Meeting frag auction frags

[skinnyjoe1976]

just my 2 cents. due to the concerns of the frags would it be possible for people who are bidding on the frags look at what that possibly might want. last saturday was a bit hard due to people sitting on the cooler that housed the frags. but the meeting before last i was able to look at the frags that i was wanting and wrote the numbers down and bid on them. i know it is impossible to show each frag before you bid or we would be there until 3:00 am. so for the people who are thinking about bidding take a look at what you want to bid on and that way you won't be disappointed with what you get. remember that people look a frags different than others what one person might think is a nice coral others think that it is so so. jmo

 

[nauti1us]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9846115#post9846115 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by skinnyjoe1976
just my 2 cents. due to the concerns of the frags would it be possible for people who are bidding on the frags look at what that possibly might want

At the March meeting the frags were left out for people to man handle for a good 40 minutes prior to the meeting. And folks kept handling them up until the auction started.

I was amazed at how many hands picked through the delicate coral bags over and over again. By the time the auction started we had at least 5 broken bags leaking water everywhere and countless broken sps colonies.

My point is, there is no way to safely put out 70 to 100 corals for people to view prior to the auction. You are welcome to view the sheet to get an idea of whats available. Otherwise I've asked that all corals checked in to be secured and kept out of site until the auction begins.

If you or anyone else has a better idea as to how to make corals visually available prior to the auction, I would like to hear it.

Matt

 

[lifesworksataol]

hey maryce i have heard that male emerald crabs are quit aggressive in the way that they move and rip at zoes and other stuff. Just trying to see if you have heard the same thing or not?

 

[cowboyswife]

I traded in one of my emeralds because I caught him chomping on zoos.

 

[nauti1us]

I had heard that the males are also known to be able to catch small fish, like gobies and other sand dwelling fish.

 

[cowboyswife]

Oooooo Im glad I got rid of mine before he started chomping on my fish.

 

[lifesworksataol]

my female has cleaned my 90 all by her self - i used to have a 55 that was covered in bubble and within a month of getting her it was all gone and never came back. she has never touched or messed with anything at all, but when i had a anem she just stayed under it which i thought was pretty funny.

 

[Me No Nemo]

All crabs are opportunistic feeders. I personally haven't had any problems with emeralds but I feed my tanks "heavy" and do lots of water changes. I've had some bubble algae in the past and have had females that never touched it...but males have cleaned it up very well. As in all things in this hobby, there are always going to be instances that defy the norm But, I'd still grab a male if I needed to get rid of bubble algae. The pads on their pinchers are larger and they will be more apt to eat the larger ones. Once they finish the job, they can easily be moved to the sump if there are worries about them feasting on other stuff.

 

[skinnyjoe1976]

good call maryce

 

[macawmagic]

just an idea so that people could see the frags they were buying? maybe people could bring in a picture of the frag that they're selling and then post all the pictures on a board of somesort so people could walk by and see all the frags. have each picture numbered so they knew what number to bid on. It's a lot more work than the system that's going on now, but I feel like it would work out in the end.

 

[plumb]

on the subject of micro algae... EVERYONE has algae in there tanks from rocks, snail poo, blueleg crabs, someones frag etc. the conditions in your tank may not be good enough for it to flurish, but it is there. so keep up with your water changes etc and youll never have a problem with it growing and spreading. I am haveing an out break right now from my lazyness but Im not going to stress over it. posphate remover and water changes will stunt its growth. a cleanup crew to pick at it and refugium added to my sump, after I eradicate it, will make it less likely to happen again in the display. but even if i turn the lights off for a year and start over with bleached everything It will still be there, even if just a single cell.

Brad

 

[skinnyjoe1976]

good call plumb algea is a good sign of health in the tank

 

[nauti1us]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9852480#post9852480 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by macawmagic
just an idea so that people could see the frags they were buying? maybe people could bring in a picture of the frag that they're selling and then post all the pictures on a board of somesort so people could walk by and see all the frags....

I think you're on to something. Most folks know how to use photobucket or other photo hosting sites. If your going to be bringing in 10 frags you could post the pictures there and then post your pictures on RC the week of the ORCA meeting.
On the frag bag itself, label the bag with a sticker. ON the sticker write the actual coral name and also add the reference number used to identify the coral on RC.

For example; lets say I have a large Purple Cap frag I plan to bring (4") I then post a picture on RC letting folks know that I'll be bringing the following frag and it will be labeled MAKPC1

How does that sound?

 

[sytanek]

I think this idea could potentially increase the price frags go for also. The more you get to see something, the more you may be willing to pay for it.

ie. Someone has a red brain for sale. I have seen 2-3 different types of red brains, one may be way cheaper and easier to find than another. If someone was to post a pic of it, you would have a chance to research it, and not only find out if you would be able to care for it, but also how much you would be interested in spending on it.

 

[plumb]

that sounds like a great idea...although ive never stayed for a frag auction, if pics are posted, then i may. Ive been known to throw down on something I didnt have already at some lfs.

 

[justinzimm]

First off great meeting...
Second, I missed the last frag auction but I did see that people weren't rumaging through the frag bags like before (this is probably a good thing) Anyway, I do remember (I think at the first SRC) they had an overhead camera or projector that showed the frags as they were being auctioned off. Since we had a TV, would it be possible to use the same setup as SRC?

Just an idea...
J

 

[nauti1us]

J, that idea works well in an auditorium or large venue, but in a home living room there's not enough predicatable room to anticipate how to make that happen. Every home is layed out differently.

And that simply puts the burden back on the folks who are already busting their hump to pull off the auction in the first place. I think if the members want to see the corals, than I'd like to see the members work together and help each other out by posting their corals on RC. It's easy and takes very little time.

 

[skinnyjoe1976]

the only problem with posting stuff for possible sale or auction is that the moderator may stop it. don't know really what the rules are but i will have some free time on my hands and anybody that would like to post there pics on rc and don't know how to do it i'm willing to help to make the frag auction better. george posted for the algea was pulled by the moderator due to him having labels on the bottles that he posted. the moderator hasn't gotten back to him to let him know what the deal is so just a heads up

 

[gwrench]

One of the particular species for the effective control of bubble algae is Mithraculus sculptus aka emerald crab. I agree with Marcye on using the males as they are not as aggresive when it comes to being fish and small invert eaters. The smooth bodied and not so hairy legs have been identified as this species so I have read and been witness to.

 

[InLimbo87]

I don't know, I would still categorize emerald crabs as one of the "hit or miss" coral eaters. I purchased a male emerald crab a good while ago, and he went straight for a toadstool leather I had at the time and just started eating away.

Although I've heard when they are good citizens they can be quite the bubble algae eaters as others have attested to.