Proving coral lineage...

Rainblood

Rainblood

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How do you actually prove what you have is what you think it is? Or actually how can you be confident you are getting what you think you are buying?
I'm relatively new to the hobby and can sort of ID zoas and torches but half the time the photos are under crappy lighting...its like trying to ID something through blue jello.
Is it just buyer beware? Know thy seller?

Also...do the same corals have different names? For instance what is the differences between CB Insano Inferno and JF Candy Corn?
 
It’s a tricky subject and you touched on all the answers.

Honestly, there is no method to prove it. At some point, you have to trust the seller.

My philosphy is that I buy corals based largely on their appearance. I’d rather pay more for a no-brand no-name coral that looks good, over a cornbred coral that doesn’t. This way, I’m never again disappointed and I don’t have to worry about proving what is otherwise impossible to prove.

Additionally, many of the big sellers will buy from each other, slap their own brand on it, change the name, and mark up the price because it’s suddenly more rare. It’s a practice that gets under my skin. Coral ‘Common Variation’ names are there to help us communicate effectively. But if everyone is sacrificing communication in order to increase their own personal profits, then the names no longer have meaning nor practical use.
 
It's really a matter of trust, really. For example, I've bought frags from @dball711 and he told me they were a specific "brand" of corals, let's use CB Pink Lemonade as our example. Well, Dave's CB Pink Lemonade and the pictures of CB Lemonade that I see online look pretty much the same. Dave's a great grower and a trustworthy gent so I buy the frag with confidence that it is actually what he says it is.

Here's the problem - the same exact CB Lemonade that I got from Dave doesn't look like a CB Lemonade once it's been in my tank for a while. I'm still learning how to dial in the colors and it's a work in progress. I now what it is because I know and trust Dave. But the person I sell it to only has my word to go on. Let's say he or she doesn't write it down and it becomes a JF Pink Lemonade by accident. Long story short, it can be a real mess.

I avoid a lot of these questions by selling stuff really cheap and only buying what I like. Maybe some day I'll get into the $200 per inch sticks but right now I'm still trying to get an old school Red Plant looking like an actual red planet.
 
Tanster2 said:
It's gotten to the point to where I just buy what I think looks good and ignore the names completely.
Click to expand...
This is the best advice. Buy things that look good to you and are within your price point. As @jcook54 says above, it may be a flaming unicorn toxic butthole bounce acro but once it gets in your tank it could look entirely different.
 
I like that but its proven difficult when you try to score stuff online.
I've seen some rasta torches online for a little cheaper than market price and then there are similar looking ones for a bit cheaper than that. And look and look and blow up photos and look at colors and then just give up, lol.
 
Rainblood said:
I like that but its proven difficult when you try to score stuff online.
I've seen some rasta torches online for a little cheaper than market price and then there are similar looking ones for a bit cheaper than that. And look and look and blow up photos and look at colors and then just give up, lol.
Click to expand...
Honestly, never bought online for that reason. Way too many unscrupulous vendors. I trust ARC. Haven't been burned here yet and there are people who I would buy from just on their word, no picture needed.
 
Only true way to prove lineage is to buy it from the person who named it.
Yes the same piece of coral can have multiple names.
As far as photos its just a matter of time looking at them and seeing the same pieces in person to be able to see through the blue so to speak
 
Often if its a pricey piece, I like to ask the seller for a video of the coral. Especially for a higher end torch or anemone, the videos will give you a lot more information to make a purchase as photos are 9/10 times edited quite a bit. Cornbred stuff is all like that for example... It always looks amazing in the photos but in truth its usually just kind of meh.
 
Sorry guys I'm still trying to wrap my head around this name thing. It sort of makes no sense to me that the same coral can go by multiple names and are really impossible to differentiate, to a certain extent, as there are no set indicators of their characteristics.

Specifically, I've been on the hunt for a yellow favia -mainly JF Yellow Submarine.
And then I ran across CC Full Tilt and thought huh....interesting.
And then there's TGC Favia of the Gods. OMG.

Are these all the same thing?
 
Yes, this is entirely possible that these are not only the same color variation of the same species, but also possibly even if the same lineage. If so, its a prime example of one company buying another’s coral, and rebranding it in order to increase profits.

If you like these corals; find and choose one that is clean/healthy, looks good to you, and is at an agreeable price. I wouldn’t put any stock/value in 1 ‘brand’ over another... The companies aren’t making these corals. They’re just slapping their names on them. Nature made them.

Also, good choice! It’s a sharp looking favia.
 
I try to do all my shopping in the club . There's literally thousands of frags available in the local area . There's some really talented folks with some nice stuff that you can go look at and probably get a better price then online anyway.
 
Eric_n_Ga said:
I try to do all my shopping in the club . There's literally thousands of frags available in the local area . There's some really talented folks with some nice stuff that you can go look at and probably get a better price then online anyway.
Click to expand...
I do as well...its always better to support fellow hobbyists and LFSs than ordering online. But sometimes you can't find what you're looking for locally.
And there are a lot of fantastic deals on SPS (I wish I was ready) but for the newer folks, LPS and softies aren't posted as much. Just a learning curve.

I look forward to the day that I can buy a Unicorn Poop SPS frag...just to tell people I have unicorn poop in my tank.
 
Rainblood said:
Does anyone know if there is a list somewhere of all of the "same" corals under different names?
Click to expand...

Not that I know of, but I like the idea. It may be considered offensive by some of these companies; as I’m sure they won’t appreciate being called out.

But anyone that wants to do this will have my support.
 
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