Frags For Sale

Frags for Sale! Those 3 little words that get everyone's heart aflutter. Before you rush to buy every piece of coral that someone is selling, there's a myriad of things to consider. This article will touch base on some of the areas I consider to be more critical in the buying, selling, and trading of frags. It will also be of a narrow focus, in that I will only address a sale between individuals, and not bring vendors into the picture.

The Selection process

So, you've just logged onto the forums, and to your amazement someone has just posted the 3 magic words. Say them with me now. Frags For Sale! Do you simply reply with "I'll take them all! Do you have any pics?" For your tanks sake, I sincerely hope not.

The questions a responsible reef keeper will ask look something like this:

• Do I want this coral? Some corals just don't appeal to some people.
• Can I care for this coral? This is a big one. Some corals have specific needs. Simple examples of these requirements are lighting, flow, water quality, direct feeding.

Here are a few more specific examples:

• Don't get a Sun Coral if you're not willing to put in the time to spot feed them directly.
• Don't get an Acropora if you're running 40watts of NO Fluorescents.
• Don't get a Galaxy unless you can shield other corals from its 6+" stingers.

I could sit here all day, and write a ridiculously long "don't" list. Sufficed to say it's absolutely critical that you know as much as possible about your next potential addition to the reef tank.

-Will my tank accept this coral? Some fish and inverts consider certain corals a delicacy. That topic is way too long to get into, and I'll leave that research up you. www.liveaquaria.com is a favorite site of mine to get a quick blurb on a particular fish. Keep in mind that no one source should be regarded as gospel. The more you know…

-Is this coral healthy, and parasite free? Red Bugs, Aptasia, Acropora Eating Flat Worms (AEFW), Rapid Tissue Necrosis (RTN), and the list goes on.

Look past the coral, and into the general condition of the tank. If there is Aptasia everywhere, that plug the coral is mounted on could easily have some. I've also seen Aptasia growing directly on some corals. Red Bugs can transfer easily form one tank to another. They will, however, starve to death in a week if there is no Acropora present for their consumption.

I recommend staying away from coral which has just been mounted. Coral is most susceptible to disease when it has just been fragged and mounted. Give it time to attach to its new home properly, and heal its wounds. I've found this to be of the highest importance when dealing with leather corals, and SPS.

-Is this a good price? The first thing most anyone will notice is the price of the piece in question. Is this a fair price, a rip-off, or the ever elusive smoking deal that you pray you will be first to notice. This is not an easily answered question, because let's face it… not many people know the "fair" price of every coral they see.

The only advice I can offer is to ask a fellow reefer, or compare prices with a vendor (online or local). Remember, it's perfectly normal to expect a deal from a local selling frags out of his/her tank, just don't expect everything to be $5.

So, that pretty much covers the basics of selecting, and buying frags. Run through this short list before buying a coral, and I guarantee you’ll be happy you did.

- Colinpopcorn