Reef Trendy article
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Anthony Calfo
New member
Thanks kindly, Marc!
I hope it was at least amusing if it does not convince some fellow aquarists to see differently/have a longer view of the hobby/sales
I hope it was at least amusing if it does not convince some fellow aquarists to see differently/have a longer view of the hobby/sales
The Escaped Ape
In The Canopy
Anthony,
An absolutely spot-on article! The breathless "Is this rare?" posts on Reef Central have become a standing joke.
The hypocrisy is awful, apart from anything else. We're all supposed to be interested in conserving the rich diversity of the reefs, but people are incredibly keen to get hold of the life that's rarest on the reef. I get tired of the number of pms I get from people asking me to ship them Acans from Japan, whose response to my CITES based no-can-do is a nod and a wink.
Let's not just pay lip service to conservation, but actually mean it. Let's actually appreciate these animals for their beauty, not their rarity.
Thank you again,
Tom
An absolutely spot-on article! The breathless "Is this rare?" posts on Reef Central have become a standing joke.
The hypocrisy is awful, apart from anything else. We're all supposed to be interested in conserving the rich diversity of the reefs, but people are incredibly keen to get hold of the life that's rarest on the reef. I get tired of the number of pms I get from people asking me to ship them Acans from Japan, whose response to my CITES based no-can-do is a nod and a wink.
Let's not just pay lip service to conservation, but actually mean it. Let's actually appreciate these animals for their beauty, not their rarity.
Thank you again,
Tom
Anthony Calfo
New member
very, very well-said, my friend!
"Let's not just pay lip service to conservation, but actually mean it. Let's actually appreciate these animals for their beauty, not their rarity."
thank you for your input
"Let's not just pay lip service to conservation, but actually mean it. Let's actually appreciate these animals for their beauty, not their rarity."
thank you for your input
Anthony,
Congratulations on another well written manuscript that manages to engage our oft-left-in-park brains while tickling our sense of humor at the same time. I applaud you and RC both for having the good sense to at least raise awareness.
The living art we are dealing with in this hobby should be cared for with respect and awe, not the acquisition=status frenzy akin to wealthy art auctions.
Thanks for your unique and effective style of presentation,
Steve
Congratulations on another well written manuscript that manages to engage our oft-left-in-park brains while tickling our sense of humor at the same time. I applaud you and RC both for having the good sense to at least raise awareness.
The living art we are dealing with in this hobby should be cared for with respect and awe, not the acquisition=status frenzy akin to wealthy art auctions.
Thanks for your unique and effective style of presentation,
Steve
Anthony,
Thank you for a great read and a good chuckle. I sincerely hope that the number of posts in this forum are no indication as to how many people have read your article. That is one of the best reads I've seen on the message board in a while. I may have to drum up some exitement in the hobby forums about the ultra rare Calfo article. I look forward to meeting you when you travel to Salt Lake City. We are already anxious for your arrival. Thanks again!
Jamison
Thank you for a great read and a good chuckle. I sincerely hope that the number of posts in this forum are no indication as to how many people have read your article. That is one of the best reads I've seen on the message board in a while. I may have to drum up some exitement in the hobby forums about the ultra rare Calfo article. I look forward to meeting you when you travel to Salt Lake City. We are already anxious for your arrival. Thanks again!
Jamison
The Escaped Ape
In The Canopy
Anthony,
Thanks for the response. The only positive result of this may be that, given the prices, more people are inclined to go for frags rather than wild-harvested colonies. If that ends up putting less pressure on the reefs, then I guess that may end up being the silver lining to all this hype.
Thanks again for raising your head above the parapet!
Tom
Jamison,
I was thinking the same! See http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=521807 for rather more responses. Seems that most people are posting in the main Anthony Calfo forum on the general board...
Tom
Thanks for the response. The only positive result of this may be that, given the prices, more people are inclined to go for frags rather than wild-harvested colonies. If that ends up putting less pressure on the reefs, then I guess that may end up being the silver lining to all this hype.
Thanks again for raising your head above the parapet!
