hypertech September 28, 2010 Share September 28, 2010 Mr Coral's $10 frags and free local shipping was too good a deal to pass up, so I ordered. And, as promised, I will review my experience. Ordering was smooth. The WYSIWYG section for the $10 corals shows you decent pictures of the actual frags. Most all shots have egg crate in the background so you can judge the size of the piece and I didn't notice any colors that were way out of whack. Shipping was quick. I received an email notifying me that my corals were set to ship and to call if there was a problem with the delivery date. I thought this was a nice touch as many vendors will just send things out whenever and you don't know what day they will arrive. It makes it easier to plan to be around. Unfortunately, that is where my story stops for now. My corals were to be delivered this morning. The tracking info says they were delivered, but they were not. FedEx either did not deliver them or delivered them to someone else. This is probably an issue isolated to the free local delivery offer, but the service level used was FedEx Home Delivery. Apparently, it takes 24 hours to initiate a trace and FedEx basically has no clue where my box is. On a higher level of service, it would have stayed with a FedEx employee and not a contractor and perhaps it wouldn't have been lost or they would have been able to get ahold of the driver. 999/1000 packages probably would have been delivered on time. Unfortunately, this time, I'm the 1/1000. Its not Mr. Coral's fault other than selecting Home Delivery service. So, once my corals finally make it to me, I'll see what condition they are in and update this thread then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incredible Corals September 28, 2010 Share September 28, 2010 Mr Coral's $10 frags and free local shipping was too good a deal to pass up, so I ordered. And, as promised, I will review my experience. Ordering was smooth. The WYSIWYG section for the $10 corals shows you decent pictures of the actual frags. Most all shots have egg crate in the background so you can judge the size of the piece and I didn't notice any colors that were way out of whack. Shipping was quick. I received an email notifying me that my corals were set to ship and to call if there was a problem with the delivery date. I thought this was a nice touch as many vendors will just send things out whenever and you don't know what day they will arrive. It makes it easier to plan to be around. Unfortunately, that is where my story stops for now. My corals were to be delivered this morning. The tracking info says they were delivered, but they were not. FedEx either did not deliver them or delivered them to someone else. This is probably an issue isolated to the free local delivery offer, but the service level used was FedEx Home Delivery. Apparently, it takes 24 hours to initiate a trace and FedEx basically has no clue where my box is. On a higher level of service, it would have stayed with a FedEx employee and not a contractor and perhaps it wouldn't have been lost or they would have been able to get ahold of the driver. 999/1000 packages probably would have been delivered on time. Unfortunately, this time, I'm the 1/1000. Its not Mr. Coral's fault other than selecting Home Delivery service. So, once my corals finally make it to me, I'll see what condition they are in and update this thread then. That sucks and I always have some kind of issue with both UPS and FedEx anytime I order livestock online. It's swear it's never easy. On another note, I'm going to go check my front door... maybe I got your corals If you do get the package it will be interesting to see how long they can live in transit. I bet if you ordered any zoas or mushrooms they will be fine for a few days. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcoral.com September 29, 2010 Share September 29, 2010 Been on top of this since you emailed me. Sorry to say they don't really know were it is. My Rep has a trace on it and has contacted the route manager. I have seen this happen before check the houses close to you. I guess Fedex can't read in your area. Let me know how it turns out. Weather is good so we have a chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypertech September 29, 2010 Author Share September 29, 2010 (edited) Good news! My neighbor caught me taking out the trash and they had put it behind their door. In an odd coincidence, the FedEx guy showed back up right about the same time. So, between my calls and Mr. Coral's calls, FedEx did respond even though it was Home Delivery. So, now that the corals are in the tank, I can add a bit more. The corals were packaged well. Each frag was double bagged and then they were triple bagged together. There was water in the main bag, but there did not appear to be any holes in the corals bags, so perhaps that was there pre-shipping. I was immediately impressed with the size of one of the acans (I ordered 2 acans, 2 millis, and a zoa frag). It may be my pick one acan, but I have paid far more for a similar sized acan frag of this quality. The others look to be about what I expected. They aren't huge, but they didn't cost that much either. The sizes are very fair for the prices. One of the millis had broken off its plug, but its not a big deal, I just glued it back on. I did a Revive dip and nothing bad