Cali Kid Corals

I scored an Indo Gold Torch @ $60 locally

t0mmy108

Supporting Member
I needed a new tang for my rtank so I went out to Aqua Plus. I didn't know they are running a 25% Off sale on all livestock. Scored an Indo Gold Torch for $60, a purple Tip bi-color hammer for $40 and the purple tang was $150 after the discounts. Then they do this additional crazy discount if you get more than one head of the Indo Gold. Saw a tank full of Holy Grails at $250 a head when you buy 4 or more heads (Full intact colony) but that's too rich for me! Thought I'd let you all know about the sale that's running throught the end of September since it wasn't advertised anywhere. Other items I picked up were a two spot blenny, fairy wrasse, red lobo brain, and a bicolor pseudochromis
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Thanks for sharing! Did you happen to see an azure damselfish there? I have been hunting them locally but haven't found any yet.
 
Thanks for sharing! Did you happen to see an azure damselfish there? I have been hunting them locally but haven't found any yet.
I didn't notice really. I'm afriad of Damsels. I worked with Huy all the times that I've been there. Probably give him a call or text to check
 
In case you’re looking for one, Reef Lab Aquatics posted on FB they were selling single head holy grails for $225. Not sure if they still any left.
 

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Those don't look like holy grails. There is no yellow even under just blues.
You mean the ones in the pic i attached? The ones in the big picture on the left are the Cotton Candy torches. The hg are in the middle smaller picture on the right if I’m not wrong. They don’t have the best quality photo
 

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Glad to hear you had a good experience. Also nice to hear the pricing is becoming more competitive. I have been there a bunch of times but found it hard to pick up much due to the pricing. I have similar issues with most LFS so this is not unique to AquaPlus. Very tough business to be in with all the large online vendors who can sell without charging tax and willing to provide free shipping. Would like to support local shops when possible!

Also agreed that you must inspect coral and dip since almost all of the coral at AquaPlus is straight from importers.
 
Agreed, good quarantine and dip practices should be followed no matter where the new items come from. Pricing has been up and down the spectrum from what I can see so sales like this are rare opportunities. I asked to view the fish that had been there the longest and demostrate a feeding session. I think I picked out the best Gem of the four available. One had lost an eye that I almost missed because he was so dark.
 
Those don't look like holy grails. There is no yellow even under just blues.
A bunch of the "holy grails" that have been hitting the market are Malaysian and just green with blue tip. I've seen some color up and get a hint of yellow but imo these are no where near holy grails that we have come to know. Importers are just playing the name game now to try and get the most for their corals and with the flood of vendors, a bunch of them follow suit.
 
I agree. I bought every piece from Arvin based on them catching my eye and liked how they looked without even knowing what their trade names were. As long as it wasn't more than my paycheck, then I could swing it :p . I'm really happy with the assortment of colors and shapes I have in my tank. At the end of the day, it's my garden to look at for hours each day and it makes me happy. So glad I had the opportunity to get nice peices that are healthy! I placed a limit of roughly $200 per animal for my reef with very few exceptions but I do have everything ranging from $10 neon trumpets which I love as well.
 
A bunch of the "holy grails" that have been hitting the market are Malaysian and just green with blue tip. I've seen some color up and get a hint of yellow but imo these are no where near holy grails that we have come to know. Importers are just playing the name game now to try and get the most for their corals and with the flood of vendors, a bunch of them follow suit.
Honestly I never really understood all the names. Especially when a vendor will add their name to the coral before the common name. I’ve seen a bunch of variations of holy grails. The one Reef Lab has they call it “OG holy grail”. Another one I’ve seen in the Facebook groups is “Malaysian Holy Grail”. To an untrained eye like mine they look the same. Maybe if I had them next to each other I could tell the difference lol. I try not to buy corals by name, but by how much I like them.
 
Honestly I never really understood all the names. Especially when a vendor will add their name to the coral before the common name. I’ve seen a bunch of variations of holy grails. The one Reef Lab has they call it “OG holy grail”. Another one I’ve seen in the Facebook groups is “Malaysian Holy Grail”. To an untrained eye like mine they look the same. Maybe if I had them next to each other I could tell the difference lol. I try not to buy corals by name, but by how much I like them.
Thats my approach to hammers buy what I like, it’s mainly with acros I would like to know the name of what I'm getting if it has one to know the value, desirability, and to compare mine with other pictures to judge how the colors and growth of mine are taking shape.
 
Acropora is one I really like to know the name of, because named ones give you a frame of reference for how the coral is doing for you relative to how it's doing for everyone else
 
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