by AquaNerd | Feb 19, 2017 | Events
Each year, there are dozens of frag swaps and industry trade shows around the country. In addition to the perennial favorites, there has also been an uptick in smaller regional shows available to the general public. Now that the trade show season is in full swing, we’d like to point out some of our favorites, as well as some of the shows we’ll be attending throughout 2017. For us, next on the calendar is Fragniappe. This funny named event is hosted each year by the Bayou Reef Keeping Club. This years show is on March 4th in Slidell, Louisiana. Last year approximately 350 visitors attended the show and this year, the club is expecting a much larger crowd. The Bayou Club also happens to be hosting the 2017 MACNA (Marine by ReefBum | Dec 16, 2016 | Events, Industry, Reef
Frag Swaps – A Must See Event For Every Reef Keeper Reef keeping is a great hobby and one big key to success is knowledge. When I started I picked up a couple of books on the topic and perused online discussion boards to gather insights from folks who had success. A local frag swap is another great way to become knowledgable and meet like-minded folks. This type of venue provides a unique opportunity to do some reef keeping speed dating and connect with vendors, fellow hobbyists and industry experts to learn and share experiences. The key is to become a sponge and soak up as much as possible. I have visited many swaps and this past Sunday I attended one of my favorites, the Manhattan by Saltwater Smarts | Feb 2, 2016 | Events, Reef, Science, Travel
Northwest Ohioans finally get a frag swap and marine expo in their home territoryAs a long-time hobbyist in northwest Ohio (Hey, I can at least claim that for the rest of this week, then I’m a Floridian), I’m accustomed to traveling outside the region for frag swaps and events of appreciable size. NW Ohio is located within reach of regular events held in northeast Ohio, central Ohio, and southern Michigan but hasn’t been home to a swap capable of drawing in many folks (and vendors) from outside the area. Now I realize becoming a road warrior is the fate of many a reef hobbyist, but with the amount of hobbyists who call northwest Ohio home, it seemed inevitable that someday we would have a marquee event. Well that day is almost upon us! On February 13, BuckeyeReef.com will host their first annual Marine Expo in Bowling Green, Ohio. With Buckeye Reef founder Jesse Lambdin and founding member Joe Perkins at the helm, the long-planned event earned the “expo” moniker through their long-term desire to build something more than the traditional frag swap.This first annual event will kick of with guest speaker, and Saltwater Smarts’ very own, Jeff Kurtz. He’ll be expounding upon Marine Aquarium Success in the Information Age by AquaNerd | Nov 25, 2014 | Corals, Science
Here is a nifty portable frag rack that should make trips to the local frag swaps a whole lot more convenient. Building An Obsession, an acrylic fabricator that has lots of sweet goodies, showed this off a little while back, and it is completely awesome in a number of ways. For one, this frag frack stacks numerous shelves on top of each other, but keeps them separated thanks to the holding post design. The trays can be set at varying distances, allowing for space for taller frags or for numerous trays to be stored closer together. The design of the post also locks the trays in place, preventing them from falling on top of the corals on the shelves below. by Reef To Rainforest | Feb 26, 2014 | Corals, Events, Fish, Industry, Science, Tanks
Twin coral displays with LED lighting and video Displays are a trademark of High Def Corals, photographed at Reef Currents in late February 2014 – image by Paul Whitby It’s safe to say that HighDefCorals has taken the act of being a “Frag Swap Vendor” to a true art-form; they often have the swankest setup in the room. Gone are the days when vendors at frag swaps were simply hobbyists with a 20 gallon long and a metal halide light; these days frag swapping is serious business. Based in Oklahoma City, OK, Ed and Denise Brookshire, and partner Paul Whitby, dedicate their time to traveling the country to offer “[imported] livestock not found in your LFS.” For companies like HighDefCorals, perhaps we are better off thinking of their mobile setups as the gourmet food trucks of the aquarium industry. Last weekend at the inaugural Reef Currents conference and coral farmers market put on by MARSH, HighDefCorals took the time to film frag swap setup Friday night before the event on Saturday. What resulted is a 2-minute condensed look at the setup of the HighDefCorals display you see may see around your local frag swap or convention. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbvNGfR_s4c They make it look easy, but having been there myself to see the tear down (and to get drenched when a hose came off a high volume water pump that was draining a bucket) there’s a lot to be done even with such a well-thought out and engineered setup.
