Just ranting here

zoomonster · May 21, 2023

Sleeping Giant said:
I'm not sure if it's supposed to be like this or if it was because of the environment it was in before I got it.

LOL just looked at the picture again. Is that actually a faded out yellow tang?

Sleeping Giant · May 21, 2023

zoomonster said:
LOL just looked at the picture again. Is that actually a faded out yellow tang?

it's white and yellow, but in certain lights or shadows it has a yellow tone

zoomonster · May 21, 2023

We have a lot of shops here, but the prices are outrageous for the most part and they have something of a monopoly. Several central FL reef clubs have disappeared I think in part due to the draconian policies of the Florida fish and wildlife commission. It's illegal to sell anything (or possibly trade) aquarium related unless you have an aquaculture license and an approved, inspected facility. These are the same clowns in the past weeks trying to implement a very expensive system of per species approval that would have basically shut down all aquaculture and trade in the state. From what I gather it's at least been delayed for further consideration. In a way it would have been poetic justice for all the shops and aquaculture facilities that have gone out there way to make sure no one can sell anything but them. Thats why I mostly buy out of state.

Kapachuka3 · May 21, 2023

100% agreed, Ive been wanting to get a toadstoll leather and I saw a small one at the store and I had an employee ask the owner and he said 60 bucks. For a small one, like the size of my index finger. Insane.

Nate Chalk · May 21, 2023

Once I'm in shape to frag. I plan to share like I did trading cards growing up.

Give away my duplicates to friends. No prices.

Not in the hobby to profit.

Though I understand local shops costs are up. Online vendors it's easy to price compare. And I wish the hype culture wasn't over into the hobby.....

Insert a nicely photoshopped meme of a supreme tattooed green torch.

vetteguy53081 · May 21, 2023

Kapachuka3 said:
100% agreed, Ive been wanting to get a toadstoll leather and I saw a small one at the store and I had an employee ask the owner and he said 60 bucks. For a small one, like the size of my index finger. Insane.

Ones that used to be $24.99 for a 4-6" specimen and often acquired from them shedding and dropping small shoots

Cichlid Dad · May 21, 2023

TCseh said:
How do I find local clubs?

I would search Facebook, Googly your region for clubs. Network local reef stores and ask if they know of any. Look here on r2r if there is a group in your area and ask to join. I have a badge under my username which is a local group here in western Washington. I found the person I buy my coral from while buying two clown fish from craigslist. He had this amazing tank and lived in a basic small home. No indication of wealth at all. I asked where he got his coral and he hooked me up with my now supplier. Go on craigslist and face book marketplace, Then look for someone selling coral. Ask about the number of coral they sell and if you're lucky you will find somebody that has a small side hustle and sells at a reasonable price.

fishguy242 · May 21, 2023

If everyone just stopped paying these ridiculous prices for just one month...
Where would all these high price corals be ??
Keep in mind ,they get more by the day...
Just sayin...

j.falk · May 21, 2023

Instead of complaining about things...why isn't everyone promoting the vendors and websites that DO OFFER GOOD DEALS?

I'd love to find out where everyone is finding the bargains at. Save me some money!

fishguy242 · May 21, 2023

j.falk said:
Instead of complaining about things...why isn't everyone promoting the vendors and websites that DO OFFER GOOD DEALS?

I'd love to find out where everyone is getting their good deals from. Save me some money!

Have yet to see one ...

flashsmith · May 21, 2023

As a small business owner my costs have gone up exponentialy over the last 5 years. Let's start with the "trade war". Which was the root of the inflation we have today. Equipment costs have gone up 25% or more.Parts and supplies literally everything and customers seem to think I should just be a good guy and eat it by not passing it on so I can eat and have a house. I'm selling my used commercial mowers with hundreds of hours on them for nearly what I paid for them a couple years ago.My business insurance premiums doubled yes doubled and I've never made a single claim. When asked why they said "inflation". I promptly dropped them. In the last year alone electricity rates in my State have gone up 30%. There's gouging and there's trying to survive. If you don't like the prices go somewhere else. Plenty of options out there. I don't own a business to make minimum wage nor should anyone else. There's my rant..

j.falk · May 21, 2023

fishguy242 said:
Have yet to see one ...

I've found a few over the years...but they don't tend to survive due to low sales. The best deals are always the small independent guys who are offering frags from their personal existing tank at low prices to get the stuff moved. Not the vendor/dealer sites where they are out for big profit margins.

Lbrdsoxfan · May 21, 2023

j.falk said:
Instead of complaining about things...why isn't everyone promoting the vendors and websites that DO OFFER GOOD DEALS?

I'd love to find out where everyone is finding the bargains at. Save me some money!

