Tri state area frag trade club starting up

king4345

Member
This club is in the most infant of stages at this currnet time. Our main goal at this stage of the game is to gauge the interest of the people in the NY,PA,NJ area. The club would consist of all types of corals and possibly even inverts and livestock down the road... The sky is limit as long as we have honest interested members. I personally have a vision of annual frag swaps and conventions cornering the local aquarium reps and lfs and of course our local loyal members. This of course is just a dream. However, if the Wright brother never had a dream where would we be today? So let's join together prove this can be done. I want to hear from everyone in the tri-state area. NO, I want to hear from everyone. Suggestions, comments, rules, and opinions. This will be a democaratic society. If the majority doesn't rule it doesn't fly. Also while I have your attention. I want to stress the importance of HONESTY. If you say you have and will trade it then do it. If you show the picture of an item then that is the item WYSWYG if you pull a fast switch you will be banned from the list and future private gatherings. Disclose possible problems with the item or items. I could go on forever so... This will be a place of trust and knowledge nothing less. Now go and recruit some fraggers!!!! :cheer: :happyfish :jumping:
 

king4345

Member
Thank you. Yes, I wanted to address that situation also. I was hoping that the new club would provide enough members with enough livestock that the occasional newb could find themselves with a small addition to their new enviroment. Something we could iron out in the long run of course.
 

my way

Active Member
I'm in. And I just posted in your other thread that I am willing to help you out with this, so go check out my post there.
 

crox

Active Member
I am in it as well..Not much experience but a lot of effort to give. :cheer: :cheer:
 

newbie77

Member
I am very interested in this group. I don't know how to frag yet. Maybe with some help I could learn. I have zoo's, mushrooms, xenia, and green star polyps.
 

jakebtc

Member
I'm not from the tri-state area, but like I said I want to trade.
Are we going to make t mandatory to do OVERNIGHT, or is it as you wish because I know it costs more but then we are almost guarenteed our stuffs coming alive
maybe we can all sacrifice our WANTED price or trade a couple $ so that we can all surely do the overnight service.
example..
I get a toadstool leather frag from this trade circle w/o a trade for 15$ but the shipping could be up to around 40$
could we do the 15$ a couple bucks less in order for it to be worth my while to grab one form one of you guys rather then get one from a local fish store that's ocean cought for like 35$ a frag TOTAL
See what I'm sayin.. then I could also see what I'm about to buy..
I want this to work, although I'm out of the general area of many prospective traders
but we all know for the same price, "if we can buy something locally that we can buy online for ten dollars more" we'll probably buy locally to save hassle and the possibility of being dissapointed.
let me know if I'm crazy :notsure:
 

