The Name Game: Does Coral “Lineage” Matter?

[jda]

Would you pay $30 more for the one that you KNOW is what you are looking for rather than growing the cheaper one out for a year just to find out that it is not as good or a totally different coral? I don't have a lot of room in my tank so I will pay more for something that I KNOW FOR SURE what it will become.

 

[Troylee]

All lineage traces back to a single place and it doesn’t care about names or prices… lol

 

[Reefer Matt]

Would you pay $30 more for the one that you KNOW is what you are looking for rather than growing the cheaper one out for a year just to find out that it is not as good or a totally different coral? I don't have a lot of room in my tank so I will pay more for something that I KNOW FOR SURE what it will become.

Another question is how do you know? Vendors run out of their “signature” corals sometimes and buy them back from hobbyists. There isn’t a certified way to guarantee that you get what you pay for, just trust in a brand name, imo.

 

[Reefer Matt]

All lineage traces back to a single place and it doesn’t care about names or prices… lol

True lineage, yes. But this is about the name game “lineage”, or the attempt at trademarking coral.

 

[jda]

Another question is how do you know? Vendors run out of their “signature” corals sometimes and buy them back from hobbyists. There isn’t a certified way to guarantee that you get what you pay for, just trust in a brand name, imo.

Trust the right people.

 

[fish farmer]

Would you pay $30 more for the one that you KNOW is what you are looking for rather than growing the cheaper one out for a year just to find out that it is not as good or a totally different coral? I don't have a lot of room in my tank so I will pay more for something that I KNOW FOR SURE what it will become.

Yes I would.

I know that breeding isn't happening yet so I can't compare trout to corals, but there is a well known company that sells their line of trout, world wide distribution. I inquired about obtaining a viable broodstock from them...not necessarily for reselling, just public stocking. Nope....not going to happen.

If by chance some basement breeder happened to say he had this particular strain for breeding stock....I would question it all day long. They would have to show the paperwork that they were licensed to sell the parent company stock.

 

[AIRDADDY]

Still has too many flaws.. tons of people have a receipt from asd from years ago on a holy grail torch… they could bring a wild one in today and sell it as asd.. yes it’s the honor system but who’s, who to say so and so is honest? I think it’s all lame in my opinion! I used to care many years ago when collecting became a thing but today you can’t! Same coral has 12 names from 12 different vendors.. bigger names get bigger prices because people wanna add that tag to their resale price. And for what it’s worth you’ll never see real collector corals as the divers deal directly with the clients that pay big money! It’s in someone’s personal collection without a dumb name lol.. If a few gems make it into a shipping box it’s picked by the next guy inline for his clients before hitting wholesale where they cherry pick for their higher end clients then your lfs gets what’s left.

Yes there will undoubtedly be loopholes in any system, however in the sense that we go by labels with no proof in the way we operate now, adding a structure would give some sense of order. I agree that it can get a little silly with the naming driving prices but that's the world of collectors of all types. I love basketball but I wouldn't even pay face value for a Michael Jordan rookie card but that doesn't make it less valuable for a card collector.

A good use case example is a seller using a label "WWC-Sparkle-Bang" leaves the borrower with no real proof that it was aquacultured and not wild caught which could make or break your success with that high priced piece. Once the token is minted anyone can look it up on the blockchain and verify that there was a purchase from WWC and deposited in the wallet of the person selling. The new seller could even apply this method as a split for all his frags sold.

I'm just brainstorming so I'm sure someone could come up with a better setup with a little more knowledge of coral distribution along with a more knowledgable crypto enthusiast. It would definitely bring some structure to the world of high priced corals. I'm sure AKC pups will be on this path in the coming decade.

 

[Vito2390]

What’s up Reefers!
With a plethora of coral species and color morphs out there, talking about a specific coral can get confusing if we described them literally. Like “Blue zoas with yellow centers and green skirts”. But this was how it was done in the past. Nowadays there are a lot of names associated with coral that help us get a better mental picture of that description.

However, it seems a side effect is that by assigning those names to coral, it also assigns a perceived value. But to further complicate things, there are those that say you can’t call a coral by a trade name unless you have paperwork stating where you bought it from.

It seems that some Reefers and vendors are trying to assign pedigrees, patents, or trademarks to coral to ensure that they both maintain the same quality and price point. Yet there is no (common hobbyist) way to know for sure that every coral specimen with a given name is in fact from the same colony.

So without an “AKC” for coral, there is no governing authority to ensure that the coral you see is in fact the coral that is represented by a name. Baseball cards and coins for example, have companies that verify both condition and authenticity of specimens.
When it comes to coral "lineage," I think it's similar to how we value pedigree in other hobbies, like collecting rare items. Some people are willing to pay a premium for corals with a verified lineage because they trust the source and want to preserve specific traits. Others may be more focused on aesthetics and don't care about the background as long as it looks good in their tank. This debate reminds me of preferences in other fields, like how some players choose instant withdrawal casinos based on speed and convenience https://www.topcasinosreviews.in/instant-withdrawal-casino/ while others prioritize a variety of games or reputation. At the end of the day, it depends on personal priorities.
My question is twofold: Does lineage matter? And if so, how do you trust a piece of paper that someone gives you with no governing authority to back it?

Lineage can matter if you're focused on preserving rare morphs or trading high-value pieces. However, without a governing authority like the AKC for coral, it feels like we're relying on trust between reefers and vendors. The paperwork is only as good as the source, and without a verification system, it's hard to know if that piece truly comes from the original colony. In the end, it boils down to trust and reputation in the community.

 

[lakai]

It matters but only for those super special pieces. Seems to matter less for anything brought in the last 4 years.