came off of them. The frags appear to be clean. They also appear to be 2-3 weeks post fragging which is just what I like. They are fresh enough that the plugs aren't hard to inspect for egg sacs and/or to remove the corals from the plugs. At the same time, they were not freshly cut as it looks as though the tissue has had plenty of time to heal. So, so far, I am very happy. I am having a bit of a water clarity issue at the moment - I bought Marco sand and the stuff just won't settle down and stop making clouds. I will try to take some pics tomorrow and hopefully the cloud from me adjusting the power heads will be gone. Edited September 29, 2010 by hypertech Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypertech October 4, 2010 Author Share October 4, 2010 OK, it took me a bit longer to get the photos finished than I planned, but here they are. I asked Mr. Coral for the posted sale pictures to put up a comparison, but I have not received them yet. My lights are 2x150W DE 14K pheonix. I will add a UVL 454 Actinic, but it isn't running yet. I'm pretty happy with the acans. I'd order them again. The zoas were supposed to be blue. I'm not sure what kind of light it would take to turn them blue, but they don't look at all blue to me. The blue milli shows hints of blue and will probably color up. The strawberry shortcake milli is the one that broke off its plug and needed to be reglued. I'm not sure how this one is going to do. I'll wait and see on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveS October 5, 2010 Share October 5, 2010 Looks a lot different with the balanced lighting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristen9 October 5, 2010 Share October 5, 2010 I have a few frags from Mr. Coral, my favorite is a nice dendro for 8 dollars I got back when they had everything half price. As much as I like them, I do prefer to go and see the corals rather than picking them off the net. The last few times I've gone, I've made a list from the net, then looked at the corals on my list once I get there to decide which to buy. Most of the time, I don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurora October 18, 2010 Share October 18, 2010 I picked up my package of 4 acan from the store after ordering them online. I don't think the frags are WYSIWYG, at least not in my case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcoral.com October 19, 2010 Share October 19, 2010 I take a pic and load each $10 frag. I spend all night doing it. Trust me all WYSIWYG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind October 19, 2010 Share October 19, 2010 Mr. Coral, Did you ever provide the posted sale pics Hypertech requested? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khalid October 19, 2010 Share October 19, 2010 I just made a trip there this weekend were I pick up my order along with buying a few more frags. I was happy with every frag I got and as always had great service from Brian and the other nice guy, sorry I forgot his name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdah0414 October 19, 2010 Share October 19, 2010 Definitely wysiwyg. I've actually witnessed him taking the pictures and posting them online. You all act like he is in a lab photoshopping these pictures, rubbing his hands together menacingly and planning his next attempt at world domination.... Actually, come to think of it, there was a world map in the corner and an abnormal amount of beakers in the shop the other day... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypertech October 19, 2010 Author Share October 19, 2010 I made this thread to review my purchase not point fingers. I am certain I got the exact frags I ordered. I'm sure if mr coral sends me his pics or posts them that will be very clear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JpNuss October 21, 2010 Share October 21, 2010 You see, the problem is that everyone has been hearing mixed things about Mr. Coral. So, the comparison photos are probably just as important to the rest of us, as they are to Hypertech. My future business with Mr. Coral is waiting on these pictures. Thank you, Hypertech, for making this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdah0414 October 21, 2010 Share October 21, 2010 No offense meant to hypertech. It just makes me laugh that he gets blasted that the colors don't exactly match even though he sells frags for $10 when other stores are selling the same or smaller frag for $60+. (I saw a 2 polyp frag of purple hornets for $10, same thing at another vendor was north of $100). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcoral.com October 21, 2010 Share October 21, 2010 Sorry about the pics. Pics are deleted from the site. Trust me I take a pic of ever single item and have them in order at the store. That is why I'm up all night. For us to do WYSIWYG on $10 frags take a ton of time and for someone to even hint that we don't do that is not correct. All you have to do is ask my family all I do is load corals. We blow out any store in this area and in the country. I'm bringing you guys the best deal in the country let's be happy!! Again, EVERY SINGLE ITEM IT WYSIWYG. If you would ever like to come to the store and ask "can I see coral A4" we will show you. Sorry about the pics. I have to delete pics after a few days of items being sold to speed up the site. We are selling 150 frags a day at this point this is taken all of my time. It would be very simple to just post a colony and say you get a 1/2 frag but we don't do that. We take to time to take a pic, resize the pic, Load the pic. Name the pic. IT IS WYSIWYG ENJOY!!!!!! If someone can beat my deal let me know. Stop overpaying!!! This is not a debate on WYSIWYG because it is and I will not fall into the trap on trying to defend myself. I know it hard to believe we can do this but it is TRUE!! You just have to believe!! Talk to you guys later!! Loading WYSIWYG coral right now LOL!