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View Full Version : Would you be willing to pay more for more exotic corals


Jason McK
11-01-2005, 05:03 PM
I have been looking a lot at what is avalialbe in the US and it seems that there are some killer SPS and LPS in the US but the prices are also Killer.

Now I'm not affiliated with any LFS but was wondering why Canada dosen't get the same corals. I'm sure there are a ton of factors but, would you be willing to pay in the hundreds of dollars for a show peice that was unique?

Jason

trilinearmipmap
11-01-2005, 05:27 PM
NO.

I can afford it but I am cheap.

The joy in keeping a reef is in the interaction between all the different living things.

$60.00 is the max I will pay for any coral or fish.

Ruth
11-01-2005, 05:36 PM
I voted yes because depending on the coral I probably would but again it would really depend on the coral.
I would much rather pay a fellow reefer for a frag of that same coral though.

Tarolisol
11-01-2005, 05:37 PM
I would pay a pretty penny, if i had it at the time, for something exotic, but also i wouldnt pay 100 dollars for a frag or 25dollars per polyp.

christyf5
11-01-2005, 05:41 PM
I'm with Ruth. I want what I want. Also I'd rather get it from a fellow reefer. My problem isn't necessarily with the price but the death factor (paying that much and getting it home, only to have it croak on me).

Xtasia
11-01-2005, 05:45 PM
I'd pay good money for a coral I've fallen in LOVE with AND isn't a frag.. it MUST be a decent sized colony...

Small frags for a mint aren't sexy... that's my 2 cents.

Jason McK
11-01-2005, 05:54 PM
I did have a vote for "let another Reefer buy it and stand in line for a frag" but I didn't show up.

But if no one is willing to fork out the cash, Why would any LFS bring in anything risky. I bet they have all tried but got sick of watching the over head die in their tanks.

So soon it will be reduced to Leathers and mushrooms and the odd Brain

I want Show pieces and am willing to pay for them. Not a ton but one or two in my tank. I would frag them and help support others that have interesting corals themselves.

Jason

HimSelf
11-01-2005, 05:59 PM
If I want a nice pice I would just order it in. This way it does not have to stay in the LFS for weeks and end up dieing :confused:

I use to shop online and the price is high but lots place has overnight shipping and DOA for 30 days.

rickjames
11-01-2005, 06:58 PM
If I want a nice pice I would just order it in. This way it does not have to stay in the LFS for weeks and end up dieing :confused:

I use to shop online and the price is high but lots place has overnight shipping and DOA for 30 days.

The problem is that what shows up on an order sheet and what shows up at the store may be two completely different things.

My opinion is shared with a lot of people here, if i want it, and i think its worth it to me, I'll buy it.

EmilyB
11-01-2005, 07:12 PM
For sure I would. Then Christy would tell me not to frag it into a million pieces for at least six months... :lol:

Chad
11-01-2005, 07:14 PM
I would group buy then frag it up between the people. making a 300$ coral a bit more palatable.

christyf5
11-01-2005, 07:39 PM
For sure I would. Then Christy would tell me not to frag it into a million pieces for at least six months... :lol:

Bwahahah :rofl:

WWWD
11-01-2005, 08:12 PM
im willing to pay some cash for some unusal pieces. what i dont like is fad type coral pricing like acans that you pay 200-500 dollars for today and 6 months later they are going for 50 bucks. i think if we ever want to get some decent stuff into canada we have to be willing to spend some cash and tell our lfs's thats what we want. i dont mind if they are frags, i just want access to some of the neato stuff i see on the us farm sites.

WWWD
11-01-2005, 08:16 PM
If I want a nice pice I would just order it in. This way it does not have to stay in the LFS for weeks and end up dieing :confused:

I use to shop online and the price is high but lots place has overnight shipping and DOA for 30 days.

yeah thats fine if you want something common. try telling your lfs you would like some superman dante, purple monster or blue chalise and please order it for you. most shops don't even have access to that stuff, it's not like a supermarket that you can just pick stuff and plunk down your visa.

Murminator
11-01-2005, 08:45 PM
NO.

I can afford it but I am cheap.

The joy in keeping a reef is in the interaction between all the different living things.

$60.00 is the max I will pay for any coral or fish.

Ditto for me

I try to buy thru Canreef if all possible

Psyire
11-01-2005, 09:15 PM
If I want it, I'll buy it. Price dosen't mean too much if I want it bad enough.

