This summer for the club

[Reef Bass]

Hi everyone.

I've been President for a year now, during which time I've arranged meetings at all 4 local reef retailers (Caesars, NBA, Jofish, Coral Reef Eco Systems), several multi member house tank tours (usually ending in bbqs), guest speakers from Pacific Garden Supply and Reef Nutrition and run the club booth at last year's BAYMAC.

I am looking for input from you to identify objectives and activities for our club during the coming months.

What would you guys and gals like to do this summer as a club? Any neat places we could visit? Any unique shows or seasonal events we should attend or have a presence at? Should we start doing club group expeditions to stores in the east and south bay?

And what about the meetings? Are monthly meetings too frequent? We skipped a month and yet the attendance at the last meeting was on the low side. Are there topics we should be discussing or specific actions we should be doing at each meeting that would improve our club?

How about the raffle? Last meeting we had more raffle items than attending members, so I saved the raffle items for the next meeting. Maybe instead I should have simply collected $20 from each interested member and let them choose an item? The raffle works best when we have sufficient funds each month to procure beautiful and interesting frags to be raffled and so having lots of participants really helps out.

Remember, this is our club and we can make it what we want. If you have suggestions for ways to improve it, please speak up.

 

[shaneh]

your preaching to the church when it comes to me =))) I've only missed 1 meeting in a year+ (the one at Caesars, but not on purpose.) I'm up for whatever, your doing a great job!

I have hook ups at the aquarium by the Bay ...but they have a small reef section. let me know

 

[Grant W]

I agree with Shane and think you are doing a great job Ken.I'm up for whatever you all want to do and I will help in any way I can . Maybe we could try for some speakers in advanced reef keeping , have a presence at shows or conferences , a tank tour( the stop at your house with clippers in our pockets), do the cosignement tank @ jofish you all talked about, I'm new here but it seems like we should be able to get more active as a group in this great hobby/obssesion. Grant

 

[Grant W]

Oh I forgot a nice activity could be a visit to Steinhart or some of the great stores down south like Atlantis in Union city, the new place in Berkeley and any others you guys would like to see as a group

 

[GreshamH]

I suspect the fine people at CAS 9=(Steinhart)would be willing to help you. @ least one of them said he's down to talk at your club IIRC (Rich Ross). I bet Matt Wandell would as well.

If you need help getting speakers let me know.

 

[Reef Bass]

Thanks for your kind words and suggestions Shane and Grant. I apologize if this came off as my trolling for compliments. I'm looking for input from members on activities and improvements for the club.

And if anyone else is dying to be Pres, please holler. I'm happy to carry on for a while but eventually someone should step up. Rotating members through club officer positions spreads out the load (if we all do a little, no one does a lot) and prevents both officer burnout and member resentment towards long entrenched individuals.

Gresh, thanks for the suggestions. Wasn't Rich the author of the hilarious and insightful Hitlers Purple Monster video? I'll be in touch...

 

[GreshamH]

Yes that was Rich

 

[treesmoker]

i agree with whats already been said. Ken you've done a great job over the last year and we ALL thank you for it!:thumbsup: Let us know when you start getting burnt out so we can relieve your burden. Im sure most will agree in saying that we're happy to have you as prez as long as you feel up to the task.

I think a tank tour is most definately in order! I'd pass on the steinhart though.....I was extremely diappointed when I went and I haven't heard anything otherwise from anyone I've talked with about it. I think a field trip to some of these east/south bay stores would be an awesome idea.

And we always love to have the fine folks at REEF NUTRITION at our meetings. We missed you last year Gresh. Your partner was great though.

 

[shaneh]

I'd like to learn and try clown breeding once i get my tank dialed in again. Anyone know anything about breeding? fish breeding that is?

 

[GreshamH]

i agree with whats already been said. Ken you've done a great job over the last year and we ALL thank you for it!:thumbsup: Let us know when you start getting burnt out so we can relieve your burden. Im sure most will agree in saying that we're happy to have you as prez as long as you feel up to the task.

