For this edition of Reefs.com on the road, we headed east of the New York Harbor to attend Long Island Reef Association’s second annual frag swap, an event that brings people from all around the Northeast for a day of coral shopping, frag bartering, learning, and meeting other reef aficionados, old and new friends we share the fondness of this hobby with. It was a return trip for us (see coverage from last year) and just like the last time, we had a blast! Hosted by the good folks at Walt Whitman High School, the 2019 LIRA Frag Swap ended up being bigger and better, with high attendance and a good selection of local and traveling vendors, all of which provided me with a great opportunity to practice my coral photography skills.

Just look at these beauties:

We even got a private tour of the Walt Whitman High School science research program facility, courtesy of Mr. Frederick Feraco, and had a chance to check out the impressive coral aquaculture system where students engage in projects such as coral propagation and fish breeding programs. I was truly awed by the massive frag tank sitting in the main room of the facility, but even more so when I checked some of the experiments students are currently working on. You can read more about the program and the coral propagation tank HERE

But most of all, the smiley faces of happy attendees is all that matters and we’re glad to be a part of this fantastic community.

It’s always great to see that in an age of mega-shows taking over smaller, local frag swaps, an event like LIRA Frag Swap can still provide a great deal of enjoyment to the local reefkeeping community. We are always eager and happy to support these hobbyist-driven events and we can’t wait to get back in the car and head East to the next year’s Long Island Reef Association’s frag swap.

Please, check the full gallery of images I took at the event and share away!!!

https://marcinsmokphotography.pixieset.com//2019longislandreefassociationfragswap/