Gatortailale

as for product quality - I got a few coffee cups, T-shirts and beer mug. I ran the cup in dishwasher daily and no fade to image. T-shirt held well after washes. Don't use beer mug much. I believe this image is on tank at national aquarium in DC. I will leave it to current officers to decide if they want a logo contest. I like keeping things somewhat consistent with current one - but would be open if someone had way to make it pop more; but still keep some of the basics of current design. Anemone could be fixed in current. I think it would also be cool to have some other scene or image on back of T-shirt... otherwise chip will have us putting his top 10 list of beneficial uses for owning a wamas thong on the Tee.

Some of the big things to hosting are ... - location, location, location. If only there was a bigger hotel near the dulles expo. Crystal city hyatt was good, but freight elevator to get vendors into exhibit hall underground was pain last time we hosted. As for Dulles expo - would be good for vendors, but speaker setup would be challenge & last I looked, the hotel near dulles expo only has a few hundred rooms. You go into DC or MD and you get into unions working exhibit hall that drive your cost up. Not saying we couldn't go back to crystal hyatt - but we would have to change some things to make it work better. -2nd selling exhibit boot space is a lot of work. and you need a good way to track space - what is sold/available in real time; come up with fair prices and be able to negotiate deals to get hall filled. - 3rd is getting good room rates; exhibit hall rates; and food minimum prices that don't kill your budget. And learn not to serve ice cream at friday social event when you have cash bar minimum as eating ice cream and drinking lots of beer do not mix - we lost out on cash bar minimum that night. Thanks to WSI and him buying 2 fancy bottles of wine at saturday dinner we barely covered cost of having 2 cash bars. Other lesson is to encourage attendees to buy from cash bar at events - or work out pricing so that we get credit at other hotel bars - when we hosted peeps were buing form hotel bar when we had cash bar and we didn't get credit for sale to help us meet minimum. - 4th finding a date that does not conflict with all the pet industry trade shows. - 5th was tracking registration & payments ... but with peeps like Brian and Tom and their computer skills, that now would be a lot easier to manage. Last time we lacked a good computer person and we had to manually copy over registration info. from paypal and webdata to ACT database. :( - 6th would need to come up with better plan on pricing daily events for members - we had internal discussions last time b/w those who wanted to charge members the prices we did to attend and those like me who wanted a lower price for members to attend daily events. End result - I think we charged a little to high for members and the numbers showed that as we had somewhat poor attendance numbers from our own members. In the end I think this would come down to goal and numbers game - if you can sell enough tickets to national attendees to cover costs - then you could offer low cost to members. Or what is the goal of the event - to make a lot of cash for the club or would it be to make enough to cover costs with a little left over for club... and lower prices for all. Booking speakers is the easy task of hosting. The club made over $15k when we hosted.

How do you think we keep chip happy and get him excited to organize fragfest each year? But on serious note - I can look at cafepress and see what new products they have to put logo on/ new T-shirts.

There will be a MEMBERS ONLY summer meeting SUNDAY, August 26, 2012 @ 1:30 Location will be: Charles Wesley United Methodist Church's all purpose room 6817 Dean, Dr McLean, VA 22101 Current plans for FFE include; * Demo on how to frag several types of corals * demo on glass tank hole drilling * auction of your aquarium related equipment * sale of your aquarium related equipment -- More events to be added. WAMAS will also have door prizes and the usual awesome raffle ticket items: -corals from Reef eScape -corals from Fins & Feathers -corals from Aquatic Obsession -corals from Petland -frag supplies and drygoods by Premium Aquatics -RODI Supplies from Air Water Ice. -corals from vendors -gift certificates from vendors -a new Galaxy dual 250W ballast from WVReef Volunteers are requested, please contact flowerseller to offer your help.

Mr. Saltwater Tank Interviews Brett Raymer, Star of Animal Planet

Hey guys, just a reminder that we'll need a head count so we know what to expect for pizza! Also, rumor has it there may be drawings for door prizes from some of our newest stock (Maxima Clams or Aussie Acans perhaps?). The exact number of prizes will depend on the number of WAMAS members in attendance, so make sure to bring all your buddies along! Looking for a ride to the social. Look here

Bump Members can look here at this thread in the members forum to coordinate a ride.

