Does Lineage Really Matter?

[emerald525]

As many of you know there was a thread this weekend that was eventually closed down discussing lineage. Unfortunately it could not remain open as the conversation got very heated. Please know this thread is not directed at anyone and is not meant to point fingers or choose sides. There were just some good points that unfortunately got lost in the drama of the thread. . I am hopeful we can be adults and have an informative discussion. Most of us have seen corals where wild caught/maricultured corals were sold as a named coral. I have seen corals where I have thought they were the same thing just a different morph given two different names. Many of us have named "Tyree" corals in our collection.

My question is does it really matter?

 

[dedubya]

I think it does matter in the higher end side of corals. I know when I buy a specific piece that is say Rob's insane rainbow jamocha phsycadelic 1 of a kind blah blah, I'd like to know im getting it from a reputable source origin. Because let's face it in today's market so many people photshop, led blues etc.... just to get an outrageous color, and fool the seller. So yes I take my purchases pretty serious if im spending a few hundred on 1 piece, I definatley want to know where it originated from so I can see it's true colors, history etc..

 

[E.intheC]

No. Not in the least bit.

I'm not going to spend hundreds on a small frag of something anyway, but even if I did, it would be because I really like the colors. Not because of the name.

 

[dedubya]

I agree I could care less who it came from, just want the true colors in pic

 

[cdness]

No, I like colors. I don't care if it came from Tyree, Bob, or Joe... But I am one who does not spend lots of $ on coral frags so the highest end stuff doesn't matter to me.

It's like watches. If I can buy something that looks just like a rolex and from a short distance noone can tell the difference, why would I ever go buy the real thing. But then again, if I was sold a fake for the real price I'd be pretty ticked. That's the "simple" of both sides for sure.

 

[emerald525]

The watch example is a great point. Part of the problem is lineage can be difficult to prove. Often you have to take someone's word regarding where they got a coral. I definitely look at someone's repuatation before buying a coral.

I do have a mixture of high end and named corals. For me part of that is you know what you are getting and it is easier to sell them. Also a wild caught or maricultured look alike is very different than an aquacultured coral in the sense that aquacultured is usually better acclimated and hardier as a rule of thumb than wild caught.

I do think lineage matters but can be very difficult to prove sometimes.

 

[Tabasco1]

It is kinda a can of worms.

It doesn't matter to me that I have so & so's something just to know that it has the pedigree/designer label per se. I could care less as long as it looks good and is healthy. I think where it does matter is the fact that alot of us are purchasing coral sight unseen over the internet. If it is a Tyree pink watermelon, I know what it is going to look like. I think that is where "lineage" is the most important. On the flip side of that, how do I KNOW that it is REALLY ACUTALLY a Tyree PW? There is no lineage certification, is there? That is where you puchase from trusted vendors. Ones you know that their photos actually match what they are selling. I won't make a $$ purchase from a vendor I have never worked with before.

Until there is a registration system it is kinda silly to have 'lineage'. Maybe not silly, but you have to take the lineage with a grain of salt. I think that a good (but not perfect) analogy is with pure bred dogs. I have 2 akc registered boxers. I do place value on knowing their bloodlines. From seeing what dogs are in their lineage I can see what they will likely grow up to look like, possible health issues and temperament. There are alot more variables with dogs as you are not cross breeding corals, but you know exactly where the dog came from. There is a cost associated with a registration system and you pay for the registration and the premium that comes with having a registered dog. My personal opinion is that the kind of premiums being paid on some of the higher end corals (particularly) chalices should carry a registration. Which is probably why I will never own a coral that costs $1k.

 

[revhtree]

For me as someone who buys coral for my own personal pleasure, no. If I were buying to resell or if I was a vendor then yes.

 

[Ninjapotamus]

To establish the validity of a corals id a quality WYSIWYG photo and a quick google search is all that's needed 99% of the time .

The problem is ... several vendors are OBVIOUSLY photoshopping the hell out of their pics when they release a new frag. This makes it VERY difficult to compare your coral with the vendors photo. This is where the whole lineage mess starts from, deceptive photos from the coral originator that make it incredibly difficult to use as a reference photo.

 

[BillyC]

NO, it does not matter if I just want a very pretty coral.

YES, it matters if there is a VERY SPECIFIC piece I'm looking for that came from a single original mother colony.

 

[KJAG]

It matters if youre listing for sale something that it isnt, at the pricetag that it would fetch if it were.. As someone pointed out in that particular thread, there's a reason it wasn't snatched up in less than a half hour.

