How can I get started selling/trading coral?

jessipoof · 01/28/2018, 07:11 PM

My corals are very mature, and they have outgrown my tank! I have a huge mauve chalice I was going to break up a little because it's the size of a large dinner plate, a bunch of green trumpet coral, and 3 different colors of hammer coral that are growing like crazy.
Since I have only 2 fish at the moment, I was thinking I could start to trade coral for fish, and perhaps make some money back from when I had to buy all the quarantine gear for the great ich-ageddon of 2017.
How do I go about starting this?

rocsec1 · 01/28/2018, 08:20 PM

Best place to get your start is at the coral swaps. The Lear swap is coming up soon.

elecbzerk · 01/28/2018, 08:48 PM

Try to find out if there is a local reef club in your area, that would be a good start. Also, most LFS will take coral and give you store credit, which you can use to trade for fish. Creating a good relationship with at least one of your LFS is also a great benefit. Good luck.

nereefpat · 01/29/2018, 08:38 AM

Are you willing to ship?

Craigslist and Ebay work too.

This site is a great place to buy and sell livestock. After 50 posts and 90 days, you will see that forum pop up.

oldhead · 01/29/2018, 01:19 PM

Set up a frag tank, start fraging and put an ad on craigslist. I buy frags from a guy near me off craigslist. Its cheaper than the LSF but I also buy from them too.

MondoBongo · 01/30/2018, 07:34 AM

i trade lots of my coral in to my LFS for store credit. i also like to trade it with other hobbyists.

i don't really sell anything i have, partly because most of my things are fairly common, and partly because if it's just between myself and another hobbyist, i prefer to barter.

it takes a lot of work to actually make money doing it (a lot more time and effort than i care to invest), but it can be done.

01/28/2018, 07:11 PM	#1
jessipoof Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Ohio Posts: 18	How can I get started selling/trading coral? My corals are very mature, and they have outgrown my tank! I have a huge mauve chalice I was going to break up a little because it's the size of a large dinner plate, a bunch of green trumpet coral, and 3 different colors of hammer coral that are growing like crazy. Since I have only 2 fish at the moment, I was thinking I could start to trade coral for fish, and perhaps make some money back from when I had to buy all the quarantine gear for the great ich-ageddon of 2017. How do I go about starting this? __________________ New to the hobby! I inherited 2 reef tanks; a 30 gal and a 220 gal. each 12 y.o. the tanks were moved, and ich killed all but 1 fish in each tank. need to recover, restock, and find balance. Current Tank Info: 30 gal reef tank and 220 gal reef tank

01/29/2018, 08:38 AM	#4
nereefpat Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Central Nebraska Posts: 3,190	Are you willing to ship? Craigslist and Ebay work too. This site is a great place to buy and sell livestock. After 50 posts and 90 days, you will see that forum pop up. __________________ Pat Current Tank Info: 125 in-wall , 40b sump. 6 bulb T5. ASM G2 skimmer. LPS and leathers

01/30/2018, 07:34 AM	#6
MondoBongo Obligate Feeder Obsessed Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 4,061	i trade lots of my coral in to my LFS for store credit. i also like to trade it with other hobbyists. i don't really sell anything i have, partly because most of my things are fairly common, and partly because if it's just between myself and another hobbyist, i prefer to barter. it takes a lot of work to actually make money doing it (a lot more time and effort than i care to invest), but it can be done. __________________ [Citation Needed] "You don't use science to show that you're right, you use science to become right" - xkcd Current Tank Info: A rectangular shaped money pit.

01/28/2018, 08:20 PM	#2
rocsec1 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Medina oh Posts: 1,782	Best place to get your start is at the coral swaps. The Lear swap is coming up soon.

01/28/2018, 08:48 PM	#3
elecbzerk Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Kerrville, Tx Posts: 470	Try to find out if there is a local reef club in your area, that would be a good start. Also, most LFS will take coral and give you store credit, which you can use to trade for fish. Creating a good relationship with at least one of your LFS is also a great benefit. Good luck.

01/29/2018, 01:19 PM	#5
oldhead Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: New Jersey Posts: 527	Set up a frag tank, start fraging and put an ad on craigslist. I buy frags from a guy near me off craigslist. Its cheaper than the LSF but I also buy from them too.