Why the Aussie Acan craze???

[rbtwo4]

What is all the hoop-la now with the Aussie Acan craze??? They're nice pieces I must say. What kind of care do these I dunno if they're lps or sps but what kind of care do they need and what do they eat? These pieces really do make your tank stand out. They are gorgeous.

[schoch79]

I think the reason they are the new craze is because it used to be that we couldn't get them before. Some kind of protection or something like that. But don't hold that as fact as I'm not really sure.

[tmz]

They are relatively new on the market. They are very colorful as you noted and they are hardy. They are lps corals and can thrive in a variety of light and will exhibit varied coloration but not dull in varying light. They will eat cyclopese and similarly sized zooplankton and may take mysis

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Hey, anyone got some sunburst iceblue zoas they wanna trade?

Seriously, trends in "popular" corals are often based on whim, rarety, expense, and hysteria. My personal approach has been to just stick with what looks good to me, fits with my tank, and is available at a reasonable price. When popular acans, zoas, SPS, etc. reach $100+ per POLYP, it's past insanity and well in to silliness, IMHO.

[mhurley]

Yep....der_wille nailed it. It's just the fad of the month(s).

I still giggle over the marketing produced over naming some of these corals. Like the Armor of Zeus Electric Teal Dungeon and Dragons Eagle Eyed Zoas....LE. Totally rare and $200 a polyp (but will reproduce faster than a rabbit in your tank). And then the arguements that ensure between folks on ID'ing them; "That's not the Armor of Zeus...that's the Zippy the Pin Head Silver Plated Chromiums!"

I've seen people here and elsewhere make $10's of thousands of dollars riding these fad waves of buying and selling acans, zoas, micro's and now Aussie's (the Aussie SPS are coming next)....This is part of the reason we clamp so hard on "commercial" sellers.

But what you like...not the name. If the market price is too high..wait a few months for the fad to burn out.

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Originally posted by mhurley
If the market price is too high..wait a few months for the fad to burn out.

Or, take your 401k money out of the stock market, and try to bet on how long the fad will last vs. how quick the coral will reproduce.

[mhurley]

Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht
Or, take your 401k money out of the stock market, and try to bet on how long the fad will last vs. how quick the coral will reproduce.

d, you don't know truly accurate that. I, and others, watched the original Acan wave happen....First, the wholesalers were shipping the stuff in and charging their usual dirt cheap prices...People would buy them cheap, and mark them up by thousands of % points. After some time, the wholesalers got wise to the demand and they jacked up their prices, suddenly margins got thinner for the opportunistic sellers, the bottom dropped out of the market and many "investors" got left holding the proverbial bag of Acan's that were now worth a fraction of what they paid for them. On one hand, it was sad. On the other, it was funny, karma, good riddance..etc. I lean more towards the latter.

[rbtwo4]

Cool thanks a lot guys I guess I'm gonna just sit this one out and wait til the prices drop like I am waiting for the ps3 to drop in price too! it is a bit insane but at the same time a tank full of them would make a really nice show piece.

[XSiVE]

I agree, as with anything in life that is "the big thing" to have one week, the next it will fade..

Get what you like, keep what you like.. To most of us, having a marine aquarium is about personal enjoyment.. If personal enjoyment is keeping up with the fads and showing off all your new stuff, then so be it.. If you'd rather take it slow but still enjoy doing it that way then more power to you.

In the end.. do what you think accomplishes your personal goals for your aquarium.

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Originally posted by rbtwo4
Cool thanks a lot guys I guess I'm gonna just sit this one out and wait til the prices drop like I am waiting for the ps3 to drop in price too! it is a bit insane but at the same time a tank full of them would make a really nice show piece.

Keep in mind that many items that were HUGE crazes 5 years ago are now totally plentiful. You can make an awesome tank out of rare corals easily, but it's totally possible to make one out of extremely cheap and common corals, as well.

Here's a guideline I try to follow: Bring a friend or family member with you when you shop for corals, and ask their opinion. Sometimes, the eye of someone outside the hobby can be extremely valuable in deciding what corals "look good", since outsiders aren't tainted or swayed by popular opinion inside the hardcore reef keeper circles. By following this rule over the years, I've ended up with some awesome, inspiring pieces that I never would have looked twice at myself. Once you've been in the hobby for a bit, it's hard to be unbiased - My eye would be drawn towards the popular, rare, and expensive; overlooking some neat specimens.