They aint existing anymore.

hart24601 · May 21, 2023

While on one hand increasing price has been a sore point with long timers in the hobby for years and years - but I do think it’s reaching a tipping point particularly for new hobbiest and is also coupled with a couple other trends. They all feed off each other. I think many of these prices now just rip off new people and rely on the influx of new hobbiest cycling in and out of the hobby

1. the coral side hustle. So many people want a side hustle. It’s one thing having a frag or growout system but a whole other when from the get-go the hobby is seen as a side business. For some corals, over years, it has dropped the price as they become common. However for many other corals it doesn’t happen as the coral die in the new growout systems and the price just keeps going up for the new hot coral which is many times a fresh cut import that will shift colors and die plus leading into next item…

2. social media and macro shots with saturation and gel filters. Unless been in the hobby a while many people new to corals don’t realize the colors and corals are literally impossible to recreate. The photos are fake. I see vendors post photos and it’s a shame. Once the oversaturation was obvious but now it’s subtle (for some) and after decades in the hobby I still got tricked a few times. It drove me away from sps totally. Sure some varieties that have been around a while you eventually see in person and can decide what they look like without 100% blues, and orange filter, and saturated.

3. many of us don’t have local clubs or lfs that are either poor quality or priced just as high. The side hustle folk want retail and the instagram crowd thinks it’s junk because they want coral that just don’t look that way in real life.

I have no issue with vendors or people selling coral with real photos or high cost fish that are rare or slow growing rare coral - it’s the saturation (pun intended) of even now the large coral places having such high prices for livestock that is being sold on fake photos. Even in best systems they simply can’t look like the vendor pics or instagram photos.

I have no clue how someone new can enter the hobby without a mentor and not bail out when the livestock is a constant expensive disappointment on top of the husbandry challenges new and experienced people face already.

I used to always just give away frags to local people until I saw them selling the frags before they even picked them up. I started tossing some frags and giving others away free to our lfs which isn’t great but a young owner that I like to support

Cichlid Dad · May 21, 2023

hart24601 said:
While on one hand increasing price has been a sore point with long timers in the hobby for years and years - but I do think it’s reaching a tipping point particularly for new hobbiest and is also coupled with a couple other trends. They all feed off each other. I think many of these prices now just rip off new people and rely on the influx of new hobbiest cycling in and out of the hobby

1. the coral side hustle. So many people want a side hustle. It’s one thing having a frag or growout system but a whole other when from the get-go the hobby is seen as a side business. For some corals, over years, it has dropped the price as they become common. However for many other corals it doesn’t happen as the coral die in the new growout systems and the price just keeps going up for the new hot coral which is many times a fresh cut import that will shift colors and die plus leading into next item…

2. social media and macro shots with saturation and gel filters. Unless been in the hobby a while many people new to corals don’t realize the colors and corals are literally impossible to recreate. The photos are fake. I see vendors post photos and it’s a shame. Once the oversaturation was obvious but now it’s subtle (for some) and after decades in the hobby I still got tricked a few times. It drove me away from sps totally. Sure some varieties that have been around a while you eventually see in person and can decide what they look like without 100% blues, and orange filter, and saturated.

3. many of us don’t have local clubs or lfs that are either poor quality or priced just as high. The side hustle folk want retail and the instagram crowd thinks it’s junk because they want coral that just don’t look that way in real life.

I have no issue with vendors or people selling coral with real photos or high cost fish that are rare or slow growing rare coral - it’s the saturation (pun intended) of even now the large coral places having such high prices for livestock that is being sold on fake photos. Even in best systems they simply can’t look like the vendor pics or instagram photos.

I have no clue how someone new can enter the hobby without a mentor and not bail out when the livestock is a constant expensive disappointment on top of the husbandry challenges new and experienced people face already.

Well said.

EricR · May 21, 2023

In the interest of keeping my tank low budget, I only ever buy corals off the cheapie racks at my LFS, $10-$25,,, occasionally $35.
I did splurge last week for a $50 leather that I liked but balanced it out with a $5 toadstool that was laying in a bin unmounted.

EliMelly · May 21, 2023

Is there a solution to this issue? I stopped stocking my tank at this point due to the costs and it’s just ridiculous. Would we be able to start some sort of ban on reef 2 reef? I bet if a good amount of members here committed it could make a difference.

Would love to find alternatives to the current situation. Definitely takes a lot of the fun out of the hobby, especially being new and losing stuff as is.

Cichlid Dad · May 21, 2023

Just brain storming here, how about working with the major online stores and offering a r2r member only discount codes. Win win

EliMelly · May 21, 2023

Cichlid Dad said:
Just brain storming here, how about working with the major online stores and offering a r2r member only discount codes. Win win

That could work, and a reef 2 reef approved cost list that creates a basic guideline. People will know what is reasonable and then vendors can stay within those boundaries as well.