MACNA 2013...who's going???

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
A few MACNA pictures from me...

I thought this was an interesting Eshopps display.


There were tons and tons of frag stations, and white a few large colonies for sale... some of which were $1000 plus!




I thought these little nanos were neat, by Fluval. I kind of like their lighting unit - I might want to get one for the ten gallon. I talked to the chief engineer about their lighting system and he said that he has no trouble keeping SPS corals in the nano tanks under these lights. I was impressed.



More frag tanks... pretty awesome LED lights being used. So many different kinds, I haven't even delved deep enough into them! whew!

 

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
A few more MACNA pictures


Hydor has their own line of skimmers?! I Was just blown away at how many booths of skimmers there were... just skimmers alone. AVAST Marine was there... hydor, Reef Octopus, Skimz, MRC, ... tons...


Marco Rocks booth... it was interesting. They had a tiki man cut out in the rock at the front.
I wonder the price tag... and who would have the space to put it. lol



Even more frag racks... a lot more impressive ones were elsewhere but I didn't stop for a pic.




There were some pretty amazing displays there, but they were all lit with LEDs... so it makes it difficult to take a picture of anything.
 

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Even more MACNA pictures

There were some pretty big displays there too...



i really liked the rimless zero edge cylinder tank. I saw one at an old lfs, but it wasn't this impressive...



 

novahobbies

Well-Known Member
Dude, great pictures!

I actually didn't take many pics. I was just soaking it all in. The atmosphere and the energy of the place was just amazing. SO many vendors were incredibly nice, and didn't mind taking a couple minutes to talk to you if you had questions. I admit some of the frag stations were a little rough...there were a few pushy people all trying to get the best frags....but all in all I'd say most people were extremely courteous and well-behaved. The speaking engagements were worth the cost of admission by themselves if you ask me. I only got to go to three, but if I could have cloned myself I would have hit all of them! :)

It goes without saying that meeting Seth and Krista was one of the highlights of the convention for me. We all met up for Korean BBQ on Saturday night, Seth, his beautiful bride, the lovely Krista, her mom, and of course Richard, myself, and our spouses. A FMAS buddy of ours came along too; I don't think Menfis is part of the SWF crew, and I was glad he got to meet everyone. But it was a lot of fun, with some interesting food (all great, even the fishcake!!) and great conversation. I think a little steam came out of Seth's ears when he was informed that they didn't have any SWEET tea....he just couldn't understand the concept!!! And Krista tried pretty much everything, despite her aversion to fish. I'm still having a hard time dealing with that, BTW. I just can't wrap my head around it. Like Seth and his tea. Despite the fact that the restaurant was a little off the beaten path, I can't imagine a more entertaining night. I had a blast.

I'm still coming down off of the post-MACNA high. I wish we could do this sort of thing every month, and I'm very sorry to see my long-distance SWF friends go. To both Krista and Seth....I completely enjoyed your company, and I hope maybe we can meet up again for MACNA 2014. Denver, Baby!!
 

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
lol, I have never been to a place that has unsweet tea, but not sweet tea... totally wrong and weird concept to me. Must be a Florida thing.

I had a wonderful time too, meeting and hanging out with everyone. My wife and I are still talking about MACNA 2014. I think we might actually save up for MACNA 2015 as a graduation present to myself... and hopefully a gainful employment present as well. We will just have to find out.

The KBBQ was interesting. Everything was good, except a couple side dishes. I really enjoyed the chicken, and the beef was nice and... sweet. lol. I enjoyed the whole experience with ya'll, and I, like you, am still riding the MACNA and VACATION high. I'm glad my wife and I could have a get away together, and I'm glad I was able to go this year. I wish I had more pictures, but some of the ones that I took just aren't post worthy.

Anyways, I guess that about does it for me... back to the good ole' grindstone.
 
