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  #51  
Old 05/17/2006, 11:05 PM
JotaDe JotaDe is offline
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Woohoo! Bringing back the BMX memories!
I had a Diamondback Silver Streak II in the mid 80s. Got it brand new and wrecked it the first day at about the age of 11. Bent the cranks, knocked out my 2 front teeth, knocked myself out for about 4 minutes. Friends say I was laying in the road out cold with my tongue hanging out of my mouth covered in blood and proceeded to pee my pants while unconcious.

Best $400 my parents ever spent on me!!! of course they could've splurged a bit on a helmet
  #52  
Old 05/18/2006, 01:13 AM
DarkXerox DarkXerox is offline
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I agree with Al G also. Of course a little frag of his corals is going to be not that amazing when it is only at 1", but when you see them at their true sizes, they are VERY spectacular.

Keep in mind that mariculture places and other vendors wouldn't be trying to do the same thing and put out "knockoffs" of his corals if they weren't so great looking in the first place. I've seen a lot of the "superman" montis coming out and they look nothing like the real one.

Plus keep in mind that as mentioned before, he is creating legitimate hype for fragmentation, and being excited with that is far better than relying on collecting wild corals.

Sunny made a good point about everything being market driven. These corals sell for upwards of 100 dollars because people want them. It is no different than the acro craze, ricordea craze, zoanthid craze, acan craze, and now the echino/chalice craze.

However, if Tyree was really out to just make money, he would be using the LFS model of selling in which volume wins and quality loses. I stopped getting corals from the LFS for this exact reasoning. Just look at their dead skeleton pile in the back.

As for his stopping of some editions, hes only retired a few corals (about 6-8). Plus most of those were due to difficulty in keeping, so he wasn't pushing them on people while knowing that they would be hard to keep (unlike most LFS's). So as I see it, his work and business is on what I would consider the more responsible side of reefing.
  #53  
Old 05/18/2006, 02:27 AM
Al G Blenny Al G Blenny is offline
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Well said. I like the timeline of coral crazes. Very accurate.
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  #54  
Old 05/18/2006, 02:29 AM
2x210g 2x210g is offline
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LE + TYREE = Positive for the reef community. How i see it "nobody is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to buy his nice corals". it's like shopping , if you don't like it are can't afford it, just move on to other stuff you like.
  #55  
Old 05/18/2006, 10:31 AM
stevedola stevedola is offline
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thats not the point.
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  #56  
Old 05/18/2006, 12:42 PM
iCam iCam is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by ShadowViper
OMG @ NorthernCF,
My bro and myself had diamond backs in the early 80's, parents paid like 200 bucks for them, My bro's got stolen in the early 90's, so the homeowners did like a bluebook thing on it and came out to over a Grand. I am suprised anyone even remembers those bikes.
Oh btw, I shouldnt of used had since I still have mine at my parents storage.
I had one of those that also got stolen.

Our neighbor saw some guys sitting around with it outside a store while he was running errands. He recognized it and knew it had been stolen that day, so he gave us a call. The guys made some big story about it, and had peeled the registration number sticker off of it, but the dummies overlooked the fact that it was etched in the metal also

I had so much fun watching them face the cops They also had been riding around on a little girl's pink bike
  #57  
Old 05/18/2006, 06:38 PM
isseym328 isseym328 is offline
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I get some of my corals directly from Steve. Way I look at it is:

1. Saves me time if I purchase everything from one place, especially when he's doing all the work of finding the coolest pieces out there.

2. Time = money and if I spend my time driving/flying everywhere looking for nice frags and paying the $4/gallon I think I'm actually saving money buying his pieces.