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveS October 21, 2010 Share October 21, 2010 If you would ever like to come to the store and ask "can I see coral A4" we will show you. Sorry about the pics. I have to delete pics after a few days of items being sold to speed up the site. Really??? The day I came to the store after reading all the posts saying "we only have a fraction of our inventory online, come in to the store to see it all" and making multiple purchases online (just the night before as well as prior days) you didn't have my frags for me to pickup. You said "you should have called the day before and told me your were coming, I keep all our high end stuff back at the farm/house." You did show me a bunch of frags that were sold and pending ship out so yes those frags do make an appearance at the store. But not everything online was at the store. BTW, I got a frag that was different than the one in the pic. I just assumed it was a mix up and it was equivalent so I didn't bother saying anything about it. Interesting claim about deleting pics. Not only does data storage not affect site speed but you do NOT delete all the pictures after a few days. Here's a pic of a frag I bought on 9/13 still on the site: http://mrcoral.com/go/index.php/10-section/ab37-orange-trim-cloves.html . I haven't looked at ALL of the frags I bought but I spot checked 5+ I bought across a few week span and they are all on there. I am not questioning the WSIWYG (aside from probable mistakes) but I am questioning most of the other claims made. Aurora, send me a PM and I can try to help you find the pics. I've figured out many of the nuances on Mr. Coral's site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flowerseller October 21, 2010 Share October 21, 2010 MC does have a few "generic" photos to show some of the stuff he sells but all the WYSIWYG as always been what I got. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcoral.com October 21, 2010 Share October 21, 2010 Yes, Dave you are correct some frags were kept at the farm when we 1st started and brought to the store a few days before shipping. We no longer do that became a pain in the butt. AGAIN EVERYTHING IS WYSIWYG. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypertech October 21, 2010 Author Share October 21, 2010 (edited) OK, after some sleuthing, I found 4 of the images. I hope mr coral does not mind me posting them. I will try to take some updated pics now that the pieces look like they are starting to adjust to my lights. The larger acan may actually be looking better than mr corals photo. It is picking up a nice green color around the edges of the polyps. I am very happy with this one. The blue milli is picking up a green on the tips and just might color up into something very interesting. The smaller of the acans is underwhelming and my pick 1 fancy strawberry milli, well, it still looks like a brown turd, but it might just need to have more time. It did have extra stress in shipping and require regluing. The zoas I'm not happy with an will get rid of them at some point here. Overall, I think I got 1.5 nice pieces for sure and I'm happy. At the moment, I am still planning to do another order once I have some time and I see a box worth of corals on the site I like at the same time. Edit to add side by side: I think it is quite clear that I got the frags I ordered. I noted my lighting above and I know that mr coral has different lighting so that accounts for some of the differences I'm sure. Edited October 21, 2010 by hypertech Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcoral.com October 21, 2010 Share October 21, 2010 (edited) Thanks for posting. Your welcome to do a order anytime. Free shipping deal still good for all. Edited October 21, 2010 by mrcoral.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdah0414 October 22, 2010 Share October 22, 2010 To me the pictures look pretty similar. He's running 400w 14ks in the shop. You're running 150w 14ks. Looks like a product of less intense light to me. Everything still looks great though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcoral.com October 22, 2010 Share October 22, 2010 (edited) I don't think he is saying there not the same. They are the same for sure. AS STATED EVERYTHING IS WYSIWYG. If not the best deal in the country show me a better deal. Guess what I'm doing right now? Loading WYSIWYG corals Edited October 22, 2010 by mrcoral.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtfleming October 22, 2010 Share October 22, 2010 Boils down to picture taking.............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveS October 22, 2010 Share October 22, 2010 And lighting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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