Aquashella or Reefapalooza?

[Indytraveler83]

I live a few hours from Chicago and can probably manage/afford to make one of these events for one day.

Which one is better and more fun, and which day is the best to go?

Any tips for a first timer going to a show? (The only livestock I’m planning on possibly buying is coral and/or nems.)

 

[Bhor217]

I am a first timer too, and have purchased my saturday Aquashella pass, and am excited to go. I have heard more about aquashella than reefapalooza.

Aquashella seemed like an easy choice for me because I know there will be fish there, and I am much more focused on the fish component of the hobby than corals. If I have a good time at aquashella, I will likely get a ticket to Reefapalooza as well.

for what it is worth, it will be a shorter ride to Aquashella, as it is pretty close to O'Hare airport, whereas Schaumberg is in the northern suburbs.

Wish I had the experience to report on, but if you end up getting a pass to Aquashella on Saturday, I am going solo and would be happy to meet a fellow first timer there!

Man all conferences are just named after music festivals, goodness.

 

[Tyler Bullock]

I am facing the same issue. I live in southern Illinois and I cant decide to go to one or the other. I want to go to aquashella for everything and the "ART" I heard in the past there is a lot of very cool art and well if the price is right then I will get me some. BUT i heard reefapalooza is more focused purely on coral, equipment, and fish. I plan on making the weekend of it though. I'm not sure what I'll do. Maybe someone will convince me otherwise in this thread also!

 

[Indytraveler83]

I am a first timer too, and have purchased my saturday Aquashella pass, and am excited to go. I have heard more about aquashella than reefapalooza.

Aquashella seemed like an easy choice for me because I know there will be fish there, and I am much more focused on the fish component of the hobby than corals. If I have a good time at aquashella, I will likely get a ticket to Reefapalooza as well.

for what it is worth, it will be a shorter ride to Aquashella, as it is pretty close to O'Hare airport, whereas Schaumberg is in the northern suburbs.

Wish I had the experience to report on, but if you end up getting a pass to Aquashella on Saturday, I am going solo and would be happy to meet a fellow first timer there!

Man all conferences are just named after music festivals, goodness.

Yeah, if I end up going that day I’ll let you know! Thanks for the heads up on location and stuff.

Aquashella fits into my schedule a bit better, so if it’s all pretty much the same I’ll probably go that route.

 

[Indytraveler83]

I am facing the same issue. I live in southern Illinois and I cant decide to go to one or the other. I want to go to aquashella for everything and the "ART" I heard in the past there is a lot of very cool art and well if the price is right then I will get me some. BUT i heard reefapalooza is more focused purely on coral, equipment, and fish. I plan on making the weekend of it though. I'm not sure what I'll do. Maybe someone will convince me otherwise in this thread also!

That’s something to think about too. While buying coral isn’t my only objective, I do want to be sure I have the chance to come away with a few very cool pieces

 

[Opus]

I haven't been to reefapalooza but I have been to Aquashella Dallas. If you are looking for fish then you are going to be disappointed, unless Chicago is different. Mostly just clownfish for sale. Just harder to ship fish and more stressful on them. They can throw 50+ coral frags in a 5 gallon bucket.

Both shows will be about the same coral wise. If you are only doing one show then I suggest looking at the vendor list and seeing if one show has vendors you would like to see vs the other show. The shows are put on by competing groups so some of the big name vendors will only be at one or the other. I suspect the Aquashella show will be better prepared than the Dallas show. There was a lot of confusion on the first day with the wait time up to a couple of hours in line including people that had bought VIP tickets. My understanding the fire marshal had shut down the line because the building was at capacity. Total attendance for the show was around 6700 the last I heard. Sounds like Chicago will be even bigger since they have had to move the venue. Just remember, Aquashella is freshwater also. I was really surprised at how many people around me in line were fresh water only people. Aquashella is definitely a "youtuber" show. Tons of streaming going on.

Some tips. Bring a small insulated cooler to keep your frags in. Remember that there are other people trying to look at coral. The tables are small and only a couple of people can browse at a time. I really hate standing there for 20 minutes behind the guy that is telling the vendor his tank's life history and then walks away without even buying anything. Most vendors will hold a coral for you if you pay for it.

 

[Tyler Bullock]

Good to know. Thank you for the info! Will keep all in mind when deciding what one to go to.

 

[Indytraveler83]

Good info!

At least for me, fish aren’t a high priority. Most of what I still want is very common and can be had at my local lfs. Coral on the other hand...

 

[Indytraveler83]

I’m looking at the vendor list for aquashella and am entirely overwhelmed by the list of coral vendors! I’m not even sure where to start!

Doesn’t look like the vendors for reefapalooza have been published yet.