Tri state area frag trade club starting up

I have been doing this for a long time and I too have started many frag clubs. Check out this link to the one I just started.
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=214207
At first I listed it in in Reef then it got moved to aquarium anyway I have just listed our first email via E-mail if anyone is interested in this feel free to email me and as the subject just say TRADER and I will forward the current Trade. This type of club increases knowledge and also helps to ensure that this sure beats buying. Happy trading.
barrygeller@yahoo.com
 

sharkbait9

Active Member
Originally Posted by My Way
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.

Yeah, I agree that the “what I have and what I want to trade” is a little premature right now. We need to get some rules set. Secondly, I have to say that the whole thing on shrooms slices was just a general or bridge version . It is not recommended to ship a frag for at least two weeks. Once the frag has taken foot on a piece of rubble rock the edges need to have healed, that should constitute the start of the two week heal time. I was merely saying that I if I had single shrooms I would have already cut it in to four frags to have healing over and ready for trade. A pic of the frags would be a nice back up piece of evidence in case of dispute, but not every one has a digital camera. As to the zoo deal, yes that why is said and even amount of like eight, some times (a rarity) if packed wrong or a hold up by the post office, a zoo or xenia may not make the trip with priority mail, that’s why I think with those two species I feel it would only benefit the traders and the coral that they be automatically over night trade/shipping. This is only from personal experiences but I have gotten quite a few coral priority mail and as long as your dripping them I have never had a problem other then an extended closure time over the “normal” adjusting time in the tank. I feel we do need to have some type of arrive alive. For the rare occasion that something did not arrive alive. That easily fixed, at buyer/traders choice if they want to get insurance on that product. Since most trades of cash would be thru paypal you can use that as a receipt for postal insurance claims. We can make it mandatory or buyer/traders choice. As a perspective mod, I would say and vote that if a trader/buyer chose to opt out of the insurance, then they have no claim to grip, but can try and work something out with the other trader, but can not levy a blackballing of the offending trader.
We need to start to get some rules in order for vote
Maximum amount a fragmentation can cost ----15.00 or 20.00 bucks ?
Priority shipping with disposable glad Tupperware containers with zip lock freezer bags and foam insulators with crunched up newspaper as your source of shipping and handling ?
Delicate frags I.e. xenia and zoos should be over night only shipping ?
Fragmentation trade of one whole shroom constitutes a frag ?
Stony coral of a minimum of 2 inches and a maximum of 4inchs as a frag ?
Polyps on a piece of rubble rock of a minimum of 8 and max of 10 as a frag?
Leathers slice of 1 inch (W) X 1 inch (L) on a piece of rubble rock as a frag.
These are just a few that I can remember and have come up with. All would be brought up for vote of members.
 

sharkbait9

Active Member
Originally Posted by fishfryer
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

Good idea. A house or county park. A county park is kind of a nuetral meeting ground no one has to feel awkward. You figure you can go to the local seven- eleven or wawa and get those Styrofoam containers that cost 5.99 and put your traders and trades in it and keep them cool/warm.
 

my way

Active Member
I don't see a reason to limit the prices or the Max. size of the frags. But would like to hear your reason for them. I am currently looking at some Rics that are 35-45 each, I would not want to be forced to sell them for much less than it would cost me. I believe 1 Mushroom is enough. I think you could drop the 8 polyp minimum to 4 or 5, it might get more people interested.
 

king4345

Member
Ok, let's all take a breath and step back. The track is over there and we are off it a little bit... I have the forum. Give me a few here today to get it setup and ready to go then I will put out the link. This way we can move out stuff over there before we get closed... dlp19616@dejazzd.com
I am going to try and setup some categories and stuff awhile so it will be a little just be patient I will get it done today yet. Keep brainstorming just calmly...
 

sharkbait9

Active Member
Originally Posted by My Way
I don't see a reason to limit the prices or the Max. size of the frags. But would like to hear your reason for them. I am currently looking at some Rics that are 35-45 each, I would not want to be forced to sell them for much less than it would cost me. I believe 1 Mushroom is enough. I think you could drop the 8 polyp minimum to 4 or 5, it might get more people interested.
The reason why I said a max on frag cost is really just that a max for a frag. If you want to sell at top dollar and make money then why be in a club, just out right sell them like on kents reef club. IMO that’s not a club its a group of people making money off each other. I'm not try to throw you under the bus at all. I just can not and could never see eye to eye with some one who has a colony and of X coral and wants 25-30 bucks for an inch of a frag of X coral. This is just me, but when my corals are ready to be fragged out I traded or sold for a few dollars, not 40/50 bucks for an inch or two. What kind of member in any club would be looked at in a high standard trying to get that kind of money from other members. You can go to a frag swap and make money. Do you or any one see it worth it to pay 30/40 bucks for a hammer or frog when I can pay a couple of dollars more and get a parent colony, where’s the logic. I'm not trying to get nasty or be rude, but I have yet to see any one with a parent colony that I can not find on the internet at a price that makes me think a frag would be cheaper then the colony. I have only meet on person who lives in Hawaii that used to get coral that I could not find, and he used to sell them for pennies on the dollar. he sold the frags for money to fill his scuba tanks up. The killer was shipping for even priority over night to NJ. I’m sure king can add a category for out right selling of coral. I just felt that this hobby is to expensive and if we as a group can trade and maybe make a few pennies on a frag to help out new hobbyist then why not. All the old forums of coral frag trader have fell off the wayside because people started selling frags at crazy prices using the excuse of “well I hade to frag it feed it and give light, so I need to recoup some money back for the care” My answer :did you…. really? Were you not going to feed your tank because of THAT frag? Were you going to just throw it in a cup so it got no food that was floating around? A**. Be proud of the fact that your corals are doing well, idiot. This is a hobby, your hobby if you have to frag or a frag dropped then obviously your doing something right and your corals are growing. No one said you have to have that coral and pay the price you paid. You chose it you paid for it for your own self satisfaction, and then you try and recoup moneys on a coral frag that you bought. That is mentality of hobbyist today. Make a butt load of money on something that’s doing YOU the favor and budded a new coral frag for you that you don’t want, but think you’ll make 50 bucks on. If that’s the case open a web site and sell them at full price and make some cash. Slow and steady quality wins the race not greed and lust. JMO not nuking or being nasty just pointing out the painful truth of this industry we have all fell victim too.
We could drop the polyps down to four or five, i just like the even numbers odd numbers are taboo. :thinking:
 

