I guess it depends on the coral too though right? I remember a couple of years ago at RAP a vendor was telling me that the elegance corals from indo were not very hardy and died out quickly and that the aussies were better. Idk
And as far as the greed, Its a shame, really is. I can see vendors trying to increase prices that much but fellow hobbyists? lets say (god forbid) corals went extinct in the wild, xenia prices will increase to $50 a stalk? I mean It would be great if the community at least tried to maintain and keep their "prices" to help in the propagation of these creatures, but I guess that's not the world we live in right?
indo, tha/malayi, fiji - all closed presently. it's ironic that the mariculture and aquaculture companies have been growing out lots of stock but unable to export. if/when they do open up, the prices will certainly drop. until then, many are willing to wait. it comes down to want vs need. i need to feed my family first.
it's unfortunate of the limited variety of aussie/tonga/micronesia coral selections - so tired of seeing the same overpriced items on DD/LA. even worse, most of the frags out there are so ridiculously overpriced esp when the plug is 50% larger than the actual coral!