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

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.

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

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?

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

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.

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.

Tips on becoming a designer coral collector
 

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!

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

~Tony