Club Coral Fragbank

[JaimeAdams]

A few of your newly elected BoD have been discussing the possibility of starting a club frag bank or frag library. This is not a new concept. The ETRC has their version of this and @Rob.D is where the idea originated. So a big thanks to those folks. I have changed it a bit to suit us better this is just an idea we have been throwing around but since it is your club, I want your feedback! The basic concept is that the club will start a coral frag bank from which club members will be able to get frags of more popular cultivares for a small fee. Here are some of the things that I am thinking which I am sure will evolve a bit if you as club members decide to give your consent.


Here is how I picture this.

First off to participate you must be a paid member in good standing. At first the club will solicit donations from club members. Any person who donates a frag to the club frag bank will always reserve the right to ask for the next available frag back in case of loss from their own tank.

The board of directors will pick which frags and from whom to purchase them from based off of general membership interest in said cultivars. The most requested cultivars should be at the top of the list for purchasing.

There should be coral for all skill level of aquarist. We will ask the membership body for their “wish lists” to gauge what the club members would like to see us get.

The original piece will always remain in the clubs frag tank.

Any member in good standing may request any frag in the club’s frag bank. As a frag becomes available all names will be put in a hat and selected at random.

Once a cultivar has not been requested by any member for over 3 months the frag will be sold and the proceeds will go towards to purchase of new coral for the coral frag bank.

 

[hybridazn]

I like this idea. who/where will the frag tank be kept? I have a few pieces I can start this off with.

 

[JaimeAdams]

I like this idea. who/where will the frag tank be kept? I have a few pieces I can start this off with.

It is in the preliminary stages at this point. Jon Kovacs offered to sell us his frag tank and light on the cheap. Greg Sweich, new treasurer has an empty frag tank plumbed inline to his system that he said we could use for this purpose.

We certainly appreciate your support and offer of donations @hybridazn

 

[JaimeAdams]

@hybridazn so those corals for donation, are we talking WWC Bounce mushroom, JF Homewrecker, jawbreaker mushroom, Walt Disney et cetera?

 

[JaimeAdams]

Those and maybe an orange passion and some reef raft variety pack

 

[fetta]

Very interesting idea, i like it

 

[BIGGUN]

Would frags need to be catalogued? Maybe on a thread in here? We can have donation thread with pics of mother colonies to gauge interest and then a current available frag thread. Or am I overthinking this like most things?

Kevin

 

[JaimeAdams]

The club where I got the idea from uses it more like a wish list. Everyone suggests things that they would like to see. For example if 10 of us are all like we would really like Oregon Tort the club would purchase the frag and as it grows and a piece becomes available we would basically have a members only raffle for all who are interested. Then the same as it grows and another piece becomes available.

There wouldn't really ever be a stockpile of colonies ready to be fragged because once everyone who is interested gets a frag we would then sell the original piece and put the proceeds into buying something new. For example once the 10 of us that want the Oregon Tort receive frags of it and no other member requests a frag for a period of time we would sell the Oregon Tort.

If we have access to pictures of a full colony of something that we have in the fragbank I don't see a problem with posting them. Or pictures of the banks growing frag if it is something obscure. The other club uses this to purchase well known cultivars of which no need to describe it in words or pictures is needed. For example everyone knows or can easily find out what Oregon Tort looks like. There is no real need for us to catalogue it.

 

[JaimeAdams]

I see this as the original idea starters, more of a way to get certain things that may be out of our individual price ranges not as a way to just trade common stuff. If someone wants a frag of frogspawn they should feel fine about asking around in the club for someone that can cut them a frag. We don't have the room to simply back up or grow out a ton of stuff that is easily acquired from a local store or any number of members tanks. Back to my example. Let's say Oregon Tort sells for $100. If 10 members put Oregon Tort on their wanted list and the club charges a nominal fee of $10 or $20 to check the coral out the fragbank. We all get a coral which might be a bit too expensive for some for a cheap price, but at the same time the club isn't lossing money just buying expensive coral and giving it away. Or possibly we give out the first frag free every year with paid membership. Those are things to be discussed and decided upon as a group.

