A Splash of Color

[kevlow]

Just so I can feel the burn, what does Dave force you to pay him for beauties like these?

 

[FloformAustria]

We've been over this Flo....

Gingers DO have souls.
They get a freckle for every 40 souls they collect.

Keep mocking and Dom will go on Holiday to Austria and collect yours.

:lolspin:

let him come! :hammer:

 

[FloformAustria]

Last thursday night Dave sent me pics of what he was unpacking. I can't get to his regular after hours sps customer get togethers each week where the guys get to grab the real stunners. You all think i get amazing stuff but i am only ever picking over the left overs usually 3-4 days after the shipments arrive, it's just the way things work out unfortunately for me lol.

This is what arrives at Deer Park aquarium on a regular basis from Chris straight out of the bags and they sure as hell aint brown from shipping...........

You guys are goofy if you ever swallow that ' it must have browned in shipping' line....... if it arrives looking crap it most likely left looking the same way

THIS is what a real wild blue stunner looks like after shipping !

:bigeyes:

something that never comes over here...

how much did you get? do you even have room for them? :lolspin:

 

[biggles]

Andrew, what are the color variants you topically see in the Aussie staghorn acros? I always see pictures of beautiful branches but I never see them get to the us. Some have cool contrasting tips. Hopefully I can find one out here some day.

Lots of blue and green, very rare to see stags with multi colors such as highly contrasting polyps to skin pigment etc. 95% of the eye catching blue stags are duds that only look great because they are part bleached like all the acros i just posted.
I don't actually like stags as much as most do, i do like the amazing mature look they bring to a display but you pay a big price in lost real estate underneath big stags so i don't buy them as a rule. If i saw something ridiculous i wouldn't hesitate but i ignore most stuff. Next time i see a few diff ones in the store i'll get some pics for you mate

awesome acros...
yes i want that story about the clam...
i will what and see what happens to Doms and your Acros ^^

Cheers

Right...........

I had selected a very pretty echi branch that was like a letter 'V' with one side 4" long and the other 2" - both growing straight as a gun barrel. The piece of echi you see in that killer clam pic is run of the mill icefire but the bit i selected (after consultation with Mark who has picked out some stunners for me ) had much more intense pigments at the tips than you normally see.
When you see 2 echis from two different colonies collected together and one seems almost unaffected by all it has been through recently you buy that one because that one is tough as hell and much more likely to settle in to our artificial conditions and start growing quickly.

Anyway, after checking with Dave if it was ok to put my hand in the tank to pick it up to check the pigments out of the water i gave it the once over and told Dave i wanted it. I then placed it down on what i thought was the acrylic shelf when BAM ! Something is not right...........
I yank my echi back out wondering what happened and next thing you know i am waving around an echi - MY $%@#& ECHI ! with a stinking brown clam covered in algae attached to the end of the 4" branch like a bloody flag. :mad2:

' DAVE ! a clam has got my echi !'

Now Dave is giving me a dirty look and comes out with this pearler....

' Well why did you put it down on the clam, and stop waiving it around you'll tear the mantle '

' #$@# the bloody clam Dave what about my echi, if it snaps a single bit off i'm gonna do more than tear its mantle !'

Dave now starts doing this hands down thing like he's trying to talk a guy into putting down a knife or gun........... seriously......

' Just put the acro and clam down gently and the clam will let go after a minute, just put them down and everything will be ok ' all the time waving his hands down............

Now two things come to mind. Either Dave has watched too many tv cop shows or i came across as a deranged nut waving acros with $250- clams attached in the air around his shop.

Dom was no help since he and Mark were laughing like idiots - both are lucky not to have had a clam thrown at them.

I placed the echi down onto the container of snap dragon clams and after a minute it opened its razor toothed jaws and i snatched my echi out of harms way. As i held it up for inspection i thought Dave was coming over to help but no...... he goes and looks at the piece of garbage that almost decapitated my echi !

Then he just walks off shaking his head............. Dave does this quite a lot when i'm having problems at the shop - just walks off shaking his head.........

Andrew, thanks for the update.

Marty

Are you upset with me Marty, i'm getting a vibe mate......

We do have lots of beers you guys from other countries would love...assuming you could hang with American's in a bar.

