Truth about high-end Acropora & beginner buying advice

[@sunnygoold9449]

Once again BRILLIANT Abe! The best Acro channel on KZbin ;)

[@lucamartino3007]

Agreed

[@Reefgrrl]

My favourite pieces are the brown ones I find at the LFS - looking at them with a blue led flashlight and orange glasses can reveal hints of what they might become. They’re usually cheap and if you have the patience, can become stunners. I can hardly wait to get back to this kind of shopping once a) the pandemic is under control, and b) I have my new tank lol. Loved this video! 👍🏻

[@UnderTheTideSOS]

your tanks were wonderful to look at while your talking point were addressed, great content

[@autoponicz]

The colors are so nice your sps. Hopefully one day i will get to that level

[@InappropriateReefer]

Great advice here, I learned quite a bit. Thank you as always Abe!

[@justinthibodeaux1460]

LOVED THIS ONE!

[@JDReef]

Excellent points and you’ve certainly made me think differently about acro frags 👍🏻

[@Lookingglassaquarium]

Great video. Hey whats the red/pink acro at 8:31..

[@CoralEuphoria]

CC Hellboy

[@Lookingglassaquarium]

@@CoralEuphoria I knew it man .I gotta get a peice of that .I had a very nice colony years ago ..yours looks great

[@Lookingglassaquarium]

Any chance you have a frag of the cc hellboy ?

[@LukeGreen_]

what filter do u use for your full tank shots?

[@CoralEuphoria]

I don't use a filter for daylight shots. for Blue shots I use a random filter found on ebay or amazon

[@jonericksanchez]

Wish you would put out more videos but i guess it’s quality over quantity with you. Thanks for the great information.

[@LuLadvocat]

Could not have said it any better!

[@glenbuyer8738]

Abe you’re the realest reefer on this entire platform

[@fcveras82]

Missed you buddy, IMO your Channel is the best for acros tips and guidance. Thanks a lot.

[@ReefSYS]

The honest reefer. 🤴🏽

[@scottiej1294]

You really articulated the dilemma of coral purchasing. I personally like the idea of getting a drab frag and watching it transform. This happened to my Vivid’s Confetti. The frag I got looked like a lower branch and had no green or pink. Now there are beautiful green polyps and a green base with bright pink tips.

[@TailEndCustoms]

I don’t even have a tank but love watching your informative videos

[@AJ-bi6ns]

I’m great at getting my frags to color up, they turn moon white quickly! xD

[@chemboy63]

Dude, me too. But a also have some super-sweet brown ones too.

[@saltymanos]

Made me feel much better about my sps I will indeed be more patient and expect realistic results. Thanks Abe!

[@markbudreau1410]

Just letting you know that your videos are really awesome! Thanks for putting in the time to do them for us.

[@GioRuiz22]

Thank you for saying what no one else wants to say... I appreciate you being real and telling the truth. Companies that sell coral and are "hypebeasts", who I won't name here but you know who they are, are directly responsible for misleading customers by oversaturating pics, using filters that change appearance, etc.

[@omar15911]

I personally like buying high end corals to resell them for at least half the price so that more people can enjoys the hobby.

[@shallowreefing]

I love this mindset. If we make this hobby crazy expensive it will never grow. Gotta show love to new reefers and help them out

[@omar15911]

@@shallowreefing yeah the only high end corals I have right now is a CSB anemone and a Mak inferno anemone which I sell the CSB 200 USD and the inferno for 75 USD. My next coral will be a WWC Contraband Montipora Digitata Grafted which sells for 250 but I plan on selling for 50

[@LunaReef]

Had my one year "reef-iversary" not long ago and 2 tanks & 1 upgrade later, I've dedicated one of them to Acro's. Found your page & although there are some good educational videos out there, yours is hands down the best. Extremely helpful! And the ending of this one ... "on your next tank upgrade" ... the accuracy 😂😂

[@fuffoon]

LOL, I just have to make another comment after looking at some online coral vendors yesterday. Euphyillia with two thumb sized golden heads for 3000 Euro or about 3300 US dollars. Like I said. Ambiguous. And they will sell. The price is only relative. For some folks, 3K is like me buying my family lunch at McDonalds in Tokyo, pricey but not deadly. However, they have some brilliant Acropora medium and large frags for less than the Bali Aquarium imports...pennies less but still...and then my wife complains at me because whenever I take down a tank I donate the livestock. I'm a lousy salesman.

