So, I have been in the hobby just since 2000, but I have slowly watched this forum and the people keeping acropora become increasingly elitist. What happened to the idea of growing acros and fragging them for friends?
It seems that nowadays, everyone has to name a coral by some "super-hobbyist" or "tropical fruit" and call it a "limited edition" or some other catchy phrase, then sell it for high dollar to make a profit.
To add to this elitism, we have decided to add super technology and chemical wizardry to the mix to further elevate ourselves to "THE ALMIGHTY ACROPORA GODS." Heck, to be in this forum you have to spend Tens of Thousands of $$$ in high end equipment
The choice of the light bulb, skimmer, salt mix, calcium reactor, additive, etc is about all one could read in here on any given day.
Poppycock I say!!
FWIW, and I am not bitter
, but I think it is time we get back to basics and start fragging for fun and for free. This "group think" has done nothing positive for the stony keepers but raise prices on a pink table or a blue stag, or a yellow porites or green stylophora. Heck, I remember when I could get pink tables or blue stags at the LFS here in the midwest up until about 2-3 years ago when they started disappearing.
I am not sure if they are swiped up in Cali and marketed by the big wholesalers to name them and sell them for 10X what they are worth, or if they are just not coming in anymore. But, I can tell you that we have no one to blame but ourselves. I won't pay more for a frag than I would a bucket of salt
You might want to buy that $500 SPS packet in the selling forums, but think about it soberly for a minute. Are you buying it because you WANT it, or simply because it is popular? Or, are you buying it so you can in turn sell it and make a large profit?
Either way, in the end, it is the simple reefkeepers that are losing out because of how we have decided to popularize certain corals and then charge each other exorbitant rates for them. Or, that we buy them from the online vendor's charging the big prices instead of letting them come down in price or brown out in their tanks.
I know this thread won't change things, but I think I had to say it to get it off my chest. There was a time when I LOVED this forum and loved reading the threads on keeping acropora corals. In the last 2-3 years it has been changed into an elitist place to discuss who has what "high-end" coral or what $5000 skimmer works best
In getting things BACK to the way they were in the past (just a little), I have asked that we keep all lighting and equipment threads in their appropriate forums. Do I really think there is a difference between skimmer A that cost $3000 and skimmer B that cost $4500??? NOPE
Do I care? NOPE
So, that is my rant...you guys can come on this thread and hammer me and further prove my point, or you can come in here and take a breath of the fresh air that was once just a hobbyist growing stony corals for fun and for free, then sharing them for free with his friends.