As long as none of you spoke for the entire time i would consider hanging with some Americans in a bar. All you talk about is your lame footy where all the guys wear armored battle suits - what a joke !
The Qld state of origin rugby league team would put every fighter jet helmet wearing US player in hospital........ and that's before kick off.......

Your lfs makes me sick. Those corals are just amazing. I spent 40 on one piece a few weeks ago and it was no where near those sizes or colors.

Best not look at the latest pics then mate........

Gday Biggles! I too enjoy Forsters!

What actual bacteria are you dosing if any? Ive just ordered 2L of Matrix to get me started...

Hi mate, i don't dose any bacteria. The AF stuff is still awaiting customs clearance unfortunately but i will have a play to see what it does if and when i can buy some.
The matrix works great, just have to wait about 10 weeks unless you can dose it with bacteria - i would do that if i could to new stuff as it might speed things up a couple of weeks.

Oh how I missed a lot of things around here....

Hey Bob

 

[biggles]

Oh wow Andrew, how many did you score? I have to agree that blue is off the charts amazing! So much excitement on your journal, some reef, some not, either way I am glad I make usual visits

Hey Perry, i scored none mate. I didn't go to the shop until the Monday after that Thursday shipment and didn't see anything from the pics. Sometimes i go on a Friday every couple of months and that's when i get some of the Thursday night leftovers lol. I never ever see anything like that blue branch or similar in the shop but that's to be expected.
Dave is very good to me and he will put the occasional piece aside if there is more than one on the Thursday night that he thinks is special and i might like. If i were to ask him to hold the next blue branch that looked like that for me i know he would but i never do because i don't think that would be fair to the guys making the effort to turn up on the Thursday nights.

Just so I can feel the burn, what does Dave force you to pay him for beauties like these?

Dave sells most of that stuff for about $45- each. He will only charge more if a particular piece has been marked up by Christian because its pigments are exceptional etc.
Every other LFS i have ever been to makes up the prices regardless of what they paid. If they know it is drool worthy like that blue branch they triple the price.
I know Deer Park doesn't do it and Williamstown aquarium which Jack runs also doesn't exploit acro keepers weakness for intense colors......... both those stores are the only stores i would send a friend to that was just starting out. There may be more but i haven't been to any of them so i can't comment.

:bigeyes:

something that never comes over here...

how much did you get? do you even have room for them? :lolspin:

Sorry Flo, i didn't get any mate.

 

[FloformAustria]

Right...........

I had selected a very pretty echi branch that was like a letter 'V' with one side 4" long and the other 2" - both growing straight as a gun barrel. The piece of echi you see in that killer clam pic is run of the mill icefire but the bit i selected (after consultation with Mark who has picked out some stunners for me ) had much more intense pigments at the tips than you normally see.
When you see 2 echis from two different colonies collected together and one seems almost unaffected by all it has been through recently you buy that one because that one is tough as hell and much more likely to settle in to our artificial conditions and start growing quickly.

Anyway, after checking with Dave if it was ok to put my hand in the tank to pick it up to check the pigments out of the water i gave it the once over and told Dave i wanted it. I then placed it down on what i thought was the acrylic shelf when BAM ! Something is not right...........
I yank my echi back out wondering what happened and next thing you know i am waving around an echi - MY $%@#& ECHI ! with a stinking brown clam covered in algae attached to the end of the 4" branch like a bloody flag. :mad2:

' DAVE ! a clam has got my echi !'

Now Dave is giving me a dirty look and comes out with this pearler....

' Well why did you put it down on the clam, and stop waiving it around you'll tear the mantle '

' #$@# the bloody clam Dave what about my echi, if it snaps a single bit off i'm gonna do more than tear its mantle !'

Dave now starts doing this hands down thing like he's trying to talk a guy into putting down a knife or gun........... seriously......

' Just put the acro and clam down gently and the clam will let go after a minute, just put them down and everything will be ok ' all the time waving his hands down............

Now two things come to mind. Either Dave has watched too many tv cop shows or i came across as a deranged nut waving acros with $250- clams attached in the air around his shop.

Dom was no help since he and Mark were laughing like idiots - both are lucky not to have had a clam thrown at them.

I placed the echi down onto the container of snap dragon clams and after a minute it opened its razor toothed jaws and i snatched my echi out of harms way. As i held it up for inspection i thought Dave was coming over to help but no...... he goes and looks at the piece of garbage that almost decapitated my echi !

