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[Apr 14, 2018] Members Frag Swap (Hayward, CA)

After the swap finished and I was helping to clean up, I found what I believed to be a kessel fixture and a blue light flash light. The fixture was claimed, but not the flash light. It was in the vicinity of the clowns that were auctioned. If it is yours, post here and I will return it at the next meeting.
 
If I had a known coral-eating pest on frags I wanted to bring to the swap I think I would dip them before I brought them. Seems like it’s the right thing to do and easy enough for an experienced Reefer to manage.

I’m not trying to say what the policy or standard should be, but that’s what I think I would do.
 
I didn’t mention it this time but in the past dead/dying or infested corals we’re not allowed. They needed to be healthy corals. We’ll have to do a better job of announcing and policing this in the future. I think the best practice for this should be (a variation of) the golden rule. Give unto others what you would want to be given.

I know I have aptasia in my system but I’m not going to bring a frag that I know has it on the plug. @rygh expressed that he wasn’t going to be able to bring any corals because he couldn’t frag them without having the majanos come along with them. I think this was a wise choice.

The person who knowingly had pests on the corals and brought them anyway probably shouldn’t have done so but at least they were transparent about it. I equate it to a person telling you they have an std before having sex. You then have the choice of taking precautions and trying to protect yourself or not engaging at all. You get to decide if it’s worth the risk.
 
JVU said:
If I had a known coral-eating pest on frags I wanted to bring to the swap I think I would dip them before I brought them. Seems like it’s the right thing to do and easy enough for an experienced Reefer to manage.

I’m not trying to say what the policy or standard should be, but that’s what I think I would do.
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Even if you dip a frag the day before a swap, isnt there still a good chance there are eggs that will hatch?
 
daddio said:
Even if you dip a frag the day before a swap, isnt there still a good chance there are eggs that will hatch?
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Depends on the pest, but yeah, can't just assume it's all good after one dip. That being said, its better than nothing. Certainly gotta label it with the pest you have (and know about).
Not all pests are created equal. Some I wouldn't worry about (red planaria) and others I wouldn't touch (acro eating flatworms). Obviously best if people aren't knowingly bring corals with pests, and we should all do our best to share this expectation with each other so we all are on the same page.
 
I agree with @Flagg37 that we should have done a better job of announcing and policing this. However, even in times past, there have been pest ridden frags that have been swapped and I know some members just end up throwing those frags out when they get home...which is a bummer. As members, we should be better about not swapping frags like this.
 
I was wondering what the rationale is for having an open swap once a year alternating with a member’s swap once a year, as opposed to just member swaps twice a year? The member swap seems better in many respects, including manageability, socializing, and cohesive spirit. Maybe also fewer diseased or pest ridden frags? And of course encourages membership.

The cost of membership is so minimal that it seems like anyone even remotely interested in being a member would be one. So the only extra people at the open swap are the ones not remotely interested in the club?
 
JVU said:
I was wondering what the rationale is for having an open swap once a year alternating with a member’s swap once a year, as opposed to just member swaps twice a year? The member swap seems better in many respects, including manageability, socializing, and cohesive spirit. Maybe also fewer diseased or pest ridden frags? And of course encourages membership.

The cost of membership is so minimal that it seems like anyone even remotely interested in being a member would be one. So the only extra people at the open swap are the ones not remotely interested in the club?
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Do you think at the open swap enough people come from far enough away that it increases the diversity of corals - more than what is common in the Bay Area?
 
JVU said:
I was wondering what the rationale is for having an open swap once a year alternating with a member’s swap once a year, as opposed to just member swaps twice a year? The member swap seems better in many respects, including manageability, socializing, and cohesive spirit. Maybe also fewer diseased or pest ridden frags? And of course encourages membership.

The cost of membership is so minimal that it seems like anyone even remotely interested in being a member would be one. So the only extra people at the open swap are the ones not remotely interested in the club?
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It is our biggest money raising event of the year. I think it can also drive membership. Got an idea how to replace the money? We tried not doing for a year or two, and have gone back.
It's also part of what we are trying to do as a club. We can reach more people that way and pass on some education, etc...
 
