is the problem as you never know if it is capable of the potential as the lineaged piece.

I always use my palmers blue millepora as an example. I have own at least 2 other blue millepora. Same colour and species as the palmers but even though they grew in close proximity to one another the palmers always out shinned the others. Faster growth, better colour and hardiness.



But you can still get some really insane, really nice piece without them being a true "designer" piece.

That was what i was trying to point out in my previous post.For sure Patrick and all corals come from the ocean. I will say though that I prefer to know that coral is proven to grow and maintain colour in an aquarium for 6 months +++. Even better if someone else was able to grow it out in captivity as that increases the probablity of other hobbyists doing the same. Not to say a nice coral that is not proven is not a nice coral....of course it is but they can be a bit of a gamble for sure. And with gambling sometimes you lose and sometimes you win.

[PFoster]

For sure Patrick and all corals come from the ocean. I will say though that I prefer to know that coral is proven to grow and maintain colour in an aquarium for 6 months +++. Even better if someone else was able to grow it out in captivity as that increases the probablity of other hobbyists doing the same. Not to say a nice coral that is not proven is not a nice coral....of course it is but they can be a bit of a gamble for sure. And with gambling sometimes you lose and sometimes you win.

Agreed here 100%
With the amount we all spend on our tanks, real estate is very expensive.
I too will spend the extra few bucks to get proven pieces that I know that if i am able to provide the right conditions will turn into something incredible!

With the wholesale side I have gained a cursed ability to be able to horde certain corals when they come in. Our not for sale section is getting a bit out of control at present....
Sometimes if we get a unique pieces in that catches our eye we will sit on it to see what we can do with it. Sometimes it pays off and turns into amazing, sometimes it doesn't (more often than not, it doesn't....)

The tenuis pictured above is actually a perfect example. I must have at least 10-12 others that dont come close to this piece. and thats just what i have in right now, i know i have ended up selling a bunch that colored up to decent coloration, but not the same as this. This colony is literally the ONLY one that has ever colored up like that. So on an end user level, thats buying maybe 20 pieces in the hope that 1 MIGHT color up to super nice. Not very good odds. Now you have a tank full of all the same pieces that are just ok coloured and one nice one. And only assuming of course that you provided the right conditions for this piece....


Oh and i would advise trading frags with some of your other crack head, sps fanatic friends. If you dont your tank parameters will fluctuate and there is a 100% probability that if one piece dies it will definitely be the 1 pieces that only you have and you didnt give to any of your friends. And its pretty much a 100% guarentee that you will not see this pieces again for years, if at all ever!