Thanks to Chad and the newsletter team - WAMAS is proud to announce the release of the summer issue of WAMAS Waves!! This quarter we have a great mix of articles that will help show you some hands on techniques you can use to improve your photography skills; educate yourself a little about regal angels, Borneman anemones, and sun corals; and meet some fellow WAMASers, and more. You can find WAMAS Waves - Summer Edition by following the Newsletter link at the top of the page or by clicking here[/url]. As always, you can post comments here on any of the articles and learn more by contacting the authors directly. And finally, thanks to all the contributors who volunteered their time and effort to research and write fun and informative article

http://www.annandalesuperpets.com/

Bump

Thanks to all who made the meeting special! - Ken for taking the time out of his summer to come down to give us a great talk. Here are a few articles by Ken: Further Studies on Protein Skimmer Performance Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and the Reef Aquarium: an Initial Survey, Part I Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and the Reef Aquarium: an Initial Survey, Part II The Development of a Method for the Quantitative Evaluation of Protein Skimmer Performance Further Studies on Protein Skimmer Performance Elemental Analysis of Skimmate: What Does a Protein Skimmer Actually Remove from Aquarium Water? Bacterial Counts in Reef Aquarium Water: Baseline Values and Modulation by Carbon Dosing, Protein Skimming, and Granular Activated Carbon Filtration - Dave Sun, Andy Leiu for opening their homes to our speaker on Saturday. - Thanks to the Club Sponsors for their donations of corals and raffle prizes! - Thanks to the Chip (& Sonya) for their time organizing the event. - Kevin Garrison = Chef and coral sorter for standing in the heat cooking dogs. - Kyle from Pacific East showing how they frag with the little band saw - Thanks to the members who helped run the event, sort frags, set & clean the hall - Doug, Chip, Steve, Carla, Kevin, Christina, Scott, and Rob, and all those I'm forgetting - Thanks to Officers for running the event. Thanks to all the members who came out and got FREE frags - over 300 coral frags given away. And a big thanks to Doug for all he does in running the meetings - AV setup; food purchase; gathering corals from vendors; raffle prize organization; risking his fingers to cut us frags, and the coutless other tasks he did to make the event smooth. Well done Mr. President!!

I use a python that hooks to faucet to create vacuum.

bump

Welcome to the hobby & the club. The tank looks great. Just remember to take it slow. Nothing good happens fast in this hobby.

I'm in for showing off my tank in Reston. Now, can you can send some staff to prep the house and fish room before my tour?

By Ret Talbot Excerpt from the March/April 2011 Issue of CORAL

Good question - see here for some answers by Copps small section from article

Love it!

Speaker added

There will be a summer meeting SUNDAY, July 17 @ 1:30 Location will be: Charles Wesley United Methodist Church's all purpose room 6817 Dean, Dr McLean, VA 22101 Current plans include; * Demo on how to frag several types of corals * RBTA cloning demo * auction of your aquarium related equipment * sale of your aquarium related equipment * vendors with home grown frags -- More events to be added. Guest speaker Ken Feldman - "Waste Not, Want Not: The Story of Dissolved Organic Carbon in the Reef Aquarium." Bio Ken Feldman was born and raised in Miami Beach, Florida, where a proximity to, and an affinity for, the Atlantic Ocean dominated his early years. Days spent fishing and snorkeling fostered a keen interest in all things marine, a fascination that continues today. In 2004, that interest finally culminated in a plunge into the marine aquarium hobby, and today he is the caretaker of a 175-gallon reef tank housing a host of fish and corals whose behaviors continue to educate him on a daily basis. He is joined in his aquarium avocation by his daughter Leah, who has been instrumental in aquascaping the tank, as well as in choosing both fish and corals. Ken has a day job as well - Professor of Chemistry at the Pennsylvania State University. He spends his aquarium down-time focusing on teaching and research in the area of Organic Chemistry. He has published numerous articles on the organic chemistry of molecules found in the reef environment, particularly from sponges. Currently, his research interests include (a) devising the means to synthesize sponge- and coral-derived metabolites that elicit promising chemotherapeutic responses against some cancers and against some immune system malfunctions, and (b) to elucidate the molecular mechanism by which these biological properties are manifest. Waste Not, Want Not: The Story of Dissolved Organic Carbon in the Reef Aquarium Organic Carbon (Total Organic Carbon, TOC and Dissolved Organic Carbon, DOC) has been called "the soil of the sea" for its foundational role in the marine food web. It likely serves a similar function in reef aquaria, but in excess can become problematic; speculation that high TOC levels can overdrive bacterial growth and lead to coral mortality has been offered (Rohwer, 2006). Consequently, a means for DOC export has become paramount for successful aquarium husbandry. Both protein skimming and Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) play a major role in this necessary maintenance function. A discussion of acceptable levels of DOC in marine aquaria will follow. The development of quantitative assays for measuring both protein skimmer performance and GAC performance in removing TOC, as illustrated in the graph below, will be described. Skimmate chemical composition analysis will offer some surprise answers to the question, "What is a skimmer actually removing from aquarium water?" Finally, data bearing on the relationship between marine water TOC levels and water column bacteria populations for a variety of aquarium and authentic reef water habitats will be presented. WAMAS will also have door prizes and the usual awesome raffle ticket items Volunteers are requested, please contact flowerseller to offer your help.

That tank at the invert house @ National zoo sure looks awesome. Love what you have done over last few years on it.