[Randall_James]

What is funny, is 99% of the people that look at your reef tank could not tell the difference between a $500 acan and a $20 LPS... all they see is NEMO!!!!!! (and they always say what a "BEAUTIFUL TANK!!)

I think most really like the "swaying" of the GSP's I have had over the years

[mhurley]

Yep....The most expensive Tort, Echinata and Bonsai that I had in my tank never caught anyone's attention except me. My RBTA, my Nemo, my Dory's and my GSP's were the "Ooooooo...pretty" items.

[der_wille_zur_macht]

I suppose if the general public chose ALL the corals in your tank, you'd probably end up with GSP, Xenia, and anemones! Who likes those ugly SPS anyways - they don't even move!

[rbtwo4]

Thanks guys I really appreciate the advice. That's why I always ask the wife what does she think about certain corals and stuff cus I do it not only 4 me but for her as well cus we can then both just sit there and look and admire the aquarium. That in itself is priceless.

[ccoral]

they might not come down in price all that much unless they truley open up Aust. for export an a reg. basis. Also they do not propagate like acro or zoes very slow. Went to a store that had about 12 pcs. they are nice. However maybe only 4 of them I thought where worth the big bucks.

[schoch79]

Yeah I agree. Those prices will probably come down in a little while but the new fad isn't always the "prettiest" for a lot of people. For example there have been several occasions when I was in the LFS with my wife and I was like "Oooh hey come look at this one." She just glanced over and says "Mm Hm. I don't get that one it's not as nice as this one." And usually that "one" would be something like a torch coral or simple discsoma mushroom.

[TIMMYE]

it is just so funny how market trends go. the must have item of the now will have a out crazy price for a couple months then drop in faster then it rasied. A good example is the motorola Razor Phone that was around 400 when it first came out, now they give 4 away with new contracs. The gotta have it craze is also funny, its amazing what people buy into and have to have. I did a couple years ago for PS2 for my daughter for christmas, now she barley plays with. What can you do?? Buy smart, and buy cheap!!

[tmz]

The hobby is starting to remind me of baseball and football card collecting. We have hundreds if not thousands of specimens being touted as limited editions, originals,etremely rare and any other nomenclature that will make the specimen seem more desireable such as: must have for the collector,lights up your tank, definate showpiece and colors that are no longer red ,green ,blue, yellow but the bluest blue on the planet, nuclear ,true, neon, atomic and of course " never seen before". The names are really fun; bahama mamas,armour of god,alien eye, toxic, kedds reds, bleeding apples, gorrilla nipples and so on. How can the likes of zoanthus, duncanopsamia axifuga,and scolymia compete ?
Perhaps all of this adds to the fun. It certainly seems to dominate marketing tactics.
Maybe, that all of this hype is necessary to help rationalize spending hundreds of dollars for a pencil eraser sized piece of true watermelon. Many reefkeepers are becoming more overt collectors and sadly many are focusing on reselling and becoming "chop shop"operators and shippers. I understand the benefits of as
quaculture versus wild collection and see that as a noble motivation for trading in tank raised corals but with all of the focus on building collections, reselling and marketting is there enough time and energy for good husbandry and the creation of sustainable and aesthetidcally pleasing artful displays?
A buyer can choose from thousands of specimens via the internet and must have skill in looking past photo stopping and superlative adjectives and other techiniques to really know what he is purchasing. Most local shops can't carry an adequate variety to satisfy the coral consumer.
I think most folks like Austrailia and well the Great Barrier Reef notion speaks volumes without saying a word. It has been very difficult to get corals from this part of the world untill recently and they are different than what we are used to. They are also very colorful and desireable and many seem to survive the fragging process quite well, making them prime candidates for today's coral marketer, collector and resseler.

[szwab]

i don't know what you guys are talking about everything I put in my tank is either traded for or 20 bucks

[DarwinFish11]

Speaking of outrageous prices....one local LFS just auctioned off two limited edition Acan Lords for $1800 and $2300!!! And I thoguht this was an expensive hobby before...rediculous I say!

