Insights

Original analysis from the index's own dataset — daily snapshots of the complete public catalogs of the online reef vendors we track. Every figure recomputes from the latest data (currently through September 4, 2026); nothing is quoted from other sites.

The market, measured

• Do Reef Livestock Prices Actually Move? We Measured.
  128,000+ listing-day observations say online reef prices are far stickier than hobby folklore suggests — and when they do move, it's an event, not a drift.
• Sale Tags vs. Real Price Drops: How to Read a Reef 'Discount'
  Thousands of listings are marked down against a compare-at price on any given day. Our day-by-day tracking shows how rarely those tags coincide with an actual repricing.
• Reef Livestock Market Report — July 2026
  The index's first monthly report: repricing events, vendor sale patterns, and stock churn across four major online reef vendors.
• What Online Reef Vendors Actually Sell: The Most-Listed Livestock
  Listing counts are a live census of the online hobby. The composition is far more coral-heavy than most people would guess.

Pricing studies

• Captive-Bred vs. Wild-Caught: What the Price Data Shows
  The assumed captive-bred premium doesn't survive contact with listings data — for one marquee tang, captive-bred is dramatically cheaper.
• The WYSIWYG Premium: What Seeing the Exact Coral Costs
  Comparing WYSIWYG and non-WYSIWYG listings within the same coral type, measured across every genus with enough listings on both sides.
• Why the Same Coral Costs $30 or $300
  Genus-level rows on this index can span a 100× price range without anything being mispriced. Here's what actually drives coral price spreads.

Price guides

• Zoanthid Prices: The Per-Polyp Economics of the Hobby's Biggest Category
  Zoas are the most-listed livestock on the index by a wide margin. What a fair price looks like, and why the range is so wide.
• Torch, Hammer, Frogspawn: What Euphyllia Really Costs
  Current market prices for the hobby's most wanted large-polyp corals, and why torches command what they do.
• Clownfish Prices: Ocellaris, Percula, and the Designer Market
  What the most popular saltwater fish costs across vendors — and where designer names quietly multiply the price.
• Anemone Prices: Bubble Tips, Rock Flowers, and What's Fair
  Current cross-vendor pricing for the anemones reefers actually buy, from budget rock flowers to named bubble-tip strains.
• The Tang Price Ladder: From Scopas to Gem Tang
  Two dozen tang types, priced across vendors — a clean ladder from beginner workhorses to grail fish.
• What a Cleanup Crew Actually Costs
  Snails, hermits, and the rest of the janitorial staff, priced per piece across vendors — and why shipping math dominates this purchase.
• Stocking a First Reef Tank: A Priced-Out Livestock Budget
  A realistic first-year livestock list priced at today's actual market medians, not forum guesses.