Quote:
Originally Posted by Scythanith
(Post 1048336)
I will still sell ya a frag for $25. But it won't be a frag of JF Home Wrecker!
I think it is very easy to get caught up with the collector mentality. Have to have some XYZ brand of coral and get mad when its $225/frag. If you have a good LFS, hopefully they have beauty corals for more reasonable $45-75/frag. I'm lucky to have an amazing shop in my hometown.
Fish is a different topic. Hawaiian fish are hard to come by, hence rising prices. Captive breeding programs cost money to get started, research, etc. That is reflected in the price of some CB fish costing more than their wild caught counterparts. But the benefits are too numerous to mention here.
Just my 2 cents
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So far the people that have posted are just as wrapped up in the signature game as the ones you complain about.
There are plenty of cheap corals out there if you don't want to play the high end game.
Fishytime I still have that awesome prostrata you sold me a while back and would be happy to give a piece back.
I enjoy the high end side of the coral hobby. High end acros are my thing. However I could just as easily fill my tank for under $500 if I wanted to as well. Just because you don't want to pay hundred for frags doesn't mean others are not. I remember a time when $100 frags were expensive and people complained, now they are common. We should be complaining about size of frags. What we used to buy as frags in the past are now considered colonies. Frags are being cut into frags today and sold tomorrow.
Hawaii closed the doors on collection for the time being, this is why you see those prices skyrocketing on Hawaiian fish. Happened in the past before. Covid saw the prices of fish doubled in 2020, none of that had to do with greed and had everything to do with getting fish collected and on a plane.
However I do agree this has turned from a hobby into a business venture. Myself and a coupleclose friends give coral back and forth, but gone are the days of trades, its all about the almighty dollar. |