I also see this as a perk of being a club member. If this works out and in time the club is growing out bounce mushrooms, jawbreaker mushrooms, rainbow chalices, JF homewreck, Walt Disney, orange passion, blah blah blah and any member is good standing has access to the coral fragbank I think its a good bet to drive up membership and give a big perk to our members compared to our visitors. Also it may be another reason to have some of our older members start coming to meetings again. If all I have to do is pay my dues and actually come to a couple meetings and at some point I will win the opportunity to be able to get a rainbow chalice frag for a $20 donation. I don't know I see this is a win.

Granted this is what some of us have been discussing. It's YOU GUYS that need to let us know if you like it or not. I may be the president, but it's about what the general membership wants to see.

 

[fetta]

Hey im in, my only question would be where or who would be paying for the maintaining of tank, or would that be where the donations be going to, and i like the idea of the treasurer taking care of it since they are already taking care of the moneys might as well let them take care of this too

 

[JaimeAdams]

This shouldn't be a way to cut our sponsoring stores out of selling members common coral or a "here is a frag of my green slimmer so you guys can give out frags of it so I don't have to worry about doing so". It should in my opinion be about the reasons stated in my previous posts. Granted starting out I don't see us going and spending several grand buying the newest most hyped coral out there. But lets say we receive donations and spend several hundred dollars and once we distribute frags and get the investment back we then purchase more and over time we will be able to amass a nice collection and provide it to all of our members who want it.

 

[JaimeAdams]

Hey im in, my only question would be where or who would be paying for the maintaining of tank, or would that be where the donations be going to, and i like the idea of the treasurer taking care of it since they are already taking care of the moneys might as well let them take care of this too

That is something to be discussed. When talking to Greg about it, he offered to do it. Personally I see nothing wrong with us figuring out his added costs and the donations being used to cover the added expense.

 

[JaimeAdams]

One thing that is important to me if we do move ahead and follow through on this idea is that there remains stuff there for everyone. I know that some of us are going to start naming the newest and most hyped hard to keep demanding acros. This needs to be for all of our members. We need to have things for all skill level, not just sps. I want this to benefit the person who has been keeping reef tanks for 30 years as well as the person who joined the club to learn how to set up their first tank.

Personally I don't keep many soft coral, nor do I want to, however to some people that is their thing and we need to cater to all of our members and all skill levels. While my wish list might be all acros, others might be all mushrooms and we should strive to include all tastes.

 

[fetta]

One thing that is important to me if we do move ahead and follow through on this idea is that there remains stuff there for everyone. I know that some of us are going to start naming the newest and most hyped hard to keep demanding acros. This needs to be for all of our members. We need to have things for all skill level, not just sps. I want this to benefit the person who has been keeping reef tanks for 30 years as well as the person who joined the club to learn how to set up their first tank.

Personally I don't keep many soft coral, nor do I want to, however to some people that is their thing and we need to cater to all of our members and all skill levels. While my wish list might be all acros, others might be all mushrooms and we should strive to include all tastes.

Completely agree when this comes to be, maybe get a wish list from all members, like said before rhis would be a discussion to have at a meeting.

 

[BIGGUN]

Neat idea. I think it would work.
I personally wouldn't be able to give a wish list because I don't know names. I'd be describing them as "the blueish green one with pinkish red tips and polyps, that has thicker branches" so unless there were pics available I really wouldn't know what was what.

I am sure most know the names of what they want , I'm just ID challenged.
Kevin

 

[fetta]

Neat idea. I think it would work.
I personally wouldn't be able to give a wish list because I don't know names. I'd be describing them as "the blueish green one with pinkish red tips and polyps, that has thicker branches" so unless there were pics available I really wouldn't know what was what.

I am sure most know the names of what they want , I'm just ID challenged.
Kevin

Me too

 

[BIGGUN]

OK. I'll start the list thing.

Here's mine.


Mango Passion
RR Poison Ivy
Mantis Purple Polyp Aculeas
Daves Skittle Acro
Paletta Pink Tip
Boy Blue Table
RRU Pink Floyd
RR CA CJ Pinky
Z's Tropics
Oregon Tort
Cali Tort
Rainbow Crush Chalice

Z's and P's

Fruitloops
Rastas
Blue Hornets
Predators Blood
Jason Fox Atomic Sunrise
Tigers Blood
Fruitloops


Comments?

Kevin

 

[eleet]

Hey Kevin, I've got Paletta pink tip. I'll cut you a piece next time it needs thinned.

 

[brooks]

Awesome idea guys.

 

[brooks]

And gals of course...