[@jdavidp66]

Thanks for the tips. You say the truth without any BS! Your channel is so informative 👏

[@4rdzlla]

I'll give u credit. A little elbow at all the saturated photo shoppers. Both your tanks? That shallow is nice. If they are do u prefer the shallow look over the deeper. I'm in hunt for a new tank 72x36 just now sure to go 24 high or like 18

[@MrDon967]

i wish someone would buy these corals and sell the frags for fair price while making your money back. heck they would probably get 100-200 out of me every single month hehe for good sized or good collection of corals for awesome price

[@Wicked1TN]

What gets me about the coral trade is suppliers get a coral in from a vendor. Then they frag the heck out of it. So, they paid x amount of dollars but can get many frags from that one coral to sale to us. The frags are tiny pieces, and way overpriced!

[@sandeepdalvi912]

awesome advice !! especially one with the black background and frag expectations

[@DavidTaghehchian]

This is my least favorite part of the hobby. Thanks for sharing your expertise and insights.

[@andrewlindell8626]

Stores will sell the same coral with different names and different prices

[@allwyncorrea1758]

I really appreciate the way u explain I am thankful to you...👍👍👌

[@opethmike]

Straight up real, and down to Earth. Really one of the best SPS reefers on youtube.

[@dulichion]

Ive been in this hobby since the late 90's and previously what made you a good hobbyist was color development of your corals in captivity. Nowadays its buying specific color morphs, and not fully understanding that one coral can look extremly different from tank to tank based on many factors. Now, being a dad, and having a lot of other projects and hobbies for me I keep more simplistic corals. Birdsnests, Polliciporras, Montis, and stags. I dont get into the higher end acros anymore. I find the demand to be too much to keep colors on point. I'd rather have colorful easier corals to maintain, and if I loose a monti colony I dont cry because it cost me $300 for it. Great video btw. Cellphones and camera technology really has put some illusions on this hobby, and life. Instagram is full of fake doctored photos and tanks. Its not reality.

[@joe0813]

this is the main reason I refuse to buy coral online.... I like to see the coral in person before I buy

[@KentuckyReef]

Where are you bro???!! We miss your content!!😢🤤

[@fuffoon]

Pricing of corals is truly an ambiguous endeavor.

[@053070gazela]

Great the way of you explanation... thank so much ...

[@andrewlindell8626]

Acro change color too in a different aquarium

[@LayneWilson]

Great advice! Watching out for black backgrounds especially. I personally have a little black background I use to take videos of my corals to isolate them to give them the most accurate colors possible in post. But with that said it’s just as easy to make every single color on it different and way more vibrant if accuracy wasn’t my goal.

[@Younotus455]

Never pay more than 20$ for a 1" frag who cares what name it has.

[@PazLeBon]

the coral gameis becoming like the weed game.. Overall an American trait I think

[@CoralEuphoria]

Definitely started American. More and more I see others jumping on

[@oneilwiz]

Thank you ABe, well done. I was always wondering what's up with all these fancy and high price frags. As a photographer, I see so many photos online with color enhancement or with tints. Well done in highlighting this in the hobby. Always learning from you ! some people /vendors will not like this :)

[@CescaTheDarkHorse]

Nice video. Enjoyed watching :)

[@skitf_001]

Jake from Reef builders has talked about this in his recent podcast, “Why coral names matter”.

[@ppsthlm]

Another invaluable video. Thank you so much for your input and the time you put into this.

[@erikanderson7223]

Abe, I really appreciate the time, effort, and thought you put into your videos. They are a fantastic resource.

[@playinragz8183]

Very interesting... excellent video

[@skeptics_reef5575]

Another great video 👏 what is the coral ID @8:37 I have one similar but don't know what it is

[@CoralEuphoria]

That one is TGC Count of Monte Cristo

[@axroes]

Great vid, solid advice

[@ReeferDave]

Do the house plants in front of the frag tank make a difference in the tanks pH?

[@CoralEuphoria]

I doubt it

[@rickjames520]

Who manufactured that tank ?! Can you point me in their direction please

[@CoralEuphoria]

Crystal Dynamics

[@keithwolzen3821]

This guy is so underrated

[@calipsosreefs4843]

👊👊👊

[@KnarBurger]

What is the coral at 7:53? Really love the contrast and growth shape of that acro.