Then he just walks off shaking his head............. Dave does this quite a lot when i'm having problems at the shop - just walks off shaking his head.........

:lolspin::lolspin::lolspin:

i imagine it something like that:

Sorry Flo, i didn't get any mate.

ahhh okay... my bad ^^

 

[biggles]

Ha ! that was pretty much what it looked like Flo

Dave now stocks live acro food

 

[FloformAustria]

Ha ! that was pretty much what it looked like Flo

Dave now stocks live acro food

:lolspin::lolspin::lolspin:

 

[biggles]

I sent Dave a text today to let him know myself and Dom would be attending the shop tomorrow in case he wanted to have a sickie.............

So tomorrow is Thursday - and we all know what comes in Thursday night now don't we. And you all know i have told Dave at least ten times that i just can't get to the shop for the acro arrivals that come in after hours............ like i have yelled it at him............... in a nice way......

The reply:

130 sps coming in thursday night at 6.30


:debi::debi::debi::debi::debi::debi::debi::debi::debi:

 

[FloformAustria]

I sent Dave a text today to let him know myself and Dom would be attending the shop tomorrow in case he wanted to have a sickie.............

So tomorrow is Thursday - and we all know what comes in Thursday night now don't we. And you all know i have told Dave at least ten times that i just can't get to the shop for the acro arrivals that come in after hours............ like i have yelled it at him............... in a nice way......

The reply:

130 sps coming in thursday night at 6.30


:debi::debi::debi::debi::debi::debi:

i see no other way than being there at 6.30... no matter wat :rollface:

 

[reefmutt]

I sent Dave a text today to let him know myself and Dom would be attending the shop tomorrow in case he wanted to have a sickie.............

So tomorrow is Thursday - and we all know what comes in Thursday night now don't we. And you all know i have told Dave at least ten times that i just can't get to the shop for the acro arrivals that come in after hours............ like i have yelled it at him............... in a nice way......

The reply:

130 sps coming in thursday night at 6.30


:debi::debi::debi::debi::debi::debi::debi::debi::debi:

I have ditched work, lied to my wife and committed a handful of traffic violations upon receiving a text like that!!

And it was completely worth it.

 

[biggles]

We will be waiting for Dave to turn up at 10.30am Flo.......... it is a battle of wills between Dave and i mate. He will keep telling me to come Thursday night for the triple AAA acros and i will keep coming Thursday morning to get the stuff that is left after six days in the shop............ :twitch:

I would imagine that ALL the guys who get to pick from such high quality acros have displays that make mine look like garbage........... must be at least 10-15 world class displays in Melbourne considering i know that's how many of you turn up regularly to STEAL my AAA stuff !

I asked Dave a year ago how they all worked out who was getting what, like are there any good fights to watch etc. He looked at me weird and said, ' oh no it's very civilized '. ' Well Dave, i would just stand beside you holding a machete and i bet i would get anything i wanted '

This was the first time i recall Dave shaking his head and walking off........

I have ditched work, lied to my wife and committed a handful of traffic violations upon receiving a text like that!!

And it was completely worth it.

This is what would happen Matt. I would turn up and stand back and watch everyone take the best stuff and say nothing because i'm shy until i know you. I would get nothing good. Dave would feel terrible that the whole thing didn't go the way he thought it would and i would never go to another Thursday night acro unpacking session because i would feel terrible about making Dave feel terrible...........

I will go Thursday mornings and Dave and i will both not feel terrible

Anyway, the stuff from Christian at sustainable reefs is all good so even after it's been picked through for days there are still nice acros. Almost every acro in my display is from Chris and i have some bloody nice acros without ever going to a Thursday night meet.

 

[reefmutt]

The acro riches over there are just flabbergasting...
It's hard to wrap my mind around what you get on a weekly basis.
The funny thing is that when the annual Aussie shipments arrive here and then get chopped up into fingers for sale for $40-$150 each, the corals look nothing like what I see in your photos, Andrew..
Sometimes I wonder if the corals we get are even actually from Australia... Sometimes I think it's a scam...

 

[biggles]

Oh and i wanted to check, last time i got home from Dave's shop i unpacked my goodies and in the bottom of the bag was a Triton test box that says to just send it to the Triton agent.

