Jon Lazar September 19, 2005 Share September 19, 2005 I just wanted to pass along some of the tremendous feedback I received from people outside WAMAS. I had four total strangers come up to me and when they saw I was a member of WAMAS, they told me what a terrific conference it was, what great speakers there were, and how much they enjoyed the exhibition booths. Lots of comments too on how well everything was organized and how so many of the little details were taken care of. You can add my thanks too. This was my first MACNA, and I totally enjoyed myself. I met a lot of hobbyists, both new and old, got to listen to all sorts of talks from the who's who list of reefers, bought way more corals than I should have, took home a ton of free goodies, and talked to all the vendors. What a hoot! Happy reefing, Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenPro September 19, 2005 Share September 19, 2005 You guys all did a fabulous job! Steve, Craig, Michael, Dave, Doug, Glen, and countless others whose names I can't recall now have my sincere appreciation. I have attended six MACNA's total; Louisville twice, Baltimore, Dallas-Fort Worth, Boston, and now Washington. And by far, this one was my favorite! Everything went smoothly. I didn't hear a single complaint all weekend. The hotel was very nice and conveniently located such that there were numerous alternate choices for meals. The speaker lineup and topics were diverse and interesting. Thank you very much for your tireless work and effort! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eve September 19, 2005 Share September 19, 2005 It would be nice if some of the attendees would hit the highlights of some of the speakers and their talks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocko918 September 19, 2005 Share September 19, 2005 Yes, It was a great show. Tons of people and great stuff to see. It was fun to work and be able to help out as much as we did. I will post all my pics I took tonight sometime. I had the pleasure of being up close (filming Anthony and Eric) during the coral fragging with power tools. Not only was it crazy to see what they did, but they both were extremely outgoing and informative. I wish it could have lasted longer. Steve - it is always a pleasure to listen to you speak and have a chance to talk with you. You and all the other speaker really open up ours eyes to some of the great things we can do in this hobby. Thanks agian!!! Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikS September 19, 2005 Share September 19, 2005 Due to time constraints I didn't get to do much, but I did get some laughs. That tank was insane, definately worth a trip to Richmond to see it. I'm glad I didn't have to move it - my hat's off to the guys who did. The only "new" piece of equipment I saw was that Ice Cap pump. As soon as I saw I thought "magnetically coupled" - why the heck didn't anyone think of that before??? Certainly solves the placement issue. But $250 a pump? I did get a laugh @ the moderately priced equipment being in the same room w/ the high end stuff - certainly demostrated that "you get what you pay for". I would think that BubbleKing better get their stuff together of they want to penatrate the US market - can't even get the high end model to the show on time? Good thing there was another one in the US (and yes, it works every bit as good as it looks). Anyone know if that was a "large" crowd or ???? (I'm used to more mainstream events & was curious if this was a good turnout for this event). It was also good to put some names together w/ some "handles". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocko918 September 19, 2005 Share September 19, 2005 The only "new" piece of equipment I saw was that Ice Cap pump. As soon as I saw I thought "magnetically coupled" - why the heck didn't anyone think of that before??? Certainly solves the placement issue. But $250 a pump? 39170[/snapback] That thing was slick!!! Yes the price tag on it was crazy. I would just buy a bigger pump if i need more flow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flowerseller September 19, 2005 Share September 19, 2005 My Tunze Stream was that much and IMO well worth it. I'd buy another in a heart beat if I thought I could afford it. You can have the circulation and not the overflow noise. I think those Magnet PH things are HOT and if it gets a directional feature...... Smoking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikS September 19, 2005 Share September 19, 2005 Yes the price tag on it was crazy. Yeah, but in the grand scheme competitive. I was just amazed that nobody had thought of it before, it's soooooooo simple (I mean how long have we had cleaner magnets). Also factor in what you get for the price - mount anywhere, good flow, and ZERO heat in the tank. Light years ahead of "big heads in tank" - like an OceansMotion vs a SCWD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Folta September 19, 2005 Share September 19, 2005 I missed that display. What exactly are you guys talking about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikS September 19, 2005 Share September 19, 2005 I missed that display. What exactly are you guys talking about? IceCap has come up with a high flow powerhead (ala stream & seio) where the motor is on the outside of the tank. Like a cleaner magnet the impellar is magnetically coupled = no holes in the tank and it can be mounted anywhere. Also, no cords running in the tank, once less chance for an electrical leak. Such a simple idea, way ahead of everyone else (take a stream & imagine just the impellar is in the tank = less space). $250 a copy was a bit pricey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeltwayBandit September 19, 2005 Share September 19, 2005 One note on the Ice Cap pump.. The $250 is the BETA tester price. They are