I think a tank tour is most definately in order! I'd pass on the steinhart though.....I was extremely diappointed when I went and I haven't heard anything otherwise from anyone I've talked with about it. I think a field trip to some of these east/south bay stores would be an awesome idea.

And we always love to have the fine folks at REEF NUTRITION at our meetings. We missed you last year Gresh. Your partner was great though.

Steinhart would be a behind the scenes, is that what they did? I've been to nearly every major public aquarium in the US and CAS is up there in the top 3 for me (MBA is #1). Those that gave poor reviews, what were they expecting? It takes years for a reef to grow in, and not to mention, this is the first time one so large and so deep has been tried. Lotsa growing pains. The issues are immense when having to work with multiple crews that all have their own mind.

That was my boss, Randy Reed

 

[GreshamH]

I'd like to learn and try clown breeding once i get my tank dialed in again. Anyone know anything about breeding? fish breeding that is?

I'm sure Robin (Fingerwinkles) would be willing to give a clown breeding talk. He's in Livermore IIRC

 

[treesmoker]

Gresh- i understand the difficulty in such a major undertaking, but isnt that why they set up that massice cube structure south of Market? i was told they were experimenting with how deep they could go....and after 8+ years of remodeling, i just kinda figured they would have had it all figured out and looking halfway decent before they opened it. they did have some very nice specimen tanks though. i especially enjoyed the frogfish and the leafy sea dragon display.

that's right....randy. you guys were both great and we're happy to have you guys up anytime. hopefully we can get you up here for a tank tour this year:thumbsup:

 

[GreshamH]

Think of the test as a test tube, not real world. It may have had depth, but it didn't have anywhere near the volume. If the build went perfect, which they never do, it would still take years for it to grow in enough to impress a reefer. Guess you need Rich to come up and give his talk on the difficulties of setting up a 220,00 gallon reef The reef had barely had water in it prior to opening. It takes years for it to even get established, let alone grown in enough to look like it's a real deal. think of your tank, times that by 1000 and then think of how long that would take for frags to turn into 3' colonies.

They operate like any big business with lots of departments that all do their own specific thing and sometimes they conflict. The biologists can deal with pumps, people doing the pumps can't do power, etc, etc. It's like Congress trying to run a reef tank

 

[Reef Bass]

Jake, thanks.

Gresh, interesting insight. I'd be interested in hearing what Rich has to say. Think they'd like a donation of a 15" Idaho Grape Monti cap?

 

[Grant W]

That behind the scenes thing at Steinhart would be very cool and a great opportunity to see what goes into aquatics on such a massive scale. I for one would love that!!!

 

[GreshamH]

Jake, thanks.

Gresh, interesting insight. I'd be interested in hearing what Rich has to say. Think they'd like a donation of a 15" Idaho Grape Monti cap?

Pretty sure they'd e into taking that donation BAR has donated a ton of coral all ready and IIRC they're always on the look out for more Do you need Rich's contact info?

 

[Reef Bass]

Yes, please. Thanks Gresh!

 

[jedheuer]

+1 on a behind the scenes at the Steinhart. That would be very cool. I went there a few weeks ago and it was enjoyable.

 

[kokaneejr]

I like all the ideas so far. Summer is hard though with vacations and kids being out of school for some. That being said I would love a behind the scenes at Steinhart. I was there for a Parks conference and I loved the big reef. Some of the smaller tanks wenen't so impressive but then again I think I am spoiled with seeing some of our members tanks.
Speakers are good and I am always up for going on an excursion to a store (schedule permitting).

BTW Ken I think you are doing a fine job! With a few meetings down south and the economy I think we have had a lower attendance than usual. I think we need to accomodate our northern friends for awhile other than that keep up the good work.

 

[NeonFish]

I'd like to learn and try clown breeding once i get my tank dialed in again. Anyone know anything about breeding? fish breeding that is?

You should get "Breeders guide to marine fishes" by Matthew Wittenrich.