3. Since i'm local I save shipping. I also live 15 mins from him. That's about $3 worth of gas.

4. Steve is a nice guy. It's not that easy to make profit in this business since things die off and you get complaints etc etc. From what I know if his setups and business he puts quite a bit of time into it and if you add up the man hours I think the price of his corals reflect that. And like someone said he only sells a frag from each piece a month and sometimes none if the colony he has die off. And believe me they do die off I have seen it. Steve doesn't just sell corals. He is actually very knowledgable in the stuff he sells and this hobby in general. He flies to places to give speeches and lectures and I believe he does that for free. He started the coral farmer market so people can all congregate at one place for great corals. I will have to say Steve does a lot more in this hobby than just sell corals.
  #58  
Old 05/18/2006, 06:56 PM
wentreefgirl wentreefgirl is offline
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Hey James, got any new ones in your tank. Love some pics.
  #59  
Old 05/19/2006, 11:56 AM
SilverBack27 SilverBack27 is offline
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I agree with eveything that has been said so far regarding that the prices due seem high and if you can't afford them then go somewhere else to find what you like. I am not taking up for Mr. Steve Tyree to be quite honest this is the first time I have heard of him. what I am going to say is this.....Nobody wants to be overcharged for products and we all know that but, you have to take into consideration the overhead required to run such a facility.....lights, water, filters for water, chemicals for the water, and yes as many people that don't want to hear you do have to take into consideration the die off of other corals it is a part of life.

I do think the gas is a valid comparison to a not needed item as well. nobody tells you to live an hour away from your job you choose to for many reasons whether it be that the job pays better or cost of living is cheaper an hour away. People have not always had transportation and I am not saying walk to work ride a bike to work or anything like that. The way I see it we as americans in general have became lazy and dependant on common luxuries in life. We would rather drive anywhere we go but there is other means of getting there, that we don't choose. We as americans would prefer the fastest way possible because we live in a fast paced world.

The bottom line is if you want it, buy it. whether it be a SUV that you might get 10 miles to the gallon at $3-$4 dollars a gallon or the latest "hard to find Ultra rare LE" Coral. Everyone has their own priorities and beliefs in life. It goes back to an old saying.....Opinions are like a$$holes everyone has one it just varies in size, shapes, and smells.
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  #60  
Old 05/19/2006, 01:00 PM
The Beaut The Beaut is offline
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well said
  #61  
Old 05/19/2006, 01:17 PM
3.99AfterTaxes 3.99AfterTaxes is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by joe18
haha
good one!

some of the names reefer madness puts out, are just carazzzy! (:
great corls though...any one see that 800 dollar bowerbanki they recentlly sold.?
I'm going to have to disagree with this statement. Some of those names and descriptions make me want to vomit.

But hey, we're all entitled to an opinion, lol.
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  #62  
Old 05/19/2006, 01:19 PM
stevedola stevedola is offline
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nevermind that pic
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  #63  
Old 05/19/2006, 04:53 PM
Vili_Shark Vili_Shark is offline
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Tyree is a business man.
He has a lot of knowledge and alot of contacts, both helps him to have access to some really nice corals.
Those corals becoming LE, PM and all other names, this is strickly business.

As long as there are people who are ready to pay for it he and other guys who are less knowledgable than him, or are in business for just couple of year, will continue doing it.

Most people who have been visiting the importers-exporters-station knows that "LE" corals are coming in everyday, you just need the pro eye to spot them, and that's what Tyree's doing.

You got to understand that you cant give a car or fuel as examples here, mother nature produces much more many "models" than Benz , there's special corals coming in everyday to America, there are many exporters who are not even selling to America and have corals unique to their area which will make American reefers or even importers, faint, does this justify the LE, "rare" ,Purple Montser,Red Pit Bull and Blue Dragon???? up to you.

