Coral Frags and what makes them *LE*

[michika]

Originally Posted by untamed

"LE" means nothing to me as a buyer. In fact, if someone names it like that I might shy away because It feels like I'm being conned. If I like it, I'll pay more for it. This is true regardless what fancy name it has or whether it has LE in front or not.

Agreed!

[Atomikk]

I knew this would come up sometime this year.. great topic for discussion.

Originally, corals are either LE for their slow growth or for their wild harvesting. Of course, they have to be in spectacular colour and shape to be considered in this category.

People that aquire or move a lot of corals, would know which are more common and which aren't. Also, there are a number of people who come to shipment days to unpack these corals. These people usually get to know what comes in and can validate the LE stamp.

Now, as Greg mentioned, the LE stamp is lost over time as these corals are distributed. Its unfortunate, but it is the case.

I am fortunate to be in the hotspot of coral shipments in Canada, so I have a pretty good idea what comes in. I am also very careful when placing this LE tag on my corals, as I know people that abuse it.

[Pan]

Originally Posted by michika

Agreed!

I've been following a few threads on rc about this one. I tend to think as a few on there do. "Rarity in the trade" turned into LE to justify a higher resale value for frags. Someone aquires a pice and wishes to re-coup expenses. Or there is a very colorful morph of a certain type and because no one has ever seen it before it gets dubbed limited. It's also big business in the states. And lets face it there are plenty of people who have the money for these types of things in this hobby. As long as people pay to have a nice things in their tanks there will always be a market. There are many people who don't think before they open their bank book. They just do. If it is rare in the trade fine, many super colorful peices are, but nature doesn't make limited editions. There are plenty more thy are just not available. LE implies a know traceable complete history, which will never ever happen with coral.

[Ya Dude]

I wonder if in Europe or Asia they have names tagged behind a corals name,like Tyree or who-ever.last time I checked corals came from the ocean

[Jason McK]

Originally Posted by Atomikk

I am fortunate to be in the hotspot of coral shipments in Canada, so I have a pretty good idea what comes in. I am also very careful when placing this LE tag on my corals, as I know people that abuse it.

Atomikk, I'm sorry I do not mean to put you in the spotlight. But I know Ontario and the GTA is a large Reefing community. But I believe what is rare in TO may not be as rare in other metro areas around Canada or the US. For example we have a wholesaler locally that frequently hand pick coral from Bali, Indo, and Clams from Vietnam. Now his distribution chain probable stretches to Calgary at best. While I'm sure there is a similar wholesaler in Ontario the corals will be different. As well BC reefers have in the past brought several orders up from Ultimate frags or the frag farm. This would introduce different genes to BC area while omitting other regions of Canada.
So who really has the right to Globally declare their piece an LE coral.

Or I guess the better question is. Does LE really mean anything in an international or even national market

J

[Reefer Rob]

I don't think LE really means anything really. I take it to mean that the seller thinks it's nice, that in his opinion it's a limited edition, and they're going to want more money for it Now if it's a named coral that's different. If some one advertises for instance a "Tyee Retired LE Eddie’s Purple Monster" I can Google or do an RC search to find out if it really is a collector's coral. I can find out that a "Lime In The Sky" has a waiting list almost 2 years long at Frag Farmer's. This adds value to a coral IMO, and will influence my decision way more than "LE"

[Jason McK]

Great point Rob

J

[Atomikk]

No worries.

I find it really funny how many stores in the GTA area get the same corals in a 3 week period. Just recently Tonga was a big hit. I found the same montiporas, acroporas, and mushrooms in 5 different stores within that period. What I am getting to is this (in regards to importation of corals from other regions in Canada), eventually most stores get the same types of species. Some might be different in coloration, but for the most part, they will be the same (in GTA or Vancouver, or Illinois). Those who are a part of these shipments, and can see what comes in, would eventually know what is rare or unusual. LE is another way of saying rare or unusual.

You know the reef farmers had to start from somewhere. They too were/are a part of a lot of shipments that are coming into US. So they do have a grasp on what is rare in the hobby.

And, just to be clear, LE is defining corals that are imported and not its rarity in the wild!! I am sure in the wild there is a vast number of its kind. OR, sometimes they are soo deep in the water, that is harder to harvest.

Now there are those people who all they want is top dollar for their corals. Those are the people who wear out the LE stamp. The only thing that you can do, as a buyer, is go by reputation. Buy your LE corals from a reputable seller, and you will know that you are getting a true LE coral.

Originally Posted by Jason McK

Atomikk, I'm sorry I do not mean to put you in the spotlight. But I know Ontario and the GTA is a large Reefing community. But I believe what is rare in TO may not be as rare in other metro areas around Canada or the US. For example we have a wholesaler locally that frequently hand pick coral from Bali, Indo, and Clams from Vietnam. Now his distribution chain probable stretches to Calgary at best. While I'm sure there is a similar wholesaler in Ontario the corals will be different. As well BC reefers have in the past brought several orders up from Ultimate frags or the frag farm. This would introduce different genes to BC area while omitting other regions of Canada.
So who really has the right to Globally declare their piece an LE coral.

Or I guess the better question is. Does LE really mean anything in an international or even national market

J

[Pan]

Limited edition -restricted to a specific number of copies

Rare - Not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness
or Possibly - Not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness
or even Not widely distributed

If one is to use LE and Rare interchagealby then one does not have a grasp of the english language, or is modifying meaning to suit taste.
I'm not accusing anyone btw, just offering up my opinion. LE would mean there is ONE or TWO (i would think more would confer another title) sources known of a particular mother colony/frag from that the frags provided are the only ones available anywhere or anyhow. If there is a way to prove records of something being the only mother colony in existence (aquarium trade, not nature) and these are the only available frags from said colony then an LE stamp would be okay. Without the proof if means nothing. If you could document all stages with proof of every step from wild gatering up to reering and fragging then one could easily confer the title of LE. But to do this there would have to be an independent group/agency that is impartial that would monitor. Giving the term LE to a maricultured/aquacultured frag whose history is unknown is pure marketing and strictly a money grab. If you cannot prove there is no other sources available out there then you cannot label LE. But again people pay what they will, even with fish its done. But in fish it is a rare color morph that commands a higher price not a LE Gem tang...a rare gem tang. Even the blue morph of the potters angel is not a LE it's rare. LE sells, it commands a higher price because people let it. No one questions the term because people who can afford the prices really, in all likelyhood could care less.