ARC MEMBERS

[anthony]

I was thinking about the upcoming expo and
Thinking about all the big companies like Jason Fox,WWC, Unique Corals and all the rest. I love to see the variety and beauty of these guys corals however I started thinking about some of the guys on here and realized their corals are just as good if not better than some of these bigger companies. Guys like Vtrom 30 bhodges82 , Lee, Bobby ,Joey ,Ricky, TQ and several others all have awesome corals. (Sorry if I've missed any) And those are only the guys I've had the pleasure to meet. I'm sure there are plenty others that I haven't met yet.
What I was thinking is that these guys devote themselves to the hobby to not only have the nicest corals possible but to grow them out so they can share them with us. I appreciate it even if I can't seem to keep them thriving or in some cases alive ,like they do.
What I would like to see is the ARC donating or giving financial help to the best if these guys in some way. Maybe once every 6 months we can vote on who has the best corals or has made the most progress. There should be some guidelines and rules of course. I think the winner of the bonuses/grant or whatever you would like to call it should be open to sharing some of his or her corals for a decent price. Maybe something like that to give back to the community for the help they received.
All in all it's a way we can help those who are serious and really love the hobby grow to newer heights and in return it will make the whole club better.
Thank to all the guys I've mentioned and all those out there doing the same. You guys are what it's all about.
Anthony

 

[hzheng33]

I visited wwc 2 weeks ago and honestly I was not impressed. I have seen better coloration or more variety from some local reefers than what they have in the store. Granted I was not visiting their farm and the store front is bigger than your average reefer’s tank.

Just my 2 cents

 

[anthony]

I visited wwc 2 weeks ago and honestly I was not impressed. I have seen better coloration or more variety from some local reefers than what they have in the store. Granted I was not visiting their farm and the store front is bigger than your average reefer’s tank.

Just my 2 cents

I agree. Their systems might be bigger but I'm sure they all got started somewhere with much smaller systems. I would love to see one or two of our guys make it big like them. And they could with a little support.

 

[Adam]

There is a big difference between selling a few corals on a home system scale vs a large commercial setup. Even the larger systems some members have at home pale in comparison to a commercial production facility. The hobbyist is looking to make a little to help offset the costs involved with the hobby. LFS & Online stores are purely for profit. When you talk about WWC's store, what you see there is nothing. They have a warehouse a block or two away where their grow out tanks are. That facility, I believe, has more SF than the store does.
We as a club also look to protect our sponsors. If individuals look like they're becoming commercial we will start limiting their ability to sell here. They would need to get a business license and become a sponsor of the site to be able to continue.

As far as helping our members out that sell decent numbers of good looking corals. We allow the to setup tables at club meets at little to no cost and we also do the same for them at the Expo.
Many of them would like to see more of the other members he become Supporting Members here. They also list items for sale only to Supporting Members, sometimes at drastically reduced prices. They know that the more money we have coming in means that we can put bigger and better events together.

 

[lshin037]

There is a big difference between selling a few corals on a home system scale vs a large commercial setup. Even the larger systems some members have at home pale in comparison to a commercial production facility. The hobbyist is looking to make a little to help offset the costs involved with the hobby. LFS & Online stores are purely for profit. When you talk about WWC's store, what you see there is nothing. They have a warehouse a block or two away where their grow out tanks are. That facility, I believe, has more SF than the store does.
We as a club also look to protect our sponsors. If individuals look like they're becoming commercial we will start limiting their ability to sell here. They would need to get a business license and become a sponsor of the site to be able to continue.

As far as helping our members out that sell decent numbers of good looking corals. We allow the to setup tables at club meets at little to no cost and we also do the same for them at the Expo.
Many of them would like to see more of the other members he become Supporting Members here. They also list items for sale only to Supporting Members, sometimes at drastically reduced prices. They know that the more money we have coming in means that we can put bigger and better events together.

Good point. I never thought about it but then again Im just a member. Im sure the staff have to worry about the bigger picture and the politics involved. I try to support the local lfs with drygoods and fish purchase but I do prefer to get corals from local hobbyists since I can see the origins (mother colony) and the pristine environment they've been growing in. I've only been to a few hobbyists' place and their tanks are in immaculate condition and have implemented ingenious ways to make it so. IMO theres no need for using coral dip. I've purchased some from an lfs but they actually grow it and frag it so obviously there arent any pests around.

 

[Adam]

I agree. Their systems might be bigger but I'm sure they all got started somewhere with much smaller systems. I would love to see one or two of our guys make it big like them. And they could with a little support.

There are plenty of members that have made it big. Rit at Atlanta Aquarium, Glenn with Spikes Corals, both started as hobbyists to name a couple. Raj at MRC was a hobbyist. I would tend to think that most every LFS owner started as a hobbyist.

Having a good local club that is healthy and financially stable goes a long way to helping those who wish to switch careers get off there feet. You can help them buy helping the club

 

[anthony]

There is a big difference between selling a few corals on a home system scale vs a large commercial setup. Even the larger systems some members have at home pale in comparison to a commercial production facility. The hobbyist is looking to make a little to help offset the costs involved with the hobby. LFS & Online stores are purely for profit. When you talk about WWC's store, what you see there is nothing. They have a warehouse a block or two away where their grow out tanks are. That facility, I believe, has more SF than the store does.
We as a club also look to protect our sponsors. If individuals look like they're becoming commercial we will start limiting their ability to sell here. They would need to get a business license and become a sponsor of the site to be able to continue.

As far as helping our members out that sell decent numbers of good looking corals. We allow the to setup tables at club meets at little to no cost and we also do the same for them at the Expo.
Many of them would like to see more of the other members he become Supporting Members here. They also list items for sale only to Supporting Members, sometimes at drastically reduced prices. They know that the more money we have coming in means that we can put bigger and better events together.

That's a good reply. I like the part about the hobbyist who have gone big. (Below) of course I hope you understand that I in no way ment that this should be done to take money away from sponsors or anything like that. And to go with your comments about people not selling in large amounts here (if their not sponsores),I think that's a good thing to. They would have to rely on outside marketing for their main source if they got that big. However at that point they would become a sponsor. So it seems you have taken what I've said and gone the wrong way with it. I don't want anything to happen that would take away or hurt the club. I'm would like to see us help those more who would like to go bigger and fulfill a dream they have ,especially if it helps the whole club in the long run. Which if done correctly, it would.

 

[FutureInterest]

I think your heart is in the right place but honestly the ones that are selling corals/frags don't need our financial help.

They are doing quite well for themselves.