Thought you might find this interesting

Fishfood · Post by **Fishfood** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 12:30 pm

http://reefersaquatics.com/phpbb2/index.php

They are also trying to start their own club. I know I haven't been involved in this one that much but i do drive to Daphne every day for work from pensacola. Not really in the mood to drive over for a meeting on the weekends if you know what i mean. Anyway I'm not fond of getting into a group that is directly associated with a store either. Kind of makes you feel obligated to that one store. Maybe some of you would be interested.

Drew

Amyjoe · Post by **Amyjoe** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 3:23 pm

Has that link always been on his website?

Hmmmm Looks like he has been doing his homework....Or should I say following suite? How does everyone else feel about this? I don't really like it, it is sort of like B&B starting there own reef club. Or starting there own website for giving advice? I am not saying this guy is on the same level as B&B but honestly do you think it is safe to say it is almost like playing both sides of the coin or a double standard?

Am I being harsh?

ShagMan · Post by **ShagMan** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 3:44 pm

I hope I'm not being obtuse by saying this, but "who cares"... Pensacola isn't our primary focus area. I'm glad that Pensacola is trying to get it's own group together, personally, I'm sure there's tons of folks over there that are interested. I definitely don't jive with a "sponsored" club, but ohwell.

Post by **snoopdog** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 4:46 pm

Pensacola has actually had it's own reef club for many years and they have quarterly meetings with frag trading. I would not join an organization associated with a store because of the obligation to that said store. Most reef shop owners get so involved in making the buck they lose sight in why they got into the hobby to begin with.

Fishfood · Post by **Fishfood** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 5:03 pm

From what i understand the owners of Reefers (there were 3 about 2 yrs ago) were part of the reef club that was in the area. My x used to work for them and they told us about the meetings at the doctors house and whatnot. I'm not sure how that is going right now. The club may benefit you guys as a group also. You know those joint club frag trades. It couldn't hurt. I thought maybe you would be interested in the 10% discount since I know many of you travel over here on a regular basis. I actually got the message board link from a guy on RC who works at Reefers now. I used to trade a lot of stuff with some old employees who no longer work there, shucks! Anyway I think they are working with an individual in destin who owns a lfs as well. He is interested in getting a club going. I'm not sure how that is going to work, plus it is also an hour in the other direction.

Post by **snoopdog** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 5:55 pm

Reefers forum may just be for Q&A and they may have had alot of request from there customers to set one up. There are so many interest groups now with message boards in place it is getting very common these days. We could even gain members from Pensacola's reef club to some of our meetings by keeping an open mind for prospects. More people, more to swap, more to sell, more knowledge.

SaltnLime · Post by **SaltnLime** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 7:34 pm

As far as an actual reef club... I don;t think that is what the site is. I think the reef club on thier site has pretty much disbanned and not active. I could be wrong, but I would like to see another club that close. Then we could do together meets every now and then.

As far as the forum.........Personally, I think it makes good marketing sense for a business to be active in a forum such as the one they have created the only down side to having and forum run by a store is the obvious questions of self marketing themselves to the point where the lose objectivity and are biased.

Things such as vendor recommendations get edited out and posts reguarding poor experiences with the store my be looked at unfavorably. Personally I think it would have been more in thier favor to join our forum as a member and/or have a Local Reef Club start a forum there (not in thier name) and join that forum as active members.

Either way, as long as they are a good vendor... I will support them with my business.

Brandon · Post by **Brandon** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 8:22 pm

Great find FishFood.. Thanks, I signed up.

Post by **snoopdog** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 8:43 pm

Yeah can you imagine any vendor starting there own forum and getting slammed and flamed

Scott · Post by **Scott** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 10:31 pm

I really don't see anything wrong with it. If B&B had started this club, would everyone of the members not go to Pensacola and Rich's. I wouldn't really feel any guilt for not buying from them. It is a free market. I think that having reef club meetings at a store (which many reef clubs do) is a fine idea and usually the store owner would have special frags or would frag a colony just for the meeting. I have heard of this a few times on the Atlanta Reef Club forum.

Brandon · Post by **Brandon** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 11:08 pm

If B&B had started this club, I would not have wanted to have anything to do with it

What would the subjects be?
-Ok guys.. lets talk about how you too can raise clams under 32watts of light, or

-Get your very rare unique white frogspawn today.

-SPS does great without any light..

(sorry.. I just had to do it, I went by there this weekend.. and left very depressed, the place always smells like pee, and you gotta wonder how many wild corals they kill every week) I'm not going there again.

Scott · Post by **Scott** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 11:47 pm

My point was, who cares who is the founder as long as the club is productive.

I say that I am not going to B&B ever again all the time. I still do go there and look. I almost bought a royal gramma last week, but would never buy a coral from them. I would like to see the people who do by them. It's the only store in Mobile where you can count on them being open and you don't have to call to see if it's OK if you drop by.

Amyjoe · Post by **Amyjoe** » Tue Sep 16, 2003 8:06 am

I wasn't trying to start anything. I just feel like having a store backed club is just only doing good for the store not necessarily the members. I don't care about their board, I don't care if they start a club- I just felt it was not such a good idea.