Not to digress from the pest subject, but I had a lot of fun and I'm happy with the corals I managed to get in the swap. Thank you for those who participated and special thanks to the organizing committee! It was great meeting everyone!
 
Coral reefer said:
It is our biggest money raising event of the year. I think it can also drive membership. Got an idea how to replace the money? We tried not doing for a year or two, and have gone back.
It's also part of what we are trying to do as a club. We can reach more people that way and pass on some education, etc...
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My idea would be to charge for the member swaps twice a year, you could set the amount to whatever it takes to recoup the loss, probably would be less than the cost at the open swap. Of course they wouldn’t be called member swaps, just swaps at that point. People would be welcomed and encouraged to show up as non-members and sign up for membership at the door.

It is theoretically possible that we educate people and recruit new members at the open swaps, but I am doubtful it is significant on both counts. I actually think we would recruit more members if you had to be a member to attend swaps. For the education component (which I completely agree is important) I must be missing it but I don’t see how the open swap vs member swap does that.

Think about how a person learns about our open swap- they have heard about it somehow, think it is valuable, and look for/find the announcement on our website. They probably have been on our website lots of times to look up info they are googling. Then they actively decide not to be a member and come to the swap for almost the same cost.
 
JVU said:
My idea would be to charge for the member swaps twice a year, you could set the amount to whatever it takes to recoup the loss, probably would be less than the cost at the open swap. Of course they wouldn’t be called member swaps, just swaps at that point. People would be welcomed and encouraged to show up as non-members and sign up for membership at the door.

It is theoretically possible that we educate people and recruit new members at the open swaps, but I am doubtful it is significant on both counts. I actually think we would recruit more members if you had to be a member to attend swaps. For the education component (which I completely agree is important) I must be missing it but I don’t see how the open swap vs member swap does that.

Think about how a person learns about our open swap- they have heard about it somehow, think it is valuable, and look for/find the announcement on our website. They probably have been on our website lots of times to look up info they are googling. Then they actively decide not to be a member and come to the swap for almost the same cost.
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It's not about the loss incurred from this event that we need to offset. It's about all the other stuff all year long that we want to fundraise for.
 
Coral reefer said:
It's not about the loss incurred from this event that we need to offset. It's about all the other stuff all year long that we want to fundraise for.
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I meant however much we make at the open swap we would make at the 2 member swaps combined.

I don’t know the real numbers. But say for example if we have 75 people paying $20 once a year ($1500), vs 50 people paying twice a year at member swaps. In that example we could charge $15 per person per swap in the members-only scenario and make the same amount. Or $20 each and come out ahead with $500 more for other meetings.

I just think the money isn’t the main reason to pick one choice over the other because it can be made to work out.
 
JVU said:
I meant however much we make at the open swap we would make at the 2 member swaps combined.

I don’t know the real numbers. But say for example if we have 75 people paying $20 once a year ($1500), vs 50 people paying twice a year at member swaps. In that example we could charge $15 per person per swap in the members-only scenario and make the same amount. Or $20 each and come out ahead with $500 more for other meetings.

I just think the money isn’t the main reason to pick one choice over the other because it can be made to work out.
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Make a poll. See what people think. I prefer one free
Swap with members only and one with everyone that wants to come that I can choose to pay for, But don't always. Two I have to pay for with no free option doesn't sound good to me. Everyone's different though.
 
Fish Boss said:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1620388 I’m just going to leave this here for the person that has flatworms in their tank. I had some sort of flatworm, white circle head, brown body, forked tail, listed as watch with caution from some pest site. I had these when the tank was brand new saw multiple on glass every single day I looked at the tank. After adding this damsel, I couldn’t find a single one within a few days. Haven’t seen ‘em since. Really pretty fish, and VERY passive for a damsel
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Seems like a great fish and cheap enough that I just ordered 5. Two for each of the 60g reefs and 1 for the 30g. Better safe than sorry.
Cheers!
 
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