I just came back from the Interzoo, there was an Indonesian exporters with some INSANE LPSin his show tank, and believe me, I have seen some crazy stuff, this was truely insane corals, the guy sold his all tank which was something like 150gallons, incld sump +skimmer +really nice high end cabinet lighting, you name it, all for 1000.00Euro , he could sell a frag out of some of LPS for 1000 bucks in America.
  #64  
Old 05/19/2006, 05:05 PM
duec22 duec22 is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by SilverBack27
The way I see it we as americans in general have became lazy and dependant on common luxuries in life. We would rather drive anywhere we go but there is other means of getting there, that we don't choose. We as americans would prefer the fastest way possible because we live in a fast paced world.
So are you saying that I don't need to drive across the street to pick up my pizza, I could walk? Really I do take the walk, but my first instintic is to jump in the truck...but then I find myselft saying it's only across the street. It's almost as bad as haveing it delivered...which I've done...
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  #65  
Old 05/19/2006, 09:29 PM
Mr. Ugly Mr. Ugly is offline
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Ok... gonna drive myself down the block to the gym in few minutes...
  #66  
Old 05/19/2006, 09:50 PM
Al G Blenny Al G Blenny is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by Vili_Shark

Most people who have been visiting the importers-exporters-station knows that "LE" corals are coming in everyday, you just need the pro eye to spot them, and that's what Tyree's doing
We have six different wholesalers here in the Bay Area. I go to them quite regularly for my business. I can tell you truthfully that LE equivelant corals do NOT come in everyday. I wish they did. If they did you would obviously be seeing more of them in your LFS. Where else would they go? If you havn't been to the wholesalers you would be shocked to see how many brown toadstools, brown Euphyllias, brown zoos, brown shrooms, etc.... come in.
And where are all of the coral exporters in the US. I have never seen one.
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  #67  
Old 05/19/2006, 10:29 PM
jero1 jero1 is offline
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"I do think the gas is a valid comparison to a not needed item as well. nobody tells you to live an hour away from your job you choose to for many reasons whether it be that the job pays better or cost of living is cheaper an hour away."


Easy for you to say, you don't live in Cali! Most people can't afford to live where they work...and you go where the work is! But I guess the corals make up for it!......NOT!
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  #68  
Old 05/19/2006, 10:49 PM
NorthernCF NorthernCF is offline
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Something must make up for it... or there wouldn't be so many sardines there
  #69  
Old 05/20/2006, 02:59 AM
Vili_Shark Vili_Shark is offline
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Al G Blenny
I never mentioned the wholsellers.
Wholeseller who are not well connected and/or special or high end corals are not their goal will not get them from the importers, as simple as this.

Pls read carefully ,I mentioned IMPORTERS(sends to the wholesellers/shops) you got some in 104 st LAX, and more.

EXPORTERS(sends to the importers) means the guys in Indo/Fiji/Tonga/Vietnam etc.

STATIONS(send to the exporter facility) means stations of the exporters which they might own or not.

The main problem for you is that in each of the 3 points I mentioned above you have other people that are taking out all your "LE"corals, for example the Blue Acan that was supposed to go to X importers in America, was just picked up by the guy who is sending the shipment to Y importer in France.
When arrived to America to the importer's facility, you got the jobbers, and you got many people like Mr.Tyree himself who are aiming only at the "LE" corals, as well as some "prefered customer who will get the nice stuff.

So you can understand that there's not much left when coming in your place.
But still this is not making them RARE or LE , there are just people who are taking them on the way.

About the Brown Euphyllia, zoos, shrooms etc. if you think this forum is a mirror of the average American reefer you're wrong, there are hundreds of thosands of the above mentioned corals sold , they are the best selling, at the end of the day your wholseller have to make profit and it might be that these corals are what makes it for him.

About the US exporters, though it wasnt my intention , I made myself clear in the first lines, you can still find US exporters in 104 st Los Angeles.
  #70  
Old 05/20/2006, 05:26 AM
Al G Blenny Al G Blenny is offline
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Sorry to tell you buddy but the wholesalers are the importers. The companies that ship to them are the exporters. There is no middle man of importer to wholesaler. The only middle man is from collections to exporter and that doesn't always exist. The wholesalers get the corals direct from the exporters. That's why the majority of the wholesalers/importers are in LA/SF areas. Major airports that are closest to indo pacific. LAX and SFO. In case you didn't know most of the LEs came from wholesalers either in LA or in the Bay Area. Maybe from a store that got it there or a reefer that got it from that store but nonetheless. Lets see. Who are the big names in wholesale/import? Walt Smith? He collects corals himself and sells them at PAF. Sea Dwelling Creatures? The import eveything themselves. Where do you think all of the Dendros came from? Here in the bay. Pan, ASAP, Deep Sea? All import corals themselves and some have their own collecting stations in Tonga, Fiji, Solomon, etc...