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saxman

Guest
Seth,

"Sweet tea" is definitely a southern thing, and most other areas just let you put your own sugar in to your liking. Granted, it's not quite the same, but neither is the tan water that usually passes for tea. My mom is from MS, and I grew up on really strong (like 18 tea bags to make a pitcher), very sweet iced tea. In fact, if you go to someone's home in the south, you get "sweet tea", and they look at you funny if you DON'T want sweet tea. Southern coffee also tend to be very strong.

I'm sorry we missed all of you, but once Renee gets her "bionic back" we'll be back in circulation (she's now waiting on the "red tape" and the "after holiday crunch" to go thru).
 

gemmy

Active Member
Wow! What a great weekend!! It was great meeting everyone!! Dinner was awesome and I tried everything including the fish cakes. I wasn't a fan of them, but at least I tried it. I can't explain my aversion to seafood. The restaurant was great. I had no idea of what to expect when I heard Korean BBQ. The food was awesome. Also, I never knew that there are places that will serve just sweet tea. Every place up here serves just unsweetened tea with sugar on the side. I do love sweet tea, if I can get the real thing.

I already bought my tickets for Denver. I am definitely going and I also plan on going to Reef-a-poolaza in April. I have family down there in Orlando and will use that as my excuse to go. :)
 
What do you mean they "didn't have sweet tea?" I thought Florida was the South? How can you drink tea without sugar? I will drink hot tea with honey. But iced tea.. come on! You gotta have sugar in that. I'm talking like at least 3 cups a pitcher.
 
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saxman

Guest
Quote:
Originally Posted by fattytwobyfour http:///t/394810/macna-2013-whos-going/120#post_3530433
What do you mean they "didn't have sweet tea?" I thought Florida was the South? How can you drink tea without sugar? I will drink hot tea with honey. But iced tea.. come on! You gotta have sugar in that. I'm talking like at least 3 cups a pitcher.

FWIW, most folks in the "South" don't consider FL as such.
 

2quills

Well-Known Member
My wife is a quintessential southern woman. I have not been without sweet tea for seven years now lol. There's always a jug of it in the fridge. The restaurants down here ask if you want their sweet tea or regular. Up north they automatically bring you regular and let you sweeten it yourself.
 

novahobbies

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by saxman http:///t/394810/macna-2013-whos-going/120#post_3530470

FWIW, most folks in the "South" don't consider FL as such.

......This. Exactly. Welcome to Florida, the Southernost Northern state in the Union.


NOW, that being said......there are PLENTY of places in Florida that are very southern. If you look at a map of Florida, pretty much the entire east coast along the Atlantic is "Northern." If you were to drive a spike down the center of the state, though, you'd see a lot of deep south traditions and customs (until you get to about Orlando). Gainesville is pretty Southern, as it Ocala. ANd don't even get me started on Palatka. Tallahassee likes to pretend that it has Northern roots, but trust me, it doesn't. Not when Monticello is just 30 minutes away.

Once you get down to South Florida, things really start to blend. The "northen aires" that some sections of Florida like to display start fading away down near Miami, mainly due to the huge Latin America influence we get. That's one of the things I love about my little corner of FL. I can walk outside and hear English, Spanish, Creole, Chinese, Korean, and probably a half-dozen other languages being spoken within a 10-mile radius. And most important for a foodie like m......I can sample food from many corners of the world.
 

reefraff

Active Member
I have been on a tea kick all summer long. Could be a phase, might be that I've grown the beard out to near Duck Dynasty length and I'm channeling Si.
 

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Ugh, not DD...

I live in the city that the Robinson's and the show is taped in. In fact, since I am a taxidermist, I have mounted a lot of their ducks and other stuff. Some of our mounts have appeared in some of their shows and on some of their commercials. Just a little FYI.
 

reefraff

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33 http:///t/394810/macna-2013-whos-going/120#post_3530659
Ugh, not DD...

I live in the city that the Robinson's and the show is taped in. In fact, since I am a taxidermist, I have mounted a lot of their ducks and other stuff. Some of our mounts have appeared in some of their shows and on some of their commercials. Just a little FYI.

I've only watched the show a couple times. Little too overhyped for my taste. But the dude who totes a jug of tea with him everywhere he goes cracks me up.
 
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