sharkbait9

Active Member
Originally Posted by My Way
I don't see a reason to limit the prices or the Max. size of the frags. But would like to hear your reason for them. I am currently looking at some Rics that are 35-45 each, I would not want to be forced to sell them for much less than it would cost me. I believe 1 Mushroom is enough. I think you could drop the 8 polyp minimum to 4 or 5, it might get more people interested.
So wait if you buy a ric and want to sell it ? I don't follow. Why not nurture it and frag it and make more for your tank and some to trade out.
 

my way

Active Member
Originally Posted by sharkbait9
So wait if you buy a ric and want to sell it ? I don't follow. Why not nurture it and frag it and make more for your tank and some to trade out.

No I was'nt trying to buy one with just the hope to sell it and I see your point. My point was if I pay $45 plus shipping for it your talking $90 for 1 mushroom. Now if it grows and spits out babies easily I would not have a problem with a $20 limit. But if it takes forever to reproduce why give it away for 1/4 of what it took to get? I'm not looking to make money I'd rather trade anyway. But then again, no one is holding a gun to my head to sell it. But we are getting way ahead of ourselves, plus this is someone elses idea, so I will let him decide how it's going to be run, i don't want to step on any toes.
 

sharkbait9

Active Member
Originally Posted by My Way
No I was'nt trying to buy one with just the hope to sell it and I see your point. My point was if I pay $45 plus shipping for it your talking $90 for 1 mushroom. Now if it grows and spits out babies easily I would not have a problem with a $20 limit. But if it takes forever to reproduce why give it away for 1/4 of what it took to get? I'm not looking to make money I'd rather trade anyway. But then again, no one is holding a gun to my head to sell it. But we are getting way ahead of ourselves, plus this is someone elses idea, so I will let him decide how it's going to be run, i don't want to step on any toes.

That’s why every parent colony or single coral I buy (not many nowadays) if I can frag it or split it I do. shrooms get cut into fours, gorgerins get cut, my toadstool is due for a cut again my green hairys will get cut soon. I let all frags grow into full or semi full sections. To frag I either point power head at them to move and leave a foot print for a new baby, or play surgeon and cut with a hobby razor or bone cutter. I let limbs re-grow or start a new colony with it. When I frag X coral it sits in an area where it can recover from the stress, yet I have frags at the ready for trading. My tank was at one time just a cluster of parents and frags that I was trading. I dwindled it down to bare minimum and never really tried to recover due to everyone wanting to trade and get paid, took the fun out of it. This is my only way now of playing god and I like it
This is some one else’s baby, king and he was getting a little discouraged so I chimed in to give him a little moral support. I would like to see a real coral trader club rise from the ashes. I'm not trying to step on toes, just giving my opinion on the way frager clubs used to be. I don't need to be in a club, would like to be, but I’m not going to join in on something that’s not fun or expensive, when I can go three minutes down the road and buy a parent colony for 25 bucks more then what some one wants for a frag of it. So you can look for a single ric slice him in four and frag out three parts for other corals. I don’t know if you ever fraged a coral but for the most part its easy with a few exceptions but for the first part, most people become jack the ripper or serial cutter once the first few are done.
 

fishfryer

Member
***) hey guys you are so entertaing to read.... let us remember this is suppose to be fun. first a frag club is getting frags for cheap prices to help people out who are knew and ca not aford to keep buying parent corals and probably do not have the knowledge to keep and have to be taught. :jumping: i agree $15 should be thehigh price, if it cost you too much and time for your parent then maybe you should keep the second frag for yourself then you would have two and not feel so robbed getting the parent....and you might smile seeing two in your tank. :cheer:
 

king4345

Member
Ok guys the forum is up and running. Bare bones of course. It will be a work in progress. E-mail me so I can have your e-mail address for approving your membership. Also this way I can give you the link and prevent us from getting shut down by the mods... With this been a free forum I want to try and keep out the spam riff raff. Also Sharkbait9 if you could e-mail me for some off the record chat...
dlp19616@dejazzd.com
 

adam2817

Member
COunt me in. I will post my Spec's tomorrow. I'm off for work now, but don't want to miss the boat. :cheer:
 

my way

Active Member
King, the site looks good, but may I make a suggestion? The background of the Angelfish is very distracting, not enough contrast between the type and the background. I found it very hard to read some of the information, I almost could'nt find where to register. Other than that it looks great. I hope things do well for you.
 

king4345

Member
Got it your in. Come on guys I would like to see some activity. I ill join in as soon as I can. Setup is consuming me right now. Crazyreefnut has made the move. :cheer:
 

vtfishies

Member
thanks king..also on some of the boards..for specifics maybe put a few examples of each for those of us whom dont know what catagory a certain coral goes in..sps=x and lps=x
 
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