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.
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 😂😂
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.
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.
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! 👍🏻
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 :)
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.
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.
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
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! 👍
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
@@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
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
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.
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...
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😆
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!
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.
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.
Wish you would put out more videos but i guess it’s quality over quantity with you. Thanks for the great information.
Could not have said it any better!
Abe you’re the realest reefer on this entire platform
Once again BRILLIANT Abe! The best Acro channel on TH-cam ;)
Agreed
Missed you buddy, IMO your Channel is the best for acros tips and guidance. Thanks a lot.
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.
I don’t even have a tank but love watching your informative videos
I cannot believe that TH-cam has never recommended your channel to me. I’m actually offended. I love your content
Thanks for the tips. You say the truth without any BS!
Your channel is so informative 👏
your tanks were wonderful to look at while your talking point were addressed, great content
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 😂😂
Made me feel much better about my sps I will indeed be more patient and expect realistic results. Thanks Abe!
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.
Straight up real, and down to Earth. Really one of the best SPS reefers on youtube.
The honest reefer. 🤴🏽
Just letting you know that your videos are really awesome! Thanks for putting in the time to do them for us.
The realest reefer out there with no sugar coated. Thanks for the video
Thank you for caring about people and their money.
Abe, I really appreciate the time, effort, and thought you put into your videos. They are a fantastic resource.
awesome advice !! especially one with the black background and frag expectations
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!
The colors are so nice your sps. Hopefully one day i will get to that level
Thanks for sharing this! The part and frags depending on the nutrient system of the colony really clicked for me for the first time
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.
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! 👍🏻
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 :)
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.
Nice to hear someone give brown filters some credit. I've been planning to get one for some time now. Great video Abe.
I use one and i like it .. its more realistic than orange filter
@@sobatreefer1203 Where did you get your brown filter from?
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.
It's nice seeing you again
First time I've come across this channel but I'll be sure to watch more as this is a great video.
Thank you. No one ever said or told me that there is a difference between buying a frag and buying a colony.
Bravo . True hobbyist here explaining the real deal
Thank you for the helpful advice 👍. Look forward to buying once tank is ready for SPS.
Another invaluable video. Thank you so much for your input and the time you put into this.
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
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! 👍
Great advice here, I learned quite a bit. Thank you as always Abe!
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
Great advice! Your videos are top notch, Abe.
Love your videos and advice. Been in hobby >20 years but always something to learn.
I've thought this for a while but didn't have enough experience to be sure, so I'm glad you've come to the same conclusion!
great info about the let downs we get all the time buying corals
Really enjoyed this style and it's good to see a face, Great stuff!
I’m great at getting my frags to color up, they turn moon white quickly! xD
Dude, me too. But a also have some super-sweet brown ones too.
Awesome video. Would like a video on your diy led lights. They look cool!
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.
Excellent points and you’ve certainly made me think differently about acro frags 👍🏻
I personally like buying high end corals to resell them for at least half the price so that more people can enjoys the hobby.
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
@@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
Thanks again Abe .
Opened my eyes to a few things there .
👍
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
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!
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.
Have loved your videos, great to see another one!
Great info, thanks. Like most things in life "take it with a pinch of salt"
Great vid abe so true many thanks for your honesty 👍😀🏴
Thanks for the videos. I always appreciate your thoughtful discussion!
I really appreciate the way u explain I am thankful to you...👍👍👌
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...
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😆
This video is pretty spot on, well done 🦉🍻
This guy is so underrated
Brilliant, interesting and insightful as always Abe. Can I ask what brown filter you use?
It's just a random one I found on eBay or Amazon.
Yep once again entertaining and educational 👍
How would you go about selecting pieces that don't look immediately awesome as frags?
Go by as many colony pictures as you can find on internet search
Great vid, solid advice
LOVED THIS ONE!
We need more videos 😏 look forward to watching these as there all great. One a week should be okay haha 😉
Great the way of you explanation... thank so much ...
Awesome videos. Need more truthfull realistic videos like this. So New hobbyist dont get disappointed
Luv it! We need more videos Abe!
Great Video Abe! Loved it!
Another great video with excellent tips!
Thank you Gabe. I appreciate this.
Thanks, it's "Abe" not Gabe
Spot on. Your tanks are looking great.
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!
You are the MR. Miyagi of reef tanks.
Огромное спасибо за Ваши советы и рекомендации!
Jake from Reef builders has talked about this in his recent podcast, “Why coral names matter”.
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.
#3 is really important. Many vendors selling fancy named corals will not provide a colony pic!
Thank you sir, keep em coming abe !
Very informative, love your channel 👍
Good stuff Abe!
Very interesting... excellent video
This helped a lot. Thank you very much!
great content! love your videos!! thanks!!
Another great video 👏 what is the coral ID @8:37 I have one similar but don't know what it is
That one is TGC Count of Monte Cristo
About the top down view, Ive recently noticed that lights angled from the front can give almost the same result. But top still wins.
You said it perfectly
Another great video, thanks!
Good ole Gabe w the truth!
Abe is the man.🙌
Thank you for another great video
Nice video. Enjoyed watching :)
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.
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
All of my informational videos are on how to color up Acropora, meaning good husbandry is what colors up Acropora.
@@CoralEuphoria thank you so much 💖
Great insight to coral buying big 👍up great advice 😁
Abe!!! My acro guru!
I missed your videos
Great video! Thank you! Any idea what the acro at 7:00 is?
RMF Psychoberry