Cheap corals?!

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

I recently saw someone asking about online corals and where to buy.
Ive been out of the hobby for a lil bit now and I'm cycling a tank now.

I hate to do this or ask but shy of me getting corals from others tanks, where do I get cheap corals?
I'm a single dad and I don't wanna try $40 frags.
$12-$15 maybe. $20....
Ill get a slimmer to start... I wanna order online or maybe hit a couple local store looking for the deals... lol
???
Thanks all!
-d

 

[JustAnotherReefer]

local facebook reef groups are your best bet

they always have members who have cheap coral and great coral for cheap

 

[Will Milberger]

Howdy,
Aquarium Depot or Salwaterfish.com or fishnreef.com

 

[Billdogg]

Where are you located?

 

[Leadfooted]

where do I get cheap corals?

-d

you near S.FL?

 

[TopShelfAquatics]

We can build you a custom pack with some $10 frags
Our shipping is 29.99 outside of florida or 19.99 in the state of FL
Just because we generally do high end sps doesn't mean we cant hook it up

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

I'm in the PNW. Greater Seattle area.

I know of SWF.com. Their forums and youtube are where I 1st started.
Nvr heard of the other 2.

FB I know of but am not on anymore. Ive heard its turned into a bidding sniper war game. LOL
I like that Topshelf thank you! I will b thinking of u guys when it comes time to get the 1st round.
=)
thank u all!
-d

 

[fish farmer]

Cultivated Reef has sales from time to time.

 

[User1]

So if you look around online you will be paying markup for chop shop and retail space be it garage, warehouse, greenhouse, or other. This is no different than other things we buy which is why I bring this up. There is ebay and once you are ready to buy starter or test corals you can get some frags in the 10 - 15 dollar range but you are buying in bulk so to speak. So 10 to 15 corals for 100 dollars or so but then when you break down the price per coral it is in your range.

Local clubs and these boards or others may align you with other members who clean their tanks and may be willing to sell or trade. I've personally not done that, I don't know why honestly, but local reefers prune all the time so stuff is relatively available I'd wager again in your ball park.

 

[Billdogg]

The most I've ever charged a local reefer is $15, and theat was for a ~4" "frag" of a high end acropora. I sell most of mine for $5-10.

 

[mattzang]

idk where you're at, but i'd hit the LFS and see what they have. there's a few around me that either have $10 frags all of the time or at least frequently have sales in that range.

some cheap frags i've gotten:

hollywood stunner $5
green digi $5
fuzzy green mushroom $10
red war coral + purple stylo + green pocillopora for $30 (there are some places that do buy 2 get 1 free or buy 3 get 1 free type deals)
green blasto $10
green kenya tree free

online i think aquasd is doing a live sale this weekend with a lot of cheap frags

and if your scour offerup/craigslist stuff is available there too

 

[Skydvr]

I’ve got local fish stores around here that have frag racks starting at $10 and increase in $5 increments. For a while they even had a $5 frag rack, but these were mostly stuff that was pretty beat.

If your local store has some lower priced stuff that is just out of your range or doesn’t look like it is quite up to par for what they are asking, you can always see if they will discount them. The worst they can say is no (can seem awkward at first as Americans aren’t typically acustomed to haggeling prices in a retail setting). They will also frequently discount if multiple items are purchased.

Not to take away from the awesome vendors here, but buying local and supporting your LFS can be beneficial in the long run. People tend to bash LFSs, but there are still tons of amazing shops out there.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

^^^i do this....thank u all for ur responses!
Very helpful and inspiring.
D

 

[Hemmdog]

LFS are where the deals are. Amazing stuff in the $10 tank’s. Most shops do buy 3 get the 4th free. Online coral shopping is a joke if your trying to save money.

 

[AnemoneBay]

I recently saw someone asking about online corals and where to buy.
Ive been out of the hobby for a lil bit now and I'm cycling a tank now.

I hate to do this or ask but shy of me getting corals from others tanks, where do I get cheap corals?
I'm a single dad and I don't wanna try $40 frags.
$12-$15 maybe. $20....
Ill get a slimmer to start... I wanna order online or maybe hit a couple local store looking for the deals... lol
???
Thanks all!
-d

Do NOT shop on aquariumdepot. I’ve made 2 orders and everything arrived dead or died the next day in my cycled tank (with hundreds of corals in it).

 

[EMeyer]

I've ordered from them probably 20 times over the years and have found their quality and customer service on par with all other vendors, and their prices far cheaper. I'm way more ticked about $40+ frags at other vendors than I am the occasional DOA when I'm buying $10 frags.

 

[roblox84]

The most I've ever charged a local reefer is $15, and theat was for a ~4" "frag" of a high end acropora. I sell most of mine for $5-10.

Do you still have any frags for sale. I'm not too far from you so may have to take a trip up there when you're selling.

 

[flchamp89]

Do NOT shop on aquariumdepot. I’ve made 2 orders and everything arrived dead or died the next day in my cycled tank (with hundreds of corals in it).

Most of my tank is stocked from them. If you have a loss they will replace. I've overall been pleased with them.

 

[Billdogg]

Do you still have any frags for sale. I'm not too far from you so may have to take a trip up there when you're selling.

I did a reboot of the frag tank about a month ago. PM me your number and I'd be happy to let you know when I've got some ready.

 

[Retro Reefer]

Do NOT shop on aquariumdepot. I’ve made 2 orders and everything arrived dead or died the next day in my cycled tank (with hundreds of corals in it).

That’s odd, I have some amazing pieces from them in my tank that I have never seen available anywhere else.. IMO they have very healthy specimens at super low prices.