Frag Swaps - A Beginner's Guide

[mudplayerx]

Frag Swaps- A Beginner's Guide
Written by Tony Nista
There has been a dramatic increase in the number of new reef aquarium hobbyists in the past few years. This increase has led to a swelling in the number of local "frag swaps" being held in communities across the country. Frag swaps are events typically sponsored by a local aquarium society [or fish store] which hobbyists will buy, sell, and trade captive grown frgments (frags) of corals, as well as new and used equipment. This article will tell you all you need to know if you are going to your first swamp.
Preparing to attend
Attending your first frag swap can be an intimidating experience. I always try to arrange trades or purchases in advance of the swap. You can usually find a thread in one of the online boards or on the sponsoring clubs website in which advanced trades and sales are arranged [out of respect to the owner of this site, please do not arrange frag trades in these message boards -Mudplayerx]. Scan these frequently in the days leading up to the swap. You can also post on these threads with any specific species you are looking to buy or trade for. Remember to arrange a time and/or a place to meet the seller at the swamp, as usually it is someone that you don't know. Most swaps issue name tags at the door, but I have found it best to let the seller know that I'l be wearing a bright red shirt, or sme other way to distinguish myself to make locating each other easier.
Possible Fees
There is usually a small fee to attend swamps, and another small fee if you want to set up an aquarium to sell or trade frags from. You will probably not have anything to trade if you are new to the hobby, which means you should bring cash with you. 90% of the people who are selling things will only accept cash, although there will usually be some vendors there taking credit cards. Check with the sponsoring club ahead of time to find out which, if any, vendors will be attending and what forms of payment will be accepted.
Usually these events are held in venues that are a little to small for the number of attendees, which will mean some waiting around while the crowd goes from table to table examining the offerings. You should attemt to see all of the offerings before making a purchase, as sometimes there will be large differences in the price of certain species.
At one swap, for example, I saw two-inch fragments of blue Acropora tortuosa selling for $30 from one gentleman and for $100 from another. Remember that negotiating on prices is common practice, and you will sometimes even get a discount for buying multiple pieces from the same person.

 

[mudplayerx]

Selection and Care
You will typically find that a majority of the species being offered for sale or trade are the more common and easy to keep speices. You should always research the care requirements before you aquire a species, though. Ask the seller what type of lighting and water flow the species has been maintained in and how quickly it grows. You will want to be sure that you can provide the proper environment.
Many times you will be tempted by the difficult to keep species. These are invariably the brighter colored, more aesthetically pleasing corals that you will see at the swamp. Be sure that you know all of the care requirements and that you are capable of maintaining the proper conditions for survival. There are a few things worse than watching an $80 frag slowly perish in your aquarium, except, perhaps, explaining how much you paid for that dying "green stick" to your spouse!
Packing Your Frags
Now that you have secured all of your purchases and trades, it is time for the trip home. I never assume that the seller will have appropriate packing materials, although many do, so I always bring my "frag swap road kit" which contains everything I need to get the corals home. First, you will need something to package the corals themselves. I like to use plastic fish bags or plastic, Tupperware-like containers. I also bring plenty of rubberbands, a towel, spare fish bags (in case of leaks), and finally, a good size beverage cooler or a Styrofoam box to hold all of the corals and keep the temperature stable. In extreme weather, you should also bring either ice packs or small heat packs to keep the temperature in the cooler at an acceptable level. You can get the heat packs at any department store or sporting good store. They are usually sold as disposable hand warmers in the hunting section for a few dollars.

 

[mudplayerx]

Once you have your corals packed in their bags, place them into the cooler. If needed, the ice pack or heat pack should be wrapped in newspaper so it can't come into direct contact with the bags. Finally, use the towel or some newspaper to fill in the rest of the cooler to prevent the bags from being jostled around as you drive home.
When you arrive home, acclimate the corals as you normally would, ensuring that the temperature anf pH are equalized between the bags and the aquarium. I recommend doing this with the aquarium lights off to reduce further stress on the corals. I like to wait two or three days before permanently mounting any newly aquired frags to ensure they are fully acclimated to my aquarium and to avoid further stress on the animals after all of the handling they went through the day of the swap.
Next Swap
Well, that's it. You are now a frag swap veteran. When the next swap comes around, you should have some corals of your own to trade. Trading of captive corals not only makes the hobby more enjoyable and affordable, but it also reduces the impact of collecting wild corals from the reef. Captive grown corals have a much higher rate of survival and will almost always maintain their color better and grow faster than their wild caught counterparts.
Photo by Brad Schonert