[@CoralEuphoria]

Hey Bert, it's fox Flame under blues

[@anthonym3051]

Hello there! I was wondering if you have an UV sterilizer installed in your system? I order one but I am having second thoughts. I mainly want it to help maintain crystal clear water.

[@CoralEuphoria]

I have one and I put it on the tank occasionally, but not all the time. I think its good to have one on hand, especially when you start a new tank or make changes to avoid dinoflagellates. Good to run it in those or certain circumstances like adding new fish. It's not bad to run it 24/7, but I think its unecessary.

[@anthonym3051]

@@CoralEuphoria thank you for the response. You have a good point there. Is best to have for when you need it.

[@lojenn367]

Wow... game changer

[@hollysomers3787]

Great video! Thank you! Any idea what the acro at 7:00 is?

[@CoralEuphoria]

RMF Psychoberry

[@joelp9050]

Hi Abe, so do you have any videos on how to color up corals? or plan to make a video on how to get the best color out? Thanks in advance

[@CoralEuphoria]

All of my informational videos are on how to color up Acropora, meaning good husbandry is what colors up Acropora.

[@joelp9050]

@@CoralEuphoria thank you so much 💖

[@acrosreefgarden440]

I missed your videos

[@northernreefer1614]

Great video. TY

[@TheBioReef]

Good video. I also had two different named corals turn out to be the same. I also like seeing the mother colonies before buying... frags can be so hard to judge, and there is this growing acceptance of posting heavily edited pictures... the number of Facebook and Instagram likes for heavily doctored pictures is so strange...

[@pastpresentfuture87]

Best video on the net, worldwide! Objectively, honestly and simply explained! Excellent! Many Thanks! Here (Germany) they are totally crazy. Only Disneyland names and Trump style. A bit frustrating for people who have been doing the hobby for a long time. The Trump Stylers usually do it for less than 3 years.

[@GwonkReefkeeping]

Nice to hear someone give brown filters some credit. I've been planning to get one for some time now. Great video Abe.

[@sobatreefer1203]

I use one and i like it .. its more realistic than orange filter

[@GwonkReefkeeping]

@@sobatreefer1203 Where did you get your brown filter from?

[@corallabnorway2473]

I think the Blue filter is ok for Phones when you want to show off a coral quick to a friend or costumer. But using filters on coral you post for sale is a shame. I never use a filter on my DSLR and try and get colors as natural as possible.

[@carminecarlone2869]

How the heck do you get so much PE!?!?!?!?

[@CoralEuphoria]

good water quality?

[@Eunos_FD3S]

6:09 MEEEE LOL

[@bigbowlowrong4694]

Here’s what I’ve learned in my two years in the hobby: yellow = expensive, and a well balanced softie tank looks just as amazing as a well balanced SPS tank. That’s about it😆

[@tplummer217]

Good topic

[@andrew5762]

Great vid abe so true many thanks for your honesty 👍😀🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@tsurro8086]

I would usually spend $200 a frag, expensive I know, but the size of frags went way down, the picture of the frag is on the smallest frag plug available so it looks like it’s a nice size when in fact it’s small and in person you might not pay that much for it!

[@ReefDork]

Brilliant, interesting and insightful as always Abe. Can I ask what brown filter you use?

[@CoralEuphoria]

It's just a random one I found on eBay or Amazon.

[@tiagosetas8131]

boss

[@DinoSloth]

Acropora always a risk even for more advanced reefers. I keep mostly SPS and still, I can have 1 or 2 die on me. In my last $500 order of acros I had one stress and lose color during shipping and 1 die the same night it arrived. The one had colored back up "a nice frag of RMF candyland" and a different frag dulled and died on me. Very possibly because of coming from a much higher nitrate tank to my low-nutrient system. I would definitely suggest beginners start with cheaper frags because even in my SPS dominant tank with stable parameters, low nutrients, good filtration, and weekly water changes I still only had a survival rate of 6/8 which I honestly think is still pretty great even though I would have loved to have them all survive. If you are a beginner and want to dip your toes into the wonderful world of keeping acropora I cannot stress enough focus on stability. Stability is definitely the key to long-term acropora keeping.

