WIN 2 MACNA TICKETS!! FULL Conference passes!

[Hdhuntr01]

Having been involved in this hobby for several years, I would like an opportunity to hear from some of the best and brightest minds on successful tips of keeping a thriving reef tank. Many times advice is given on forums from people who do not have any qualified experience in the subject they are advising on. They simply are repeating something they have heard and want it to sound like they have a lot of experience on the subject. There are a few well known names in this hobby who will be at the conference and I would like to hear what they themselves have to say.

 

[donkeys4hire]

My wife and I are expectand our 3rd child and are pinching pennies. We would love to go though.

 

[cjtabares]

I went to MACNA 2009 it was amazing. I am thinking about going and taking my girlfriend and her daughter to a few parks so free tickets to MACNA would be sweet.

 

[clcampuz]

It would be really cool to attend but I'm afraid the trip to FL would be out of my reach. Thanks for the chance to win tickets though.

 

[fanandy8]

I would love to go to MACNA because I have never been to a conference of this magnitude. My girlfriend and her daughter are both very interested in my reef tank, and we have discussed setting up a larger one (I have a 29 gal right now) and I think going to a conference like this would really let them see what is available.

 

[vaporize]

Where else can you satisfy the kids and wife and have so much fun being with a bunch of reef geeks all around? And it's right on the labour day long weekend too - no excuse of taking a friday off (oh was that suppose to be monday)

 

[geologeek]

I believe that I should at least be in with a chance if winning as I come from the other side of the pond and could do with passing on the understanding of reefing that only you guys are able to teach us!

Consider it a teaching of the masses for your British bretherin!

You know it makes perfect sense!

 

[bamachamp92]

I want to win the tickets, cause my friends are going and leaving me in Chattanooga. LOL.

 

[carmiejo]

I bought my ticket back when they were first available and cheaper. Now, our 22 year old son would like to go too. Like lots of other people my husband has been laid off and money is tight so winning a ticket for him would be great!

 

[dnov99]

I would love to go to Macna just to see what WWC is going to have out on display!! Plus all the other awesome speakers, vendors, etc.

 

[Dr.Stan]

Dear Reef2Reef:

I would really like to attend MACNA to meet with people that can help me to learn more about the treatment of marine fish and invertebrates.

Thenks for giving me a chance

Dr. Stan

 

[Aquascaper]

Just making sure I'm in the drawing

 

[akabryanhall]

I have never been to MACNA and I still have so much to learn.

 

[-drew-]

Why should I be picked to win 2 free tickets to MACNA 2010?

I never really had a hobby growing up, but when I was in high school alot of my friends started setting up saltwater fishtanks with the extra money their after school jobs brought in. I on the other hand worked to help my mom with the bills and pay for things like that. See, my younger brother and my mom were all I had growing up so things were tough, but we stuck together.

I always wanted to have a fishtank of my own. For some reason, I was just drawn to them. It might have been the blue glow of the actinics that drew me in, kind of like the blue glow of a bug zapper draws in bugs. Lol, but seriously, I was fascinated with them and learning everything I could about them. I remember the first time I saw a reef tank in person. It wasnt the most jaw-dropping, eye-popping collection of rare corals, but I stood there and stared at that tank for about 2 hours without moving. I was in another world. The tank belonged to my friend's stepfather. It was a 90 gallon tank, drilled with 40 gallon breeder sump, a massive protien skimmer, a custom built refugium, and an 8 bulb retrofitted T5 fixture. At the time I had no clue what half that meant. All I knew is I would do what I could to have a reef tank one day.

A year or so passed and still no tank. I talked about it all the time with my family and my girlfriend Kristina and my mom were getting a little tired of hearing how badly I wanted a tank. So on my 18th birthday they both pitched in and bought me a 55 gallon tank as a suprise. They said, "...we bought the tank, you can fill it up". Finally, I had a tank of my own. I bought the water and salt and mixed it up in tank. I knew I needed something to start a cycle so I decided to use live sand to get things going. My next paycheck came and went faster than I realized, but I had 60 lbs. of live sand and a few lbs. of live rock, then I waited anxiously. Three weeks went by and I was just starting to show signs of a cycle. 2 months and my cycle still hadnt finished. By the 3rd month I was getting a little tired of seeing an empty tank and decided to take a trip to the petstore with a water sample just for high hopes. Kristina was teasing me the whole way there asking,"...so what are you gonna get if your water is ok.." I had taken about a hundred trips to the petstore in those 3 months and had so many ideas of what to stock first, then the guy Danny at the petstore calls me over to see the water tests. Im thinking the worst case, but he tells me everything is good, what do you want. Thats when all my stocking ideas went out the window.I ended up with 4 damsels to start off.

