Shouldn't tampa be cheaper

[Mr. 6]

I'm new to tampa and I've only been to one store and man was I Blown away by the price difference. The fish and inverts were only a couple of bucks cheaper, but on average the corals were about 20 dollars more expensive than in rochester NY.

WHy would this be?

[SeanT]

I guess alot depends on supply and demand and the type of coral in question.
If they were Carribean corals especially Ricordia's then yes, I would expect them to be a lot cheaper.
But if they were Pacific SPS/Clams etc. Then no.
Fiji, Bali, the Solomon Islands are just as far from Tampa Bay than from New York.

[Kevk]

There are harvesting restrictions on many corals for US waters. Most corals come from areas in the pacific with little or no restrictions. You are about the same distance away in Tampa as you were in NY.

[bkwudzjeep]

Since moving here, I have noticed that coral prices really vary from store to store (of course:rolleyes: ), but the price break is decent on clean-up crew and other certain marine life....that is of course if you don't find them on the beach yourself:) .

Just be sure to check and see if what you find is alright to take....don't even think about taking LR ( you can get plenty of Gulf Rock in Tampa). Make sure you have a SW fishing license and there are many things that are ok....cjeck out these sites

http://marinefisheries.org/recreati...charvestmls.htm
You may also find these links informative:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/collmarsdvg.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marcoll.htm

HTH

:D

[smoothmove]

I lived in Tampa and moved back to NJ. Prices vary alot, but the stores were better and more abundant than up here.

For fish, there is a wholesale dealer in New Port Richey that lets the public buy from them. Their prices are great for fish, rock and some corals.

Fish and other Ichty things in Safety Harbor, Exotic Aquartics in Dunedin and Marine Warehouse in Tampa are all good places.

Also check out the Tampabay Reef Society. We had alot of good people with lots of frags and stuff to trade. Also some of the guys have their own coral farms.

[Mpiechowiak]

I am really suprised myself. I recently moved from Tallahasee to Tampa and have seen a noticable difference! Everything was more expensive in Tallahassee (by only a few $'s) but there was more of a selection. I really think that that it is expected to take things from the bay and Gulf - that is the feeling that some stores gave me as well. They look at you like you're crazy for the spending money. One store even told me not to buy from them as they said it was more "profitable" for me to pluck my own out of the Bay. He even told me the exact place to go! So other than the other LFS that were mentioned earlier, does anyone know of a great place to do some shopping?