Photo Credit: Jason Fox Signature Corals

Why are lineage corals so expensive? This is a question that I get asked once a week at New England Aquarium Services.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of lineage corals available in the aquarium trade and just one example of such a coral is the Jason Fox Beach Bum Montipora. This coral can range anywhere in price from $200-$600 for a ½ to 1 inch frag. The explanation for this question is very simple; lineage corals are corals that come from a seller’s private collection and they are unusually beautiful.

Additionally, corals like the Beach Bum usually command a higher price that holds up over time due to the fact that are such slow growers.  Thus, it is very hard for a seller to justify selling a frag for a lower price when demand is high to moderately high. These reasons also explain why we typically don’t see lineage corals at the local fish stores. MORE