Just a few Random ?'s

[HeavyHittah]

Im not quite sure if this appropriate to ask or not, but i figured ill give it a shot anyway. For those of you with great coral growth, do you frag your corals? if so, how often? do you sell alot of your frags or no, not really? and has having the ability to sell your frags allowed for your tank to pretty much be able to pay/maintain for itself?

i didnt know if this was appropriate since its a money issue.

 

[ccCapt]

I only frag a few of my faster growing corals like anthelia, zoos, shrooms, monti cap and elkhorn monti. I don't sell anything. I either trade with others locally or take them to my lfs where I get store credit for them.

 

[reeffreak]

Same here.

I frag because I have to,not for monetary gains.I get store credit from the LFS and not cold hard cash.I suppose I could sell them if I wanted too.In all honesty,some corals need to be fragged monthly(xenia-which I've been neglecting to do)while others can take a whole year to frag.Some I could frag but don't want to.For instance my frogspawn was only two branches and is now 12-15 branches.I want it to become a massive 50 branch + specimen.

 

[Bifferwine]

My tank is relatively new (just set up in September or October or so), and I stocked it with very small frags since I can't afford larger pieces. Therefore, the only things I've been able to get some money for are GSP, xenia and other softies like that. I've always taken them back to the LFS for store credit. You have to have a tank for a very long time or buy mature colonies to be able to frag SPS for any sort of profit, they grow so slowly.

 

[fatman]

I frag and grow quite a few corals out (250 to 300) and still can bearly fill one or two new reef tanks a year and replace corals that have died or that customers have grown tired of. I have never consistantly made money growing out frags to sell on the general market as utility costs up here are outrageous, (actually everything up here is expensive) there is no real consistant market and to really sell profitably you need many tanks in coral and frags. I can charge my customers more thanI can charge in the open market. You can not build a business selling corals unles you can consistently have corals available. Lots of the online small frag sellers actually sell the frags for half a dozen or more fraggers, not just their own. You do not keep customers by selling out every thing in one or two days and then having nothing to sell for months. LFS's are good at giving credit though, so at least frags will offset the price of a tanks food, salt and a few other essentials like buffers and calcium and such.

 

[Ironman]

your question is kind of a difficult one, I dont think growing your own coral and selling them is something you will ever retire on, or even pay the bills!
About the only way ive seen to make some extra money when growing your own coral is to purchase frags of LE coral online. most LE corals are sold by the inch or polyp and are very expensive if you know what your buying. the down side is it is a risky buissness kinda like the stock market. thses LE corals are constantly changing value as more and more people are flooding the market with them. anyway I have grown and sold or given frags for years, basically I sell enough to buy a few new corals a year, and I give enough to the local stores to get my salt and food, and the accasional fish. i guess my hobby tried to support itself but It could never make me money.