Compared to how much I've spent on my tank setup and equipment, livestock is cheap.

deacon hemp
11-01-2005, 10:26 PM
I'll pay it,im too bored of common stuff you see at our LFS's.Like how long can you go in and see the same old crap everytime? BTW is anybody from lowermainland getting in on that US order from alberta?

StirCrazy
11-02-2005, 12:19 AM
Now I'm not affiliated with any LFS but was wondering why Canada dosen't get the same corals. I'm sure there are a ton of factors but, would you be willing to pay in the hundreds of dollars for a show peice that was unique?

Jason

because of two reasons, when the big shipments come into LAX the importers are waiting and the best corals go to there best customers, the local stores get choice after that then Canada gets left overs. I saw this feeding frenzi in action when I was in the US last year doing a tour of a big importer holding area. the other reason is our market won't support the prices some of the US places will, I found normal corals are cheeper than what we pay (and some of there normal are nicer than what we get) but fancy show corals get probably 3 or 4 times the price that we would pay in canada on a regular basis.

Steve

wayner
11-02-2005, 01:57 AM
I would, and I did, don't see too many pieces like the one I got below at the lfs

http://reeffarmers.com/limitedacroporalovelli.htm

albert_dao
11-02-2005, 02:41 AM
Heh, what does it take to get things like that across the border?

WWWD
11-02-2005, 02:46 AM
money and a cities.

albert_dao
11-02-2005, 02:53 AM
Good deal.

Chaloupa
11-02-2005, 03:12 AM
Hey Deacon-I contacted the guy in AB about some of the order and if he would ship to here and guarantee live arrival. He says to just look at the site from the US and he will have those in and that he would ship... but wouldn't really give much in the way of exactly what he had or was expecting yet.

I do find that I can't stomach paying a big bunch of cash for a single Zoo polyp BUT on the other hand if it was one that I really had to have...well then getting a couple of them and hoping that they do reproduce heavily would be OK, then being able to trade frags for other pricey ones would make it worthwhile. Everyone wins and everyone gets some decent stuff. I would spend some decent money on a larger piece if I "had to have it" as I don't have alot of patience on waiting for a tiny bit to grow out...I do like to have the odd piece that is showy! Some of the stuff is so cool that you make a bit of room in your fish budget and make it work!

IPZ
11-02-2005, 05:44 AM
Howdy,

Speaking as a store owner, we do get some awsome corals here, many that are as nice as what " they " get in the states.

There are 2 ways to buy wholesale marine livestock. Either from a Canadian or American wholesaler, or buy Transhipping direct from the collector.

Most stores in western Canada buy their corals and fish from transhippers located in Vancouver. These companies buy direct from various collectors and have the livestock shipped directly from the country of origin to them. The fish and corals are selected and sorted by the collectors and boxed up as per each store's order. The transhipper's job is to act as a go between between the store and the collector. He has no control as to who gets what, but by combining orders the stores save on freight and get a better price on the livestock. This way we each get a fair selection of the corals ordered with no store getting " better stuff" except by pure luck.

Either way a store decides to order, the early birds get the worms.

When a wholesaler like Quality Marine in LA gets his shipment in there are lots of stores waiting to get the choice pieces. The rest get put in the tanks and are put on the availability list the next day. Likewise in a local LFS , we have customers waiting ( sometimes at 2 am because the plane was late), to get the best pieces. I know in my store it is not uncommon to sell 1/2 a shipment right out of the box.

My reccomendation for those of you wanting anything out of the ordinary is to make friends with your LFS. Tell them what you want ! Specify color , shape and size. If they have a good relationship with their supplier it is very likely that sooner or later you will get what you want. I know in my store those that attend my weekly " new fish party" get better prices too .

Cheers...

Scott

deacon hemp
11-02-2005, 09:10 AM
[quote="Chaloupa"]Hey Deacon-I contacted the guy in AB about some of the order and if he would ship to here and guarantee live arrival. He says to just look at the site from the US and he will have those in and that he would ship... but wouldn't really give much in the way of exactly what he had or was expecting yet.

i talked to him too,he said a group of lowermainlanders were getting a shippment,and he could pass my info along.

reefburnaby
11-02-2005, 05:38 PM
Hi,

Yah, we do get awesome corals here in Canada, BUT you have to show up when the shipments arrive at the LFS. They are usually gone in less than 30 minutes. There are a couple of places that do this in Vancouver. However, there are risks involved - they may not survive due to shipping stress.

- Victor.