How old is WAMAS?

[lynn.reef.nerd]

While looking around, the oldest post I found on this forum is 2002. It made me wonder,

 

how old is WAMAS? 

 

What is the history of WAMAS?

 

Any old-timer on here have found memories that they would like to share???? 

[therootcause]

Lynn, what was a hammer going for in 2002? Would be fun to look at old FS posts!


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[davidm]

thanks for making me feel old, especially a few days after my birthday.

The first meeting was in my garage, in early 2000, it was with 3 other  people, and we talked about helping someone with their canopy. That was a time when I could sell xenia to a LFS for store credit, skimmers were tall and narrow, MH were the new light source, and yellow tangs sold for $20.

Thankfully other people with more dedication and intelligence than me got involved, too many to mention, but I will give a shoutout to Michael Gerdes, who was among the first to really help launch WAMAS to what it is today.

As for the boards -  this is at least the third? version.  I don't think the first two are accessible anymore - but someone else likely knows much more about that than I do.

[lynn.reef.nerd]

24 minutes ago, davidm said:

thanks for making me feel old, especially a few days after my birthday.

The first meeting was in my garage, in early 2000, it was with 3 other  people, and we talked about helping someone with their canopy. That was a time when I could sell xenia to a LFS for store credit, skimmers were tall and narrow, MH were the new light source, and yellow tangs sold for $20.

Thankfully other people with more dedication and intelligence than me got involved, too many to mention, but I will give a shoutout to Michael Gerdes, who was among the first to really help launch WAMAS to what it is today.

As for the boards -  this is at least the third? version.  I don't think the first two are accessible anymore - but someone else likely knows much more about that than I do.

 

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!!

 

People like you is what made this club possible for the all the noobs like me! 

 

and $20 yellow tangs?!?!?!?!?!?

[YHSublime]

Wait until you hear what golden torches used to go for....

 

I'm coming up on a decade, lots of familiar faces, lots of new ones. I'm betting @Origamihas a pretty good beat on an audible history of WAMAS!

 

[davidm]

I forgot to mention another change from 20 yrs ago  -corals were given names like "green slimer" - because it was green, and, well, slimy when fragged. We ddin't have the creativity (or marketing) to name corals like "thano's ring around asgard".  I hope I'm not stepping on a real name.

[RW09903]

6 hours ago, davidm said:

I forgot to mention another change from 20 yrs ago  -corals were given names like "green slimer" - because it was green, and, well, slimy when fragged. We ddin't have the creativity (or marketing) to name corals like "thano's ring around asgard".  I hope I'm not stepping on a real name.

Close, I think it's called thanos gauntlet finger snaps zoas.  They go for $3456 per polyp. Someone said it'll wipe out half you system if pissed. ?

[Origami]

Wait until you hear what golden torches used to go for....
 
I'm coming up on a decade, lots of familiar faces, lots of new ones. I'm betting [mention=2631296]Origami[/mention]has a pretty good beat on an audible history of WAMAS!
 

Ha! David is a founder by my take. Sometime back, I put together a simple description of the club's roots as part of an introduction to the club. That intro opened, "WAMAS first formed in 2000 as a simple gathering of friends meeting at one another’s homes. In August 2004, we incorporated in the Commonwealth of Virginia and in February 2009, were
classified by the IRS as a 501(3) not-for-profit organization."

So, what David describes is the first meeting as described by either Craig or Michael.

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[miggs76]

15 hours ago, RW09903 said:

Close, I think it's called thanos gauntlet finger snaps zoas.  They go for $3456 per polyp. Someone said it'll wipe out half you system if pissed. ?

What's the lineage on the thanos guantlet finger snaps zoa?  If you didn't get it straight from thanos i don't want it.

[davidm]

22 hours ago, RW09903 said:

Close, I think it's called thanos gauntlet finger snaps zoas.  They go for $3456 per polyp. Someone said it'll wipe out half you system if pissed. ?

It'll only wipe out half your reef if you snap it to frag it.

[JMsAquarium]

Ha!, first time I joined Wamas was back in the Summer of 2003. There were less than 90 members in the forum, and about 30 or so active members innthe club. ?

[lowsingle]

I joined WAMAS in the summer of 2004......by then, the club was pretty big. 
 

Darren

 

[astroboy]

Six or seven years ago I ran into someone with a Wamas hat or T-shirt at the Northern VA Astronomy Club Almost Heaven Star Party (about 300 people go up to Spruce Knob for a long weekend for observing, lectures, hikes, etc., great fun). It turned out he was one of the original members of WAMAS, was very surprised to hear it was still in business.... Didn't catch his name....

[moga]

On 5/26/2021 at 1:02 PM, YHSublime said:

Wait until you hear what golden torches used to go for....

 

I'm coming up on a decade, lots of familiar faces, lots of new ones. I'm betting @Origamihas a pretty good beat on an audible history of WAMAS!

 

I joined around 2004,  started the hobby around 2001. (reefcentral days).

Torches were not that popular back than because it stings other corals. it was not called Gold euhillia. it was called brown or light brown yellowish euphillia . because the color was not that great with MH or powercompact, fluorescent , VHO .. etc..
I remembered that I refused to take free torches ..  it looked ugly.. 

Edited June 8, 2021 by moga

[Cris]

I am so glad I joined WAMAS- I have learned so much!

[treesprite]

My first meeting had only 3 female members present (which includes me). Can't remember the name of the speaker, but it was the well known guy who has unrefined methods but amazing results.  The  next meeting was the first frag fest, which was in the hallway of a school and it was impossible to see what was going on - the later frag fests were completely different, and those were actually better than the most recent frag fests.

 

The change in WAMAS that has the most significance to me, is that it is no longer so male dominated, as the hobby in general had also been. 

[nburg]

I wasn't in DC, but I remember wanting to jump into saltwater much earlier than I did because the LFS would have full sized yellow tangs on sale for $10 and I was buying $25 rainbow fish. 

[VA Reefdog]

Are there any stats on how many members are in WAMAS now?  

[lynn.reef.nerd]

16 hours ago, VA Reefdog said:

Are there any stats on how many members are in WAMAS now?  

 

Definitely not "true" stats, but the information at the bottom of the forums index:

[VA Reefdog]

7 hours ago, lynn.reef.nerd said:

 

Definitely not "true" stats, but the information at the bottom of the forums index:

Thank you.  I never noticed that at the bottom of the page- not sure if I never scrolled that far down or just overlooked it.  Thanks.