[@PracticalReefer]

Great video! 👍 got a tip recently to always try and get a photo of coral under daylight when buying online to help manage expectations of what your getting! 👍

[@glennrudolph]

It’s kind of funny that 1-5 are problems that WWC is known for.

[@kevinkane1405]

I cannot believe that KZbin has never recommended your channel to me. I’m actually offended. I love your content

[@lynnreefnerd]

Thanks for the videos. I always appreciate your thoughtful discussion!

[@danieloconnor3214]

I appreciate the instruction on the coral coenosarc. Interesting how that's not common knowledge. Very beautiful tanks Abe. Any reefer's inspiration. You also describe how a "no name" can be high end like under the right conditions.

[@vancej6577]

my favorite site to buy coral from is coral euphoria followed by tidal gardens the care and shipping that both sites due are amazing :) and coral euphoria is just a little better with the way they seal the bag with 0 air when they ship .but both sites I feel give you a real view of what you are buying. you only feel more impressed by the colors when they arrive

[@SapphosSails]

Thanks for sharing this! The part and frags depending on the nutrient system of the colony really clicked for me for the first time

[@SharbucklesReef]

Great video and thoughts. I’m trying to buy things because I like how they look but have gotten swept up in hype and name too many times!

[@isaiah24.5]

Thank you for the helpful advice 👍. Look forward to buying once tank is ready for SPS.

[@angryowlaquariums40]

This video is pretty spot on, well done 🦉🍻

[@JW_Home_Improvements]

We need more videos 😏 look forward to watching these as there all great. One a week should be okay haha 😉

[@jameshaladus9165]

Could you give me your opinion on barnacles and if they are an issue, can they multiple to other colonies ?

[@CoralEuphoria]

They are not really an issue except that they can alter the growth pattern but not a big deal. The bigger issue might be that it's a telltale sign that that is a maricultured piece. Doesn't mean its going to die though, just that they generally don't have as good survivability or likelihood to keep color compared to tank raised corals. Might be fine though 🤷‍♂️

[@jameshaladus9165]

Thank you so much for your response I was panicked when I saw them on a new bought colony.. can those spread to other sps or have you seen that happen?

[@CoralEuphoria]

@@jameshaladus9165 they have never spread to another colony in my tank

[@jestronixhanderson9898]

About the top down view, Ive recently noticed that lights angled from the front can give almost the same result. But top still wins.

[@zaytoven337]

How do you get that back and forward motion in your tank what do you have your pumps set at to get that type of flow?

[@CoralEuphoria]

It's the Tunze wavwbox effortlessly creating that motion

[@zaytoven337]

I have a 36” aquarium jus getting into sps do you think I should get a wave box or can I get that same motion with two Nero 3s?

[@zaytoven337]

Also I heard in one of your other videos you said that it’s good to run chaeto on a newer unestablished tank I wanted your option I have a 36 gallon aio it’s the fluval m90 so I would have to try to make a refugium in rear chamber do you think I should try to rig something up cuz my tank is 9 months old and still dealing with Dino’s I been running uv for a couple months now I kno it take patience jus wanted to see what you might suggest thank you

[@brothergas1260]

Thank you for caring about people and their money.

[@daves6220]

What a cool coincidence, I just received my order from you yesterday and didn't know you had a channel. Corals I received are all fantastic!

[@jetli3352]

Awesome videos. Need more truthfull realistic videos like this. So New hobbyist dont get disappointed

[@TEERATORN]

Bravo . True hobbyist here explaining the real deal

[@greatwyt1]

This is a fantastic video!! Thank you so much. This hits so hard on what I've been thinking and seeing over the trade in the past few years. It's been very frustrating

[@Eunos_FD3S]

And thank you so much for this. I knew something fishy was going on but I couldn’t put it into words. I’m only 6 months in.

[@eddiesoler2250]

Love your videos and advice. Been in hobby >20 years but always something to learn.

[@itsallgood78735]

Great advice! Your videos are top notch, Abe.

[@jaredemmanuelganesan7623]

Awesome video. Would like a video on your diy led lights. They look cool!

[@rebelx2626]

great content! love your videos!! thanks!!

[@moswen4218]

This helped a lot. Thank you very much!

[@karlhal8165]

Great insight to coral buying big 👍up great advice 😁

[@ReRe-yl6dq]

great info about the let downs we get all the time buying corals