sharkbait9

Active Member
Well, first off. To me at least, a lot of people have forgotten what frag trading is all about. Back in the day (not that long ago actually) frags were just that, a fragment, not a whole mushroom but a pizza slice, that was a frag. Now people are like I’ll trade you a frag and get bent when they only get one or four shrooms, that my friends is a small colony. We as a group can decide and vote what makes a frag if need be. I can understand people not wanting a fragment of a species, wait for growth is such a pain in the rump, so maybe a single shroom would constitute a fragment. Shipping, that depends on the species. Zoos and xenia don’t do very well in shipping other then over night, so I have seen in past experiences. No frag/ species should be in shipping more then 4 days maybe 5, so priority mail is perfect. I did a lot of frag trading with the disposable glad Tupperware containers a zip lock freezer bag some crunched up newspaper and a heat pack or throw away ice pack from rite aid. With shipping, any one who uses the usps knows that forty dollars in shipping charges is making the shipper some coins on the inside. That why when I frag trade lets say “ I trade with X member you pay for shipping on your end and I’ll pay for shipping on my end” its that easy we are trading no money should be exchanged. Now new X member wants a frag of something but has nothing to trade, ok not a problem. I normally will charge fifty to seventy five cents a polyp or 5 dollars a shroom for rare colorful shrooms and two dollars and fifty cents for brown-red-blue and fifty to seventy five cents a slice for shrooms. I will ask “what’s your zip code“, I pack up everything and place it on a food scale (1.99 at cvs) add maybe a pound for frag and rubble rock and email them back with weight and the cost I got from the usps web site let them see the cost also. Then when I mail it out the price tag goes on the box, so that way no one ever thinks I’m trying to make some coinage on shipping cost. Shipping should not be costing any one close to forty bucks, that’s just a scumbag move on the sellers part. Frag trading Is a cheap and fun way to add to your collection and allows “you” the opportunity to acquire species that maybe your lfs don’t carry. These kind of clubs are not meant to be a money maker but a fun way to meet your fellow collector and bragging rights, “yeah, X member has some awesome XXXX, you got trade with him” Kind of like show cars except a lot cheaper. Also with surprise frag trading, I have read some concerns with people not wanting some types of coral and that understandable, trust me I know. I have a piece of stag horn that I really did not want. Anyway, We can kind of limit that as to “ hey any one want to surprise trade with me? the surprise is in the XXX family or XXX family” That way you can know it’s in the species rang you are looking for, but not know what it is exactly. For the new members that have nothing to trade, I think no frag should cost more then fifteen bucks, really not even six to eight polyps of PPE should cost more then fifteen bucks plus shipping. I trade a piece of rubble rock of fire and ice and my sprite (lemon lime) polyps for fifteen buck) I would like to see this be a fun experience and maybe down the road this can become a meet and greet. Keep the ideas coming and lets get this baby off the ground. King if you would post you email again for possible members to get on the list, that would be great. I have to see if I can find a free web board or something. I’m sure the mods will be or already up in arms about this.
 

sharkbait9

Active Member
Originally Posted by jakebtc
I'm not from the tri-state area, but like I said I want to trade.
Are we going to make t mandatory to do OVERNIGHT, or is it as you wish because I know it costs more but then we are almost guarenteed our stuffs coming alive
maybe we can all sacrifice our WANTED price or trade a couple $ so that we can all surely do the overnight service.
example..
I get a toadstool leather frag from this trade circle w/o a trade for 15$ but the shipping could be up to around 40$
could we do the 15$ a couple bucks less in order for it to be worth my while to grab one form one of you guys rather then get one from a local fish store that's ocean cought for like 35$ a frag TOTAL
See what I'm sayin.. then I could also see what I'm about to buy..
I want this to work, although I'm out of the general area of many prospective traders
but we all know for the same price, "if we can buy something locally that we can buy online for ten dollars more" we'll probably buy locally to save hassle and the possibility of being dissapointed.
let me know if I'm crazy :notsure:
No, No. jakebtc your right about the cost of frags and that’s why I posted such a long message. You are more then welcomed to join, distance really is not a problem. I have a friend who lives by coon rapids (god I love that name) and we trade and send each other frags priority mail and he or me has/ have never had a lose. It all in just knowing how to package your frag, and that easier then most think.
 

jakebtc

Member
shark I'm not up for the jipp you and run method
that's actually what I'm tryin to prevent and protect from.
Especially since I'm way far away from you guys.
Honesty is best for this and that is what is required for this to take place and last IMO
btw I have a few nice PURPLE mushroom frags in IA "small colonies" if need say about 3-5 shrooms up to half dollar size shrooms on either a small rock or rubble
I also have a single decent size metalic green stripe shroom "single" or an almost fleshy colored
"pink shroom" single
This is all I CAN trade at this time
I'm planning on getting a fair amount of zoos soons
and would, if possible, like to trade for a leather of some sort
fiji, toadstool, finger, cabbage
 

sharkbait9

Active Member
Originally Posted by newbie77
I am very interested in this group. I don't know how to frag yet. Maybe with some help I could learn. I have zoo's, mushrooms, xenia, and green star polyps.