That means it's paid for doesn't it ? Like Dave has tried it on again with a freebie ? It must be because there is nothing about paying. He must have to buy the tests up front and then sell them on rather than paying for each individual test when submitted - yes ?

That's going back tomorrow ! :hammer:

 

[biggles]

The acro riches over there are just flabbergasting...
It's hard to wrap my mind around what you get on a weekly basis.
The funny thing is that when the annual Aussie shipments arrive here and then get chopped up into fingers for sale for $40-$150 each, the corals look nothing like what I see in your photos, Andrew..
Sometimes I wonder if the corals we get are even actually from Australia... Sometimes I think it's a scam...

The guys from sustainable reefs stopped talking to me after i put Nick's stupid stag frag on the next door neighbor's roof, some of you may remember........

Anyway the point is i am not getting looked after in any way by those guys in order to say what i will. You won't see anything like the aussie acros i show you unless you manage to get access to the roof stag guys aquacultured acros. I am very serious when i say that no other collector comes close to Christian in Aus and he supplies only a handful of stores in Aus - Deer Park being one, with some small pieces from colonies intended for aquaculture.

So that's my honest opinion of why you don't see the stuff i show you in your aussie shipments.

 

[reefmutt]

I need a friggin' transporter so I can lock onto Deer Park's corals and beam a few over here.

 

[FloformAustria]

I have ditched work, lied to my wife and committed a handful of traffic violations upon receiving a text like that!!

And it was completely worth it.

who hasnt??? :deadhorse1:

We will be waiting for Dave to turn up at 10.30am Flo.......... it is a battle of wills between Dave and i mate. He will keep telling me to come Thursday night for the triple AAA acros and i will keep coming Thursday morning to get the stuff that is left after six days in the shop............ :twitch:

I would imagine that ALL the guys who get to pick from such high quality acros have displays that make mine look like garbage........... must be at least 10-15 world class displays in Melbourne considering i know that's how many of you turn up regularly to STEAL my AAA stuff !

I asked Dave a year ago how they all worked out who was getting what, like are there any good fights to watch etc. He looked at me weird and said, ' oh no it's very civilized '. ' Well Dave, i would just stand beside you holding a machete and i bet i would get anything i wanted '

This was the first time i recall Dave shaking his head and walking off........



This is what would happen Matt. I would turn up and stand back and watch everyone take the best stuff and say nothing because i'm shy until i know you. I would get nothing good. Dave would feel terrible that the whole thing didn't go the way he thought it would and i would never go to another Thursday night acro unpacking session because i would feel terrible about making Dave feel terrible...........

I will go Thursday mornings and Dave and i will both not feel terrible

Anyway, the stuff from Christian at sustainable reefs is all good so even after it's been picked through for days there are still nice acros. Almost every acro in my display is from Chris and i have some bloody nice acros without ever going to a Thursday night meet.

okay if your tank is filled with just leftovers i am going to go crazy here with those dealers....

I need a friggin' transporter so I can lock onto Deer Park's corals and beam a few over here.

can we make a station here at my home too???

 

[Wrangy]

<iframe src="//giphy.com/embed/urlm1nyqs3ayQ" width="480" height="420" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="http://giphy.com/gifs/video-games-90s-star-trek-urlm1nyqs3ayQ">via GIPHY</a></p>

 

[biggles]

Just remember guys - if you get the transporter thing up and running i will be like airport customs checking what you've taken.......... holding my machete.........

I am going to buy some small cheap schooly fish today if Dave has any in stock. The display looks barren fish wise so today i hope to find a few more to add.

I will also get more acro pics if anything is looking ok and show you why i picked the acro i did - goes without saying i have to find a small piece to satisfy my 'habit'.......

 

[FloformAustria]

Just remember guys - if you get the transporter thing up and running i will be like airport customs checking what you've taken.......... holding my machete.........

I am going to buy some small cheap schooly fish today if Dave has any in stock. The display looks barren fish wise so today i hope to find a few more to add.

I will also get more acro pics if anything is looking ok and show you why i picked the acro i did - goes without saying i have to find a small piece to satisfy my 'habit'.......

:lolspin:

but Andrew if you buy fish i don´t want to ready any complaning about them swimming into your pics :lolspin:

good hunt mate