Frag Swaps are lame...

Solarfall

Totally Gnar
So I went to that NCPRS Fall Frag Swap yesterday, ugh....

See, when I was younger, I used to go to a reptile show with my dad in Hamburg, PA every few years when it rolled through. Reptile shows are huge events with world famous people that would put on shows with their 18 ft snakes and I think I remember there being an alligator wrestler one year. You didn't have to know everything about reptiles to have a good time, you could hang out with just about any random person there and still have a good time.

I was kind of expecting something similiar to a reptile show, but what I got was just a bunch of nerds in a crowded room with biocubes trying to hustle coral noobs like myself.

I was really looking foward to the free lunch buffet too, because I was starving. But I basically just went there, bought a few frags (some of which I regret), made sure to meet Ccapt, just because I could, and left. It was like a Star Trek convention with coral.

I'm really sorry if this sounds like a troll post, but I think I've been around long enough not to be a troll. I'm not bashing anyone on here who belongs to a reefing club or whatever, but I was just overwhelmingly dissapointed with my experience.

Maybe I'll post my new frags once I make sure they'll make it in my tank. I think I went overboard with the animals I bought. I figured I had to buy stuff since I was there, and the only stuff that caught my eye happened to be more difficult corals. I bought an acro and my tank just got below 10 ppm nitrates recently, maybe not the best move.
 
Solarfall, swaps can be either awesome or lame, it all depends on if you know anyone there. Sounds to me like you really didnt know anyone. What they definately are is a chance to get some nice corals for reasonable prices and eventually they can become a way to keep the costs of a reef system down.
 
I thought I was going to get great deals. But being that I work at a fish store and get a discount there, it turned out not really being worth it. Plus people really tried hustling me when I would ask them what something was. Particularly this asian family. Their frags were TINY and they were asking me for like $30 per frag. No thanks Fu Man Chu, I'll go to my store and get something 20 times that size for like $60.
 
Doesn't sound like a swap much at all. Frags are supposed to be reasonable at those I thought. Kinda like spreading the promotion of reef keeping, not capitalism. To bad they may have become that way. Damn greedy reef keepers.
 
Sorry you had a bad day. Did you TRY to meet anyone besides cccapt., or did you walk around with a pissed off attitude like your first post is. If you didn't like the Asian family's prices, move on. No one said you had to buy his 30 dollar frags, which buy the way, I bought for 20 after spending some time showing him I was educated enough to know the prices were a bit high and shooting the breeze a while with him. I also meet a local reefer that I bought two frags off of and he gave me a pink birdsnest frag for free. I left there with what I thought were bargains. Like I said, no one made you buy anything!

Sounds like your expectations were way to high. The alligator wrestler had to cancel at the last minute, or I'm sure it would have been a better show. :twocents:
 
It was nice to meet you, for all of 2 seconds. ;) Sorry you didn't enjoy the swap.

The corals you are talking about, I don't know of any LFS that carry Tyree LE corals, or Atlantis Aquarium corals or any of the many other hard to find corals. Tran, Mr Fu Man Chu as you called him, has top of the line stuff at reasonable prices. Maybe you think $60 for a frag of Greg Hiller's Aqua Delight is expensive...I don't.

Did you stay for lunch. It was all home cooked food, no fast food Wendy's crap.

Did you stay for the speaker? If you weren't impressed with the corals, the speaker would have put you to sleep. His presentation was only interesting if you wanted to learn about carbon, protein skimming and TOC's (Total Organic Compounds) in reef tanks. He is only a PhD in Chemistry and has published articles in Advanced Aquarist...boring stuff. ;)

So I guess the swap was lame, if you not a hard core reefer who wants to get corals that normally are not available and would rather not hear presentations from some of the top experts in this hobby. :)
 
Listen, the last thing I want to do is turn this into a flame war, but both of your posts just solidified what I'm saying about it being a snobbish event.

I went there fully expecting to get along with people, and I did get along with some guy I used to talk to at Petco and someone selling pretty Zoas near the front desk. But when people turn their noses up at you when you ask them what something is, it's not cool. Let alone ask for a price that you can easily get retail.

And I certainly never said I wasn't impressed with the corals, but the attitude was was not something for entry level people.

Believe it or not, "T3H RAR3ST C0RAL EVAR!!!" Isn't all that interesting when you market it like an A-hole.
 
Sounds like you expected a social event. But it turned out to be a "buy-n-fly" event instead.

Thats okay. But if you want to meet people and hang out maybe try joining the local club. Most local clubs have monthly meetings where you can socialize and swap frags over a few beers and some grilled burgers. Maybe that way you could get to know some local reefers and not feel so out of place at the next swap?

I have mild social anxiety and I don't do well in crowds. I didn't join the local reef club because I met a few of the members and didn't like their attitudes. This local club is all about the money - not really about promoting the hobby and education.

Last frag swap I went to was full of club members who had NO IDEA who I was. And that was fine because I don't like talking to strangers in this hobby. Seams it always turns into a - I know more about chemistry than you do -- or I know more about the switzelfart jaw fish than you - I know more about clown fish semen blah blah blah - I'm smarter than you -- blah blah.......... I was more than happy to walk in with my cooler - smile a bit and say Hi to strangers - buy the frags - and run home. I was in and out in 20 minutes.

If you want to be social - join the local club and attend meetings. Otherwise ya can't bitch if nobody knows who you are at the frag swap.............
 
I haven't really enjoyed either of the 2 swaps I have been to either. I think it really depends on the person. The people who seem to enjoy them the most are the super hardcore who read lots of books about the hobby, have been doing it for years, and know lots of people there. I am usually younger (even at 29) than most of the people so I usually feel a little out of place and I'm looking for $15 corals that look cool and not so much the $120 corals or $400 skimmers.

Nobody should get offended when someone gives there opinion. I saw lots of people having a blast at MACNA this year and I thought it was a waste of my money.
 
I usually enjoy our local frag swaps.But I also know a lot of the folks there because of helping at the LFS.Plus some of the club members.
But any time you got a large crowd,you'r gonna have snobs,thats just life.You just have to wade throuh the snobs to get to the friendly folks.
 
Hey Mike, it was really nice meeting you and sitting down and talking with you at the swap. I hope you had a good time. :)

Same here Larry, it's always neat to put a face with a screen name. I thought I got some reasonable things to help fill out my tank
 
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Just from reading the threads,I can see that y'all put on a top knotch swap up there.
I'd about drive up for one of those swaps if I could ever get enough time and spare cash.
 
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