HogWinslow Posted June 7, 2003 Share Posted June 7, 2003 I went to the LFS yesterday and found some really nice stuff to buy. But there was two problems. One was the cost. Everything was $40 and above. When I started this hobby I knew it wasn't going to be cheap but that was just for Frags. All the corals he had were priced $60 and above. I asked him if he would frag some and that's when I got the $40 price. This brings me to my second problem. Everything he had was big. He had no small corals that I could put in the tank and let grow out. Two of his corals would fill the tank. I thought about buying his stuff and fraging it myself and then selling some of them here but I don't have the experience to do it. Where can I find small frags or small established corals for a reasonable price? Anyone around Naples, Fl. willing to trade? All I have to trade is cash. Would that be ok? The one thing I did like was that the first thing he asked me was what size tank and what lighting. He then started showing me things that would go good in my tank instead of selling me corals that would survive. He also has a 5 gallon nano so he has no problem selling to me. I don't know about you guys but we only have LFS's here and the other thinks a reef tank has to be 50 gallons or more. They look at me screwy when I tell them it's a 10 gallon. Just my thoughts, HogWinslow Link to comment
palaegic Posted June 7, 2003 Share Posted June 7, 2003 Look into Aquarium clubs in your area. They are probably your best resource for obtaining reasonably priced frags. Link to comment
blissdon Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 http://www.ereeftank.com/links.html http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/shop...op.cfm?siteid=6 I havn't bought from these sites yet but you can check them out. There are other mail order sites online. Look around. Also, Nanoreef.com has a site for buying/trading. Take a look. There are frags for sale. Take a look at the site for "TampaBaySaltwater.com" I bought a "kit" from them to begin my reef keeping adventure (10 gallon) and will use them again. I don't know if the shipping will kill you or not but the site is worth a look. Kenny Link to comment
Korbin Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 Look for a club forum on Reefcentral (sorry). Look there to find out about frag swap meets in your state. Best thing you can do is go to a frag swap meet. Even if you have to drive 2 hours to get there, it will probably be worth it. People are always selling little frags, and sometimes just giving stuff away. Or you can do what I alwasy did. Just go to the LFS every other day and stare into the tanks until you find some little obscure piece of coral that was forgotten about at the bottom of the tank. Also now that the weather is nice, some people are starting to do thermos trades thru the mail. Link to comment
HiRes60 Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 what LFS did u go to? I know somw places in ft myers that have smaller sized corals Link to comment
HogWinslow Posted June 10, 2003 Author Share Posted June 10, 2003 Where in Ft Myers are these places? In Naples all we have are 2 places. The nicer one is run by unfriendly people and the other sells live stock that is just surviving. Hog Link to comment
HogWinslow Posted June 10, 2003 Author Share Posted June 10, 2003 Where in Ft Myers are they? The two here in Naples I prefer not to deal with. Hog Link to comment
Pikelet Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 You could try Rocky at http://www.coralfragz.com. Most of his frags are quite small(1 or 2 branches) but they average around $15 each if you buy a few of them. He is running a backyard operation under shadecloth not far from you on the West Coast of Florida where you find those shark's teeth. Port Charlotte/Venice Beach area. Not the cheapest but close. There is also a big frag swap coming up in Orlando, FL as Anthony Calfo is coming to town to talk coral production. I think the organizers are expecting people will roll up from all over the state. For details check http://www.o-r-c-a.com. Link to comment
Crakeur Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 hey pikelet, I was just perusing rocky's site and came across a nice goof. He sells stomatella snails for $1.50 each (detritivore kit page) and he has a note on his specials page that he will sell 12 stomatellas for $20 with any order. That's $2 more than they normally cost. Smart guy or a dope? Link to comment
Pikelet Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 I think the writer was hoping to buy from somewhere close to home but I might be wrong. Rocky is not too far from Naples. I think his prices are higher than they should be given the quality of his wares but when you take into account shipping costs, it's not quite so bad. He was just starting out when I bought some frags from him so I made allowances but his prices do seem right up there. Link to comment
Crakeur Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 pike, you misunderstood me. the price on the stomas is find compared to the rest of the market. On his site he offers them for $1.50 per snail. 12 would cost $18. Later, he says he is offering 12 for $20 as a special to anyone who buys livestock. In otherwords, he is charging two bucks more than his own price as a "special." Just wondering if he's really smart and knows people will not do the math or if he goofed. He frag prices are actually pretty decent although you said they are a bit small so they might be a tad high but it's the quality of the coral as well as the size that matters. Link to comment
HiRes60 Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 One is called ocean environments on the east side of U.S. 41 south of page field. The other is call boardroom aquatics, its off of 41 south of college behind the olive garden. I get all my stuff from these two places. The people are cool and the prices are pretty good. Which places in naples do u go to? Link to comment
HogWinslow Posted June 11, 2003 Author Share Posted June 11, 2003 I've been to the one on Davis just west of Airport Road. They always look at me screwy when I tell them it's a 10 gallon tank. They think everything should be 50 gallons or more. He has some nice stuff and a nice store. It's just not for the Nano Reefer. The other place is on Pine Ridge just west of #951. They don't seem to be as knowledgeable about reef tanks and their live stock always looks like it's just surviving. Thanks. I'll check out those places you mentioned. HogWinslow Link to comment
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