purchasing coral online

[tommyboynj]

Tell why I should and shouldn't buy online. I see some great pieces out there from reputable merchants but somthings holding me back. I can't put my finger on it but I just like to see stuff im buying. Id love the hear your sucess stories as well as the failures.

 

[chelseagrin]

the only bad thing about buying corals online is you cant really know exactly what your getting, even in the wysiwyg section. buying coral online does however offer much more selection better pricing and is very easy to do.

 

[jjmoneyman]

I have purchased from a number of vendors online and the biggest issue to me is the color. Some seem to play with the pics in photoshop so I always look at the color of the egg crate or in some cases fingers holding the coral in the picture to see if the background color is correct. If it isn't it is a dead giveaway. I also prefer frag disks that have color on them and not blast white so you know they weren't fragged yesterday. That's my 2c.

 

[DesertOrchid]

I've bought the majority of my corals online since there is no lfs for hundreds of miles and I've always had great success with it and am actually expecting another order of sps in the morning. Always like Christmas and I'm usually surprised by how much nicer they are then in the pictures. One of the other benefits is that alot of online sources give a live arrive stay alive guarantee. Some up to 30 days depending on the coral. Most lfs don't even guarantee them for 24 hrs let along a month. Nice to have them brought to my door packaged so nice and ready to acclimate. Good pricing too compared to most lfs.

 

[IPisces]

I was leary of buying on line too. I did eventually give it a try. I went in on a buy with fellow reefer. I have since bought from the same place a couple more times. I have been happy with what I have gotten. You will get something that your not completely happy with, but you will figure out who is reputable and who you can get your moneys worth from with healthy coral. I have ordered from a couple other companies and a couple individuals. So far I have had pretty good luck with them. Granted a few pieces, yes were fresh cut and did not make it, so I wont be ordering those types from that company again, but all in all the purchases have gone pretty well. There are a few companies that offer free shipping if ordering over a specific $ amount too. You might as well get a coral for that 40$ instead of paying it to shipping. And when you do order, make sure you dip everything and then qt them for a period before it goes into your tank. I did find spiders in a couple zoa colonies from one company in two different orders. And majanos from an individual. Majanos are easy to get rid of. Nothing like aiptasia.

 

[catran]

I agree with IPisces and jjmoneyman. I've had some great experiences with online stores. I've even been surprised and received more than what I expected. On the other hand, nothing bothers me more than an online store that gives only credit and not refunds. It would be fine if you never had to worry about it. But, if the 1st or 2nd time you buy and you get something DOA like I did with a particular store, it gets old right away. Obviously, you have to order more stuff to use your credit, it's for something that really should have not happened to begin with. Now, accidents will happen, but not twice or three times in a row. You learn from your mistakes. Also, I expect to get coral without byropsis. I've gotten really, really nice stuff but it was soon overgrown with the byropsis and then it's up to me to fix it...
My overall experience has been more positive and I've learned who not to trust.

 

[tommyboynj]

Thanks guys. Very helpful information.

 

[DesertOrchid]

Received my online purchased corals this morning and as usual they were better than pictured and very well packaged. They look great in the tank too! It's always like Christmas opening up the shipments!

 

[Edison]

I've had very good luck buying corals online. Check reviews of online coral vendors before making your purchase and you will most likely be happy with your new critters.

I usually don't order online during the dead of Summer or the extreme cold of Winter as shipments can be delayed at times and with either very hot or very cold weather, your corals may not make it.