Where to Buy Coral?

liddojunior

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 3, 2022
Messages
858
Reaction score
731
Location
Los Angeles
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Unique corals has my vote
Tidal gardens is also great for reef staples
Vivid aquariums has a great selection of corals
WWC during live sales are still pricey but are solid corals.
Cherry corals are also a great option

I would keep an eye for the live sales. That’s when you get reasonable prices
 

jimfish98

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 5, 2020
Messages
354
Reaction score
371
Location
Orlando Metro
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Check the livestock for sale forums here, many many great sellers that are hobbyists and aren’t trying to pay their mortgage by selling over priced common corals!
I would also add to check Facebook groups for locals selling off stuff. There is likely a group or two that encompasses where you live.
 

jayala12

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 13, 2017
Messages
841
Reaction score
1,426
Location
Corpus Christi Texas
Rating - 100%
2   0   0
Austin aqua farms has reasonably priced corals. They don’t mark down 800 dollar corals to 400 and call it a sale. They just keep the prices low and fair.
 

Biokabe

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 21, 2016
Messages
1,584
Reaction score
2,293
Location
Tacoma, WA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I've ordered from a few:

World Wide Corals: Great livestock, great selection. Prices can be high unless you order on a live sale. Pictures are fairly true to life, the coral you receive will be very close to the picture you saw of it.

Pacific East Aquaculture: Great livestock, even better service. Prices are moderate, there's usually some kind of a sale to bring them down. Not a great variety of choices for stickheads, but great variety in LPS/Softies/Non-Acro SPS. I feel like they don't get enough recognition for their quality.

TCK Corals: Quite a few interesting color morphs of acros, really good source for those. Pricing is reasonable, but not quite as much selection as some of the bigger shops.

Living Reef Orlando: I always forget about these guys when their live sales roll around (my email keeps shuffling their notices into spam), but they're another underappreciated vendor. Great livestock and great pricing, especially on live sales. Their selection isn't as robust as WWC's, so there isn't quite as much competition - it can sometimes be easier to get what you want in their sales.

Salty Underground: Pictures and selection aren't great, but the actual livestock has been good and they have a very low threshold for free shipping. They also sell berghia, so I always like to pick up a coral or two when I need to bring in some of those heroic nudibranches.

Aqua SD: Pictures and livestock are good, but prices are quite high, even on live sales. Top-notch product though.

Unique Corals: Good quality, selection isn't always the best but they have a lot of info on the corals and their pricing is pretty good even when they aren't on sale.

Tidal Gardens: I don't remember if I've ordered from them, but they have great videos and write-ups about coral care, so I feel like they deserve a mention regardless.

FYI, it's always worth it to try to find an online vendor that's near you. Many of them offer cheaper shipping rates/lower free shipping thresholds for customers that are close to them. My LFS (Barrier Reef Aquariums) has free shipping at $350, or $200 if you're in-state.
 

penguinexdeus

Poor Decision Maker
View Badges
Joined
May 20, 2022
Messages
2,289
Reaction score
3,848
Location
New Jersey
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hey, I’m looking into some coral, and I unfortunately can’t go to any LFS. What are some good online coral stores?

Any specific/ kinds? Some places specialize or provide better of certain kinds. The place I'd go for LPS is different than where I'd go for SPS... or zoas vs gonis, etc...
 

Tired

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 29, 2020
Messages
4,064
Reaction score
4,162
Location
Central Texas
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
I like SaltCritters. They have photographs under both white and blue light, and do a lot of fairly cheap little frags.
 

braaap

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 16, 2015
Messages
1,432
Reaction score
1,306
Location
Montana
Rating - 100%
3   0   0
AquaSD. The pictures are what you get or very very close.

Also the sales threads here. Some outstanding sellers. Especially @Leadfooted has the best corals I’ve ever received in 20+ years.
 

ScottJ

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 28, 2020
Messages
998
Reaction score
2,125
Location
Rochester Ny
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
ARC has some really good auctions. I've been happy with what I've gotten there. TCK is also good. Their auctions are more frequent.
 
Back
Top