Fraging is very easy with some. Certain corals take a little finessing like bubble coral, brain coral stuff like that. I don’t think to many people will frag such coral, just wait for a drop frag to trade. Xenia, just pull up what you want off the rock and cut it away from the parent. All cutting should be done out side the display tank when possible. If we can get this off the ground I try and add a whole mess of fraging and securing directions that I use and have not failed me or corrupted my tank or coral frag. All fraging makes people scared at first. Once you slice a few diffrent coral, you'll be come like the jack the ripper on coral.
 

natep206

Member
for everyone to know if u ship usps its 20 bucks max cost to cost for a 2lb package under 38" by 38" for next day air. just to help out...im not in tri state but would trade i got zoos and white star polyps up for trade right now.
nate
 

jakebtc

Member
nate where are you located and how well do star polyps ship?
Are you interested in some purple shrooms ? lol
 

sharkbait9

Active Member
Originally Posted by jakebtc
shark I'm not up for the jipp you and run method
that's actually what I'm tryin to prevent and protect from.
Especially since I'm way far away from you guys.
Honesty is best for this and that is what is required for this to take place and last IMO
btw I have a few nice PURPLE mushroom frags in IA "small colonies" if need say about 3-5 shrooms up to half dollar size shrooms on either a small rock or rubble
I also have a single decent size metalic green stripe shroom "single" or an almost fleshy colored
"pink shroom" single
This is all I CAN trade at this time
I'm planning on getting a fair amount of zoos soons
and would, if possible, like to trade for a leather of some sort
fiji, toadstool, finger, cabbage
I'm getting ready to frag my toadstool, its about time for this one. I just want to see if its going to sprout another head before I start to cut pizza slices. With your single shrooms, take a new sharp sterile razor and slice that bad boy in four, making sure each piece gets a part of the mouth and stem and place each peice on rubble rock. Let them attach and start to re-grow to a full size and then you'll have three frag to trade out and one for your tank to grow, just that easy. Then let me know when they are secured to a piece of rubble, cause I love green stripes or watermelon shrooms. I will try and take a pic of the cabbage I just fragged off my friends parent from work, and show how I secured it to a piece of rubble rock. Honest is the really the only way these kind of clubs ever work out. You always get one scrub who trys to pull a fast one and they get caught and then we nuke the hell out of them for being a scumbag and scrub and get s assed out of trading ever again. I have never really seen or dealt with any one who was a scrub, maybe like three members in one club and they were wiped clean from the slate and not allowed in/on the email list. Then some people started trying to make a penny on trades and that’s when it feel apart. So as long as no one tries to pull fast ones or gets the idea of making money, problems should not really happen.
 

jakebtc

Member
I'm not about makin' money
I'm about makin my tank look better and whoever is trading w/ me's tank look better
I know I only have shrooms now to trade but give me a lil bit and I'll hook you guys up
btw What I stated I have, I already have to trade
not just in my tank ...and potential trade
I can get pics tomorrow probably if someone is interested
I'd love some leathers
 

my way

Active Member
Ok, I see a problem with this thread already. Let's not talk about anything here but getting this Frag Swap Club up and running. If we go off track talking about "what I have" or "How do I frag" we will lose track of the original purpose. I think 1 mushroom is a frag. I would not suggest someone mail a "slice" as it needs to "heal" and I think that should be done before mailing. I think Zoo's should be 5 minimum, so if 1 or 2 don't make it you still have something to fall back on. I also suggest it be a mandatory that a pic be taken of the frag and the packing from the "seller" ( I know it's a trade but couldn't think of a better word at the moment). This would help settle disputes such as "It did'nt arive alive" or "I got ripped off" These don't need to be sent to anyone just stored on your HD in case of a dispute. Just throwing out ideas to keep this going.
 

fishfryer

Member
also lets set up at peoples house to trade that live in jersey so we dont have to ship lets say for just 1-2 hr period, this way we can meet and have fun.,, help with sugestions of improvent with tanks. picture, eye picture worth thousand words....ha ha
 

drea

Active Member
i'm in! i have just started w/ the reef tank.... adding shrooms, maybe other simple stuff for now
 
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