[XSiVE]

Originally posted by szwab
i don't know what you guys are talking about everything I put in my tank is either traded for or 20 bucks

Why do you think they are marketing them so hard now?

IMO the community is getting more mature and also aware of what we're doing to the natural source for our hobby so we're working together(with the help of sites like this one) to share / trade our prize pieces and collect less from the wild and/or from the high-price retailers... so what do they do? Simple.. make their stuff sound and look more appealing by spending more money to market it

[szwab]

I think the crazes are getting better at least they don't seem to last quite as long anymore. Just part of human nature. Just go at it remembering you are the one that looks at the tank if you like it get it but not just becaue it's a "Zippy the Pin Head Silver Plated Chromiums" (which BTW I'm looking for )
And if you just have to have it, then there's the 20$ rule. -- Which is the price I paid for each in my tank. Now that I think of it though, every pair of shoes she owns have been 20 bucks as well.

[rbtwo4]

I like the baseball card comparison. I'm an avid card collector and now all they do is just sit there collecting dust. I remember when Jose Cansecos rookie card was over $100 at one point (which was a lot of $$$ when I was 15) now u can't get 10 cents for it. But I did see on ebay the outrageous prices err I mean bids on these pieces. The chop shop comparison was also a good one. These guys must make a good turnover on what they actually spend. But I also read that these things eat. Is that true???

[ArgonDreams]

I would also like to put in my request for "Zippy the Pin Head Silver Plated Chromiums". If anyone has one PM ME!

ROFL

[sufunk]

Originally posted by tmz
The hobby is starting to remind me of baseball and football card collecting. We have hundreds if not thousands of specimens being touted as limited editions, originals,etremely rare and any other nomenclature that will make the specimen seem more desireable such as: must have for the collector,lights up your tank, definate showpiece and colors that are no longer red ,green ,blue, yellow but the bluest blue on the planet, nuclear ,true, neon, atomic and of course " never seen before". The names are really fun; bahama mamas,armour of god,alien eye, toxic, kedds reds, bleeding apples, gorrilla nipples and so on. How can the likes of zoanthus, duncanopsamia axifuga,and scolymia compete ?
Perhaps all of this adds to the fun. It certainly seems to dominate marketing tactics.
Maybe, that all of this hype is necessary to help rationalize spending hundreds of dollars for a pencil eraser sized piece of true watermelon. Many reefkeepers are becoming more overt collectors and sadly many are focusing on reselling and becoming "chop shop"operators and shippers. I understand the benefits of as
quaculture versus wild collection and see that as a noble motivation for trading in tank raised corals but with all of the focus on building collections, reselling and marketting is there enough time and energy for good husbandry and the creation of sustainable and aesthetidcally pleasing artful displays?
A buyer can choose from thousands of specimens via the internet and must have skill in looking past photo stopping and superlative adjectives and other techiniques to really know what he is purchasing. Most local shops can't carry an adequate variety to satisfy the coral consumer.
I think most folks like Austrailia and well the Great Barrier Reef notion speaks volumes without saying a word. It has been very difficult to get corals from this part of the world untill recently and they are different than what we are used to. They are also very colorful and desireable and many seem to survive the fragging process quite well, making them prime candidates for today's coral marketer, collector and resseler.

Finally someone who gets it!!!!

Ive been questioning all the crazed aussie buyers and touters in the lps forums for months now. Their response is basically "what do you care what we pay for corals, it doesn't hurt you".

This attitude and price gouging is exactly what has ruined the trading cards and comic books hobby. The hot,le, signed, numbered, one of a kind, hologram editions drove everyone out of the hobby and ruined them.
People are doing the same now to this hobby.

It seems alot of people are trying to run their own chop shop and make some money now in the lps forum. Used to be a ton of pics and threads about beautiful display tanks. Now about all you can find are pics of tiny frags and peoples frag racks and frag tanks.


There is a VERY disturbing trend in the LPS forum on here with Aussie acans. About 10 members who can get good deals spend all day posting how great aussies are, how rare they are and how the prices will never come down. All the while posting HEAVILY photoshopped and altered pics of their aussies. They buy the acans and chop them up into tiny mutilated frags and Then they turn around and post them for sale or trade in the selling forums or via pm trying to make a quick buck. Sad