Tom
Jamison,
I was thinking the same! See http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=521807 for rather more responses. Seems that most people are posting in the main Anthony Calfo forum on the general board...
Tom
Ladipyg
New member
Thank you so much for your well-phrased article. When I find myself shouting at the computer screen in frustration...at the words RARE!! ULTRA!!! etc.. I am so happy to retreat to my basement and watch my not so fancy green polyps swaying in the current, or the crab nestled in the acro, my purple 'shrooms fully inflated or the green chromis flashing from green to aqua with shades of lavender under the metal halides...then the magic of the reef becomes apparent as my blood pressure drops and a smile plays on my lips. That I didn't pay a small fortune for them doesn't make them any less precious in my eyes... I love my reef for what it is...not for what it cost... The sad part is that the "status seekers" will not recgonize themselves in your article...Keep up the good work Anthony...Sincerely, Nina
Anthony Calfo
New member
thanks you all/again so much my friends
It is very inspiring and redeeming to hear.
I do aspire to speak plainly, and give information as freely as I take it.
Using humor to entertain while sharing/teaching is my preference and hopefully is effective. Judging by responses like this... it suits at least some of you just fine
It is very inspiring and redeeming to hear.
I do aspire to speak plainly, and give information as freely as I take it.
Using humor to entertain while sharing/teaching is my preference and hopefully is effective. Judging by responses like this... it suits at least some of you just fine
scottfarcuz
New member
Anthony,
I also appreciated the article very much! I have caught flack from a few locals because I have no fish or the fact that all I have in my tank are frags of the "common" corals. I started my tank with 90% base rocks. I guess to some this makes me a tightwad, but I don't have a lot of money to spend. Even if I did I wouldn't be jumping bandwagons that seem so popluar in this hobby. Maybe its the defiant side of me but I am very happy with my "common" corals. I am also a little proud that Im not pulling corals, fish, and hundreds of pounds of rock from the ocean.
My 2 sons are very proud of our small reef tank. When company comes to my house they always stop and stare and my tank in awe. It's not tank of the month material, but the small amount of money I have spent has added up to countless hours watching, learning, and talking with my kids about the many wonders of nature. That alone to me is priceless.
I also appreciated the article very much! I have caught flack from a few locals because I have no fish or the fact that all I have in my tank are frags of the "common" corals. I started my tank with 90% base rocks. I guess to some this makes me a tightwad, but I don't have a lot of money to spend. Even if I did I wouldn't be jumping bandwagons that seem so popluar in this hobby. Maybe its the defiant side of me but I am very happy with my "common" corals. I am also a little proud that Im not pulling corals, fish, and hundreds of pounds of rock from the ocean.
My 2 sons are very proud of our small reef tank. When company comes to my house they always stop and stare and my tank in awe. It's not tank of the month material, but the small amount of money I have spent has added up to countless hours watching, learning, and talking with my kids about the many wonders of nature. That alone to me is priceless.
Anthony Calfo
New member
and very well stated too, Scott
Dell'Oro
New member
Anthony,
Excellent article, I enjoyed it very much. Thankfully here in Oz we are free from a lot of the hoopla that seems to pervade a lot of the hobby in the US - I have watched the whole acan craze with undisguised amazement, not to mention taken some wicked pleasure in telling people what they go for here...
As far as the section on skimmers goes, I was wondering what your opinion is of the Tunze skimmers? Minimal noise is a big issue in our house and I am looking to replace the skimmer on my 90G mixed reef.
Thanks again for an interesting and though provoking article.
cheers
Paul
Excellent article, I enjoyed it very much. Thankfully here in Oz we are free from a lot of the hoopla that seems to pervade a lot of the hobby in the US - I have watched the whole acan craze with undisguised amazement, not to mention taken some wicked pleasure in telling people what they go for here...
As far as the section on skimmers goes, I was wondering what your opinion is of the Tunze skimmers? Minimal noise is a big issue in our house and I am looking to replace the skimmer on my 90G mixed reef.