Three years later, I now have the same 55 gallon tank, which I am proud to say is a REEF TANK! Its my pride and joy that still brings a smile to my face and I couldnt have done it without my mom and my wonderful girlfriend Kristina, who in the last 3 years has developed her own love for the hobby as well as her 2 year old baby porcupine puffer named, Bubbles.

I had heard about some of the conferences that were held and the amazing displays and lectures that took place. I was working a good full time job and was planning to take Kristina to the SE-CFM, but when I got to work on a Tuesday morning the doors were locked. I called the manager and he said that the company was no longer able to operate. Basically, we were all out of job with no notice. I eventually found another job that ended 2 months after my hire date when they too went out of business. It was around that time Kristina and I joined the Orlando Reef Caretakers Association and learned about MACNA. It was like a giant Starwars convention for us Reefers and my local reef club got the honors of hosting it for 2010! I said to myself this is my chance to pay back Kristina for everything she had done for me to get me into this hobby. I knew she would love to go to something like this and I had to find a way to make it happen, especially since it was happening literally in our backyard.

I tried to save the money for the tickets, but everytime I was close something happened. One time I was on my way to an interview when the driver in front of me decided it was a good time to "discard" of that old paper bag full of screws and nails out of his drivers side window at 55 mph on the highway. Needless to say I had 2 flat tires and a tow truck on the way. Then, someone drops off a family of cats at our house. By family, I mean, a Momma cat and her four 1 week old babies. We had to take them in and our vet was willing to work with us on their vet bills as well as finding them homes, but they needed to be 6-8 weeks old before they could go to their new families so there went the money for MACNA. The event is right around the corner now and I dont see anyway that I can afford to get tickets to take Kristina to this once in a life time type of opportunity. Our 4 year anniversary is in October and I would like to be able to take her to MACNA. This is something that we will both remember forever and will cherish for the rest of our lives.

If thats not enough Kristina has had her hopes set on going to MACNA for sometime now and was even talking to her grandmother about coming down from Tennesee to go with us. Her and her grandmother were never able to speak while Kristina was growing up and she had recently got in touch with her grandmother and were building a relationship. Her grandmother loved the idea of MACNA and wanted to come to Florida to see her grand daughter for what would be the first time since Kristina was a baby and was just waiting for us to send her the money for the plane ticket. Her grandmother apparently loved fishtanks. We got a phone call early one morning saying that her grandmother and uncle were involved in a car accident and her grandmother was killed on impact. Kristina was devastated that she would never get to see the woman she was building a great relationship with, her grandmother...

It would mean so much to Kristina to be able to go to MACNA this year for so many different reasons. If nothing else, but to honor the memory of her grandmother. These 2 tickets would change her life in so many ways.

Thank you,
Drew

 

[Der ABT]

It would be my first trip and my baby girl absolutely loves tanks and wants to see more/get her own, and she is only 15 weeks but you can tell she wants to become a reefer. if you dont send her mother and her she may develop a st st sta studdar.

 

[Lowsingle]

I want to go to see what sweet corals are for sale

cheers,
Darren

 

[ixouttheeyes]

It's my life's ambition to meet Julian Sprung in person.

 

[phil519]

My plane tickets and hotel are booked already. So i'm definitely going. I didn't purchase full conf tickets because i'm watching the budget as the trip is for the kids - not for me.

Last year I went but was on the list of "helpers" for my club and while I had the "full" conference, I only attended one speaker session - Mr. Randy Reed (which got me hooked on raising rotifers and then breeding my clowns and raising the fry). If you bought raffle tickets on saturday - you probably saw me fumbling with the register...:sad:

Two tickets would be for ME and wife and that would be great. I would take gobbs of pictures and post em up here and try to put daily updates. Heck if I don't win I might still do that...lol.

 

[sabor]

I just recently started the hobby about 8 months ago.
I have never even heard of MACNA before until recently (about a week ago).
I googled it and found out what it was all about and now I REALLY want to go to see for myself and experience this firsthand.
It will be my first experience and winning these tickets will help me cut my spending less for the tickets and more on corals!!!!!

 

[dtpollard]

I have had reef tank for over 15 years and since I found the online gang I have been very active in several clubs. I lost my company a couple of years ago along with the wife. (i got the tank, she got the dogs.lol) I try to make the best of things so even at my age I figured I might get it right the second time around. I went back to school full time to get a degree in Marine Science and I have not even seen the ocean in 7 years. I have made the drive to Orlando in the past so at 12 hours I can make it there. Winning the tickets would be great. It would definately inspire me to go when I otherwise would probably not. With school full time and 2 young kids (7 and 10) I can barely survive. I could finally meet some of my online friends in person while learning more about the hobby and having some fun. It is quite possible that I am the poorest person with a reef tank, but I have had it so long it is a part of me. Heck I might just be buried in it.