Marbled Ray Grading Needed!!!

[Laosy Fish]

so would there be one for captive bred ray or wild caught ray?

IMO and what i have seen it looks like the CB MM have more marbling at a smaller size (younger age) than a WC MM.

and i alwyas thought that a wild specimen would fetch more in value than a captive bred specimen. but when i got into rays that all went out the window. lol

but my questions are:

if a marble is 6" but has more marbling than a 10" marble ray, then would that ray be worth more or sell for more ore be graded higher?

then what if 6 months down the line that 10" marble blows up in marbling while the 6" marble is still progressing. would that 10" marble be worth more or sell for more or be graded higher? of course 6months later they are bigger in size. this is just a number and example i'm throwing out there.

and so do we grade for size or marbling? or do we grade for both?

do we grade for wild or do we grade for captive?

a few questions as i also have wondered and tried asking marble keepers price of what they paid and what they would sell, but its a guarded secret that they wont discuss. so in return i'm lost to as how much a marble should be worth or grade. this is a great thread and i'm glad you started it. even if we dont end up doing a grading system, i hope to find some clarity in this "marble quality" saga.

 

[snow]

mine looks like the one in the second last pic. But darker b/c he is in a tank with black sand.

 

[Gr8KarmaSF]

and so do we grade for size or marbling? or do we grade for both?

do we grade for wild or do we grade for captive?

I would prefer to grade and pay based on marbling at that moment given that a marbled ray can change drastically in just a few months. I would also give more preference to CB rays if one can show their parents. Wild caught is a luck of the draw in terms of a marbles ultimate pattern....

 

[Laosy Fish]

I would prefer to grade and pay based on marbling at that moment given that a marbled ray can change drastically in just a few months. I would also give more preference to CB rays if one can show their parents. Wild caught is a luck of the draw in terms of a marbles ultimate pattern....

if we grade now, does the grading change later as the marble progress'?

 

[Gr8KarmaSF]

^ IMHO - YES!!!

 

[Laosy Fish]

and since wild caughts are luck of the draw then they would normally be graded less than a captive bred?

and the same goes here when i have seen a smaller cb look better than a wild small but when they get bigger, IM eyes the wilds look better than the captives at an adult size.

 

[Laosy Fish]

man this grading stuff can get messy...i was following the P13 grading thread and started to get confused...lol all in all they are all nice and worth every penny offered and paid...

 

[DB junkie]

Blast from the past eh?

Nice Marbles = Leo $

At least there's a few out there people paid that much for I'm guessing.....

Problem is they all change and no one can nail down wether it's enviromental factors or if they just change regardless while some stay nice. Lighting? PH? I have yet to find any concrete answers. They're a gamble, that's for sure. I've had a few change for the worse, but don't yet know if it's something I'm doing or just bad luck of the draw. Frustrating breed when it comes to looks, but when they look good....

 

[FishDog]

Grading system or not, I would never pay over $250 with out a picture. Better yet, I don't buy any rays without a pic unless I am buying a quantity order. We should start giving them cool names like godzilla ray or cougar ray LOL!

 

[Laosy Fish]

bump to keep this thread going...marbles are a hot commodity these days and i'm still searching for answers on the quality of marbles....

Blast from the past eh?

Nice Marbles = Leo $

At least there's a few out there people paid that much for I'm guessing.....

Problem is they all change and no one can nail down wether it's enviromental factors or if they just change regardless while some stay nice. Lighting? PH? I have yet to find any concrete answers. They're a gamble, that's for sure. I've had a few change for the worse, but don't yet know if it's something I'm doing or just bad luck of the draw. Frustrating breed when it comes to looks, but when they look good....

IMO which never matters.. but it's in the genes i think..if its going to be a quality marble it will stay that way and not fade or blotch up like some do when they get bigger. kinda like the marbles in the UK. how those are clean and bold lines at a size over 20" and still top notch...great point though!

Grading system or not, I would never pay over $250 with out a picture. Better yet, I don't buy any rays without a pic unless I am buying a quantity order. We should start giving them cool names like godzilla ray or cougar ray LOL!

kind like the P13 now with the spot counts? lol ...


...in the end, i've seen many say this and i agree with this...it's up to you or the seeller to decide what it is worth and it's up to the buyer if he is willing to pay that much for it or not. one of my guys just dropped 800 on a marble and another paid over 1k. niether had the funky names. i would not haver paid that much unless i'm like them and fell in love with it. they look like they so called "white base" marbles...

and those that pay top dollar for the marble are the ones that are gonna keep that marble for life and not try to flip for a profit and would like a grading system so they can gloat about how highly graded their ray is. other are for financial reasons. IMO this also plays a role in grading and pricing for the marbles...if some guy pays 1k for a marble then vendors will start to throw these funky names and start charging more. rays are seriously market value..so stop paying and buying marbles at top dollar price and you will see in less than a yr, the prices will back back to norm..

example: 7" regular motoro sold same time last yr for $250. and thats for any motoro, and now same time this yr u can get them for half the price if not less...people stopped buying motos..

question is:

does pricing also pay a role in the grading system?

seems like the gross profit margin is way above 100% for some vendors that are taking advantage of the extra names...