Thanks again for an interesting and though provoking article.
cheers
Paul
Anthony Calfo
New member
cheers, Paul... its a pleasure to hear from you Thank you for your input. Not surprising indeed as we have heard from friends and fellow hobbyists in other countries speaking the same. Its a hoot nonetheless! 
If you really want to chide the status seekers... tell them how much Duncanaopsammia is worth in Oz
As for the Acanthastrea... all of this talk of their "rarity" in shipments is hilarious. Not that they are actually coming in in large quantities... but rather that they are as equally "rare" as Platygyra, Goniastrea and a number of other non-Favia/Faviites type corals (box lots of so-called "closed brain" corals from collectors). But you don't see anyone dissecting these other genera for inflated sums of money. Oh, wait... Oh, no! The price of Goniastrea is about to go through the roof now! Ha!
As for Tunze skimmers... I absolutely love them... have bought at least five that I can recall in the last decade. They are truly a top shelf brand without a horrifyingly top shelf price. Still... for us here in the US, they are taxed/marketed dear enough that they are not good "values" (bang for the buck) relative to other very fine domestic brands.
If you can get a fair price for them in Oz though, you will not be disappointed. I'm running one now on a 340 gallon (US) prop system that has no fish, and only one Ophiuroid sea star that gets fed a few chunks of food several times weekly... and this skimmer pulls about 7 oz. of coffee dark skimmate out daily. Remarkable!
with kind regards, Anthony
Thank you for your input. Not surprising indeed as we have heard from friends and fellow hobbyists in other countries speaking the same. Its a hoot nonetheless! If you really want to chide the status seekers... tell them how much Duncanaopsammia is worth in Oz
As for the Acanthastrea... all of this talk of their "rarity" in shipments is hilarious. Not that they are actually coming in in large quantities... but rather that they are as equally "rare" as Platygyra, Goniastrea and a number of other non-Favia/Faviites type corals (box lots of so-called "closed brain" corals from collectors). But you don't see anyone dissecting these other genera for inflated sums of money. Oh, wait... Oh, no! The price of Goniastrea is about to go through the roof now!
Ha!As for Tunze skimmers... I absolutely love them... have bought at least five that I can recall in the last decade. They are truly a top shelf brand without a horrifyingly top shelf price. Still... for us here in the US, they are taxed/marketed dear enough that they are not good "values" (bang for the buck) relative to other very fine domestic brands.
If you can get a fair price for them in Oz though, you will not be disappointed. I'm running one now on a 340 gallon (US) prop system that has no fish, and only one Ophiuroid sea star that gets fed a few chunks of food several times weekly... and this skimmer pulls about 7 oz. of coffee dark skimmate out daily. Remarkable!
with kind regards, Anthony
MiddletonMark
Premium Member
Anythony ... as someone whose diving experience has driven him to seek a nice `maze brain' of a specific type .... I can tell you, they're far more rare than Acanastrea. Best of all, way cheaper - if you ever find one
Yes, I agree with you `rarity' point.
I always thought this hobby was keeping things healthiest, longest ... not having the weirdest morph. That he who gave away the most frags, wins.
I always have aimed to replicate those who ran stable tanks for years, never having to replace livestock ... that was what we were `aiming for'. Here I've been telling my wife how proud I am to now keep her bubble coral [not rare at all variety] ... which has been in aquaria for about 6 years [rare, being so old in aquaria]. I guess I was wrong, that's not success
[please don't condemn me for my avatar, my one deemed-rare coral - we all slip sometimes]
Yes, I agree with you `rarity' point.
I always thought this hobby was keeping things healthiest, longest ... not having the weirdest morph. That he who gave away the most frags, wins.
I always have aimed to replicate those who ran stable tanks for years, never having to replace livestock ... that was what we were `aiming for'. Here I've been telling my wife how proud I am to now keep her bubble coral [not rare at all variety] ... which has been in aquaria for about 6 years [rare, being so old in aquaria]. I guess I was wrong, that's not success
[please don't condemn me for my avatar, my one deemed-rare coral - we all slip sometimes]
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