As far as exporters in LA. What corals are they sending and where? I didn't know they collected corals on this coast. I havn't seen a coral collection close to this side of the US for some time now. The closest would be Mexico and last I heard they were shut down for a long time.
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  #71  
Old 05/20/2006, 05:30 AM
Al G Blenny Al G Blenny is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by jero1
"I do think the gas is a valid comparison to a not needed item as well. nobody tells you to live an hour away from your job you choose to for many reasons whether it be that the job pays better or cost of living is cheaper an hour away."


Easy for you to say, you don't live in Cali! Most people can't afford to live where they work...and you go where the work is! But I guess the corals make up for it!......NOT!
Exactly! Try running an aquarium servicing company and taking the bus or better yet riding a bike!! As for not HAVING to. I have to support my family right? I can't do that working for Micky Ds. I have worked with aquariums for over 15 years. I can't close my business and find an equal paying job that doesn't require a commute. I do HAVE to drive.
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  #72  
Old 05/20/2006, 09:59 AM
2x210g 2x210g is offline
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i NEED gas and it hurt's, around $800 a month.......add $3.29 a gallon.
  #73  
Old 05/20/2006, 10:07 AM
stevedola stevedola is offline
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Ok can we stop with the gas comparison? People that will try and tell you gas isn’t a requirement in today’s society are either naive or just dumb (not pointed at anyone in particular). The age of bikes and carriages has far passed this American culture.

And as for Tyree corals-
Like i said previously, I THINK THEY ARE OVER PRICED but Joe Blow might think that they are priced accordingly for his wallet. He has fabricated a marketing scheme that allows him to charge those prices whether people like it or not. The way I look at it is corals are like clothing. You can buy the 40 dollar polo or the 200 knit shirt. Either one is going to keep you warm and covered but which one will look better to impress your friends and your own ego?

Go in peace.
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  #74  
Old 05/20/2006, 11:21 AM
Vili_Shark Vili_Shark is offline
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Al G Blenny
Sorry my friend, Im not arguing with you, you are the one who mentioned the wholsellers.

Read my two previous posts, if it doesnt make sence, go on my friend, and pay whatever you like for whatever LE "rare" , "first time we received it" etc kind of corals.

Read my post and at least TRY to understand that in case you have an access to a serious corals importers(like 100 box a week or more) or better a coral exporter you will see these corals and wont pay the big buck for them, please understand most of them are NOT rare, just overpriced.

The fact that you know 2.5 players in 104 does not mean you know everything , for your info, people in LA do export to countries like Brasil, Mexico and Canada, I know an importer from Mexico who buys 100 box a week from ONE guy in LA only.
The corals are not America's Pacific ocean but tropical.

Let me give you a little piece of advice, instead of being so narrow minded, save the money of your next 2-3 Tyree LE corals buy a flight ticket to Asia-Pacific and learn, you'll thank me for that.
  #75  
Old 05/20/2006, 12:08 PM
mummra100769 mummra100769 is offline
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hey really it's all about supply and demand. i think it's high but what ever.

as far as the gas thing...we really do not need gas. you need air....water, food and shelter. now the current state of things would fall apart and we would go to a different style of economy and people would suffer greatly and modern society would crumble but the need to have petroleum would wane and we would live in a different world thats for sure. but need? na. i will add that i amongst every body else really...really...really wants to drive instead of walk and it is a little silly to ever think this would change but the very strictest definition of a need does not fit into our petro consumption. i am just as guilty as i drive every where and i also really...really...really want to drive.
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