 

[63vette427]

I think if your listing a named coral it needs lineage. It may not mean much if it's a cheaper priced one. There are so many small differnce between them that lineage is important if your looking for a certain one. The biggest issue with the soprano that was listed is that the soprano is a well know high end coral that is very sought after. If you don't have lineage for it then it shouldn't have been listed as a soprano. I have true lineaged sopranos as well as a Joe's Soprano. When i bought the Joe's soprano he never stated it was a soprano. He told me it was a look alike and he was just naming it a joe's soprano. I knew what i was buying and happy with it. If you listing coral that has a big name and trying to mislead people by using it without lineage that's just wrong.

I do agree that lineage is very difficult to prove sometimes as the corals have been released a while ago. Then you have to fall back on how reliable the seller is. I have been burnt before and may again but this why feedback is important to me.

 

[KJAG]

I think if your listing a named coral it needs lineage. It may not mean much if it's a cheaper priced one. There are so many small differnce between them that lineage is important if your looking for a certain one. The biggest issue with the soprano that was listed is that the soprano is a well know high end coral that is very sought after. If you don't have lineage for it then it shouldn't have been listed as a soprano. I have true lineaged sopranos as well as a Joe's Soprano. When i bought the Joe's soprano he never stated it was a soprano. He told me it was a look alike and he was just naming it a joe's soprano. I knew what i was buying and happy with it. If you listing coral that has a big name and trying to mislead people by using it without lineage that's just wrong.

I do agree that lineage is very difficult to prove sometimes as the corals have been released a while ago. Then you have to fall back on how reliable the seller is. I have been burnt before and may again but this why feedback is important to me.

In reference to that thread, lineage wasnt the only issue there. There were some striking differences that pointed to one of the dozens of similar morphs, as evidenced by that timely Mr.coral thread. Hopefully the guy who bought it was thrown a few freebies to compensate.

 

[hlem]

NO, it does not matter if I just want a very pretty coral.

YES, it matters if there is a VERY SPECIFIC piece I'm looking for that came from a single original mother colony.

first lineage answer that make sense

if people are selling something with the same name at the same price... then who cares... as long as they are not claiming it as a "lineaged" piece..

if "you" want lineage, just ask if the piece came from the "first" person who released it... if they dont say it came from the "original colony" then it's probably didnt not lineaged...

 

[k2parkstar]

I see this thread going in two directions. On the one hand you have "does lineage really matter" "to you before you buy coral." For a lot of people this is no they just want a nice looking piece for a good price. On the other hand you have "does lineage really matter" "when buying and selling coral." Then you have the answer yes. If i'm buying a named coral and shelling outt he bucks, you better believe I want a piece lineaged back to the original colony and if i'm selling a piece then I want to correctly link it to its orginator, because no one wants there credibility to be tarnished.

 

[mfdrookie516]

Some people like high end sports cars, some like high end luxury vehicles, some like nice vehicles, and some like functional vehicles. Direct correlation IMO. While some of these corals that I see on here are amazing, I'll never pay the price for them. My most expensive coral was about $20, and I am very very happy with it. I'd have so much regret paying $300, $500, or more for a coral, it wouldn't be worth it. I can stock my tank full of corals for what some of these little 1" frags sell for.

For me, lineage means nothing. I don't need the latest and greatest. Not knocking anyone who does like that stuff, it's just not for me.

 

[MBG75]

For me as someone who buys coral for my own personal pleasure, no. If I were buying to resell or if I was a vendor then yes.

Rev hit it on the head. Buy only what u like.
Unless your looking to resell. Then it matters.
Unless your scamming someone

 

[Gonzo]

In that thread I never claimed it as a O.G soprano with lineage

I also provided the lineage of how I got it when asked

I sold it as a soprano polyp, like I would sell a sunny d, red hornet, blue hornet, space monster, so on and so on


Now had I said O.G soprano that would sound like it came with some sort of lineage


I guess I will have to name everything Gonzos this and that, Like the New Gonzos Sunny D same Sunny D as before but I have no Lineage so it must not be a sunny D

 

[lps1212]

Too me lineage matters only with chalices just cause I wouldn't wanna pay top dolla for a gem when all along joe smoe go it from the wild claiming it as an aquacultured piece. Not everyone has my views and hence it's my .02

 

[cdness]

I know I posted on this one already, but I just had a question for clarification...

Does anyone really have registered, on paper, lineage of the corals they have?

Do any corals sell with a Certificate of Authenticity that guarantees the lineage of the corals you just purchased?

If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's still a duck... If it's Donald's offspring or not only Donald can tell you for sure