looking at a price point in the $350-450 range. The problem is, it is such a simple idea, they even said so, but they have the patent! No one else can make it so they can charge what they want. They are pricing it below the Tunze, since they see that as their competition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Folta September 19, 2005 Share September 19, 2005 Wow, $350-$450 just because they put the magnet on the outside? Interesting concept though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocko918 September 19, 2005 Share September 19, 2005 well the heat and eletronics are also on the outside. The only thing in the tank was the prop. You can put that sucker anywhere you want. They also have a battery backup for it and remote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikS September 19, 2005 Share September 19, 2005 Wow, $350-$450 just because they put the magnet on the outside? Just? That's a huge improvement. Just on size alone, they reduced the part in the tank but atleast 50 - 60%. Nothing worse than big ugly boxes in the tank. Also, can be placed anywhere - easy to mount & no power cords in the tank. Well, IMHO even Tunze isn't competition - though they'll have to combat the "hand crafted by little elves in the land of Nah" mystique Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Folta September 19, 2005 Share September 19, 2005 Did anyone happen to snap a pic of this pump? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flowerseller September 19, 2005 Share September 19, 2005 I didn't realize it was by Ice Cap. I thought it was a new group on the block. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbartco September 19, 2005 Share September 19, 2005 The Oceanic 144 winner FINALLY showed up about 7:30 last night. The 220 had not yet picked up. Some ouf us had to get because we had livestock. I'd love to know if a gorgeous 220 was still down in that parking garage this morning. As Steve had to stay at the hotel for the next conference (ugggghh!), I'm sure he was keeping an eye on it. I was very impressed with the numbers in the conservation and education tracts. I think it goes to show that the message is getting out, and starting them out young will continue this trend. I have pics I need to resize, and I'm sure I can fill pages from this experience later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogurnda September 19, 2005 Share September 19, 2005 You guys were still there at 7:30? Oh well, sorry I missed it. My big excitement was when Security came in about 6:30 last night to let me know about a "sealed box that smells really bad" in a stairwell. Some rube had left a big, very dead trigger in a stairwell. Dumping that water was spectacularly unpleasant. Everybody had disappeared after that, so I ate and headed home. Aside from that, FANTASTIC MEETING. It took a huge amount of planning to make it work that smoothly, and we owe Steve, Craig, and Doug another big round of applause. Being able to volunteer was a great experience. On the selfish side, being able to schmooze with the people who wrote almost every marine book I own, learning from the talks (mostly in 5 minute increments) and seeing the inner workings of a well-run meeting made it all worthwhile. Next time I hope it's not at the same time I'm dealing with job apps and a major review of the lab, though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocko918 September 19, 2005 Share September 19, 2005 BTW, For those who Volunteered at the show and did not get any free frags from frag exchange let me know. I pick up a bunch of frags and would be more than happy to spread them around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phisigs79 September 19, 2005 Share September 19, 2005 BTW, For those who Volunteered at the show and did not get any free frags from frag exchange let me know. I pick up a bunch of frags and would be more than happy to spread them around. 39204[/snapback] Rocko i didnt volunteer but i would be more than happy to get some frags from you for my 12g Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocko918 September 19, 2005 Share September 19, 2005 Let me get the Volunteers first and then i will talk with you or maybe i can let them grow out and then frag again, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeltwayBandit September 19, 2005 Share September 19, 2005 I was just bummed that I couldn't spend as much time in the different speaker sessions. I moderated the Washington A educational session on Saturday morning and worked all day on Friday (with a few breaks to hit the trade show). I'm just sad that I didn't have more time with work and school to attend the entire conference. That being said I am much more interested in the K-12 education stuff now. I was amazed by Zach's (coral forum) presentation on all the different areas that a reef tank can be used in teaching students. Everything from math, physics, biology, english, business, geography, conservation, etc. I had not considered all the tangents you can get from a single display. BB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikS September 19, 2005 Share September 19, 2005 For those who Volunteered at the show and did not get any free frags from frag exchange let me know I'll take you up on that offer, PM sent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocko918 September 19, 2005 Share September 19, 2005 I am going to try and post pics later tonight on what i have as i don't even know what some of them are. I know i have a few frags of Goniopora. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RastaMan September 19, 2005 Share September 19, 2005 I saw nothing but the registration booth so I would definitely be in for something. Thanks Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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