Sold here at Aquarium Plants Reef Central brief dicussion on it Looking for a more consistent bubble rate. The one I have works well, but I don't like the needle valve method of accuracy.

WAMAS SPRING MEETING - Kilmer Middle School, Vienna, VA - April 10, 2011 (Sunday) The Spring Meeting of The Washington Area Marine Aquarist Society (WAMAS) will be on Sunday, April 10, 2011 from 1:00-5:00 p.m. at Kilmer Middle School, 8100 Wolftrap Road, Vienna, VA 22182. Special Guest and Highlights: - Speaker: Ret Talbot- Topic - see below - Artist: Karen Talbot - displaying some of her art prints. One will be in the Raffle! Along with lots of frag swapping and a great raffle, this is sure to be a meeting NOT to miss! For further information on the WAMAS Spring Meeting, visit our web site http://www.wamas.org/ Who: WAMAS (Washington D.C. Area Marine Aquarist Society) When: April 10, 2011 (Sunday) Time: 1:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M. (EDT) Where: Kilmer Middle School Auditorium 8100 Wolftrap Road Vienna, Virginia 22182 Cost: Members - FREE Non-members - $5.00 [WAMAS Annual Membership = $20 - Individual; $35 - Family; $10 - Educators; Free - Students] Agenda Will be posted soon - looking to start by 1:00 to get you home earlier than a Saturday meting. Miscellaneous - food & drinks provided - Raffle prizes - Win art print by Karen Talbot - Win a copy of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Saltwater Aquariums - Avast Marine K-1 Kalk Stirrer kit - Fantastic Frags Gift Certificate - Mr. Coral Gift Certificates - Aquaholics Gift Certificates - pumps, refractometer, and test kits from Premium Aquatics - A yellow porites colony and a 3" purple montipora verrucosa (?) colony from SaltwaterWorx. * more to be posted soon Bio: Ret Talbot Ret Talbot is an award-winning freelance writer and photographer who frequently reports on the marine aquarium industry. Most often addressing topics at the intersection of the hobby, science andRet Talbot is an award-winning freelance writer and photographer who frequently reports on the marine aquarium industry. Most often addressing topics at the intersection of the hobby, science and conservation, Talbot is a strong advocate for a robust and sustainable marine aquarium trade where aquarists serve a critical role on the front line of reef conservation. As a marketing consultant and editor, he has worked with many leading marine aquarium companies to promote that vision. When he isn't writing about saltwater aquaria (or tending to one of his five tanks), Ret is often fly fishing in either salt- or freshwater and writing about conservation issues related to angling and healthy fisheries. Trained as a writer, Ret holds degrees in writing from both Wheaton College (Massachusetts) and the University of St. Andrews (Scotland). He has travelled the world as a mountaineering and fishing guide, as well as a writer seeking out stories in some of the most remote and inaccessible regions on the face of the Earth. His aquarium-related books include The Complete Idiot's Guide to Saltwater Aquariums (September 2009) and Coral (spring 2011). His aquarium articles can be found in print publications such as CORAL Magazine and Tropical Fish Hobbyist or online at Suite101.com, where he is the saltwater aquarium feature writer. Ret and his wife Karen, an artist known for her fish paintings, split their time between Laguna Beach, California and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Proposed Topic: There is a lot of talk about sustainability in the saltwater aquarium hobby these days. For much of the past year, writer and photographer Ret Talbot has travelled for CORAL Magazine to many places where marine aquarium fishes are claimed to be collected sustainably. So how sustainable is the trade? What is the future of wild collection and source country mariculture? How does a marine aquarium fishery affect local fishers in remote villages in developing island nations? How can aquarists use their purchasing power to impact socio-economic development and reef conservation? From Papua New Guinea to Hawaii, the Solomon Islands to Belize, Talbot has interviewed fishers, industry leaders, government officials, and anti-trade advocates in an effort to get beyond the rumors, rants and anecdotes. This talk shares some of those experiences and gives the average hobbyist a rare glimpse into the inner-workings of the collection side of the trade. Of particular note, this talk will share the latest on post-larval collection for tank-raised fishes, and it will be one of the first talks to cover the Solomon Islands, where Ret spent the month of March researching the trade. Directions: - Here's a map from Mapquest Map Link Special thanks to theses sponsors. Please support them & say thanks next time you shop with them. You can find their website address by visiting their forum or the sponsor page on the WAMAS website - Air, Water & Ice - Aquaholics - Avast Marine - Blue Ribbon Koi - Dr. Mac's Pacific East Aquaculture - Fantastic Frags - Fiji Coral Direct - Fins & Feathers - LiveWire Aquatics - The Marine Scene - Mr. Coral - Petland - Premium Aquatics - Reef eScape - SaltwaterWorx - www.FishNReef.com * Save your receipts from our sponsors and get raffle prize tickets.

Red Octopus Macropus