Thermos Swap: When's the last time you traded frags with someone locally or via mail?

When is the last time you traded frags with someone either locally or via shipping service?

  • Days ago

    Votes: 75 12.3%
  • Weeks ago

    Votes: 83 13.6%
  • Several months ago

    Votes: 46 7.5%
  • Over 6 months

    Votes: 15 2.5%
  • Over a year

    Votes: 39 6.4%
  • Several years

    Votes: 55 9.0%
  • Never Traded

    Votes: 294 48.1%
  • Other (please explain)

    Votes: 4 0.7%

  • Total voters
    611

revhtree

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At one time, many moons ago, us zoanthid lovers would have what we called "thermos swaps." We would buy a lunch box soup thermos, pack what frags we could get in there, and ship via 2 day usps for a few bucks. That was fun! Of course we now have really good insulated shipping boxes to use! I was thinking about frag trading today and was wondering how often people are still actually trading, not selling, coral frags. Let's talk about it today!

1. When is the last time you traded frags with someone either locally or via shipping service? (NO BUYING OR SELLING BUT AN ACTUAL TRADE)

2. Would you be interested in finding people that just wanted to straight up trade frags?


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KrisReef

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1. Last Saturday I took some of my excess growth to the LFS (owned by a great guy) and gave him that for the store. He gives me a lot of discount pricing along the way. Not a true frag swap, but everyone I know who has tanks already has them full.

2. I think frags swaps are cool, so I support the idea.
 

Ef4life

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I’ve traded stuff in the past, but rarely do anymore. Lots of stuff being offered as trades I may have already or just may not want. That and then your getting pests potentially, so good dipping/quarantine practices should be used.
 
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revhtree

revhtree

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Greybeard

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Club in Springfield MO (SEAS) folded. The few former members I know well enough to maintain contact with still trade stuff, or even just give stuff away, if it's unwanted in it's current home. Brought home a cabbage leather the other day.

I've always done trades locally, or drive to a frag meet somewhere. Those _were_ frag swaps... these days, the only thing getting swapped is cash.

ST Louis has a group SLASH, about 3 hours from here. I always went to their spring and fall frag meets, until the covid thing. If things ever get back to normal, I'll likely resume attending.

As for thermos trades through the mail... I'm probably not interested at the moment. Mailing a package in my small town is a major pain, and I'm pretty picky about what I add to my tank. Don't want any xenia, palythoa, discosoma, clavularia, (aiptasia, majano, caulerpa, planarians)... you get my point. Most of the stuff folks grow too much of and want to dispose of.
 

mdb_talon

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You would have to get ppl on the same coral level together. Ppl who spend $100s on coral frags dont wanna trade with people who buy $10 frags. My thought.
D

I think you are right that is a large part of it. However i think that is related to commercialization at even the hobbyist level....which is understandable but still makes me a bit sad.

I remember trading or giving my "high end" garf bonsai just because someone else wanted it and other local reefers would do the same. Was more just about sharing what you had.
 

mdb_talon

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Club in Springfield MO (SEAS) folded. The few former members I know well enough to maintain contact with still trade stuff, or even just give stuff away, if it's unwanted in it's current home. Brought home a cabbage leather the other day.

I've always done trades locally, or drive to a frag meet somewhere. Those _were_ frag swaps... these days, the only thing getting swapped is cash.

ST Louis has a group SLASH, about 3 hours from here. I always went to their spring and fall frag meets, until the covid thing. If things ever get back to normal, I'll likely resume attending.

As for thermos trades through the mail... I'm probably not interested at the moment. Mailing a package in my small town is a major pain, and I'm pretty picky about what I add to my tank. Don't want any xenia, palythoa, discosoma, clavularia, (aiptasia, majano, caulerpa, planarians)... you get my point. Most of the stuff folks grow too much of and want to dispose of.

The SLASH swap was last weekend and it was packed with people. Was a nice swap with lots of good vendors, but definetely follows the trend of less local hobbyists tables and mostly just commercial vendors.
 

landlubber

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interesting idea that i've never had offered thus far. i'm guessing this would be limited to soft corals?
 

gray808

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I don't have anything that's big enough to frag yet.

And even if I did, I don't think there is anyone/anywhere within a short drive of me.

The closest decent LFS to me is in Salem (there may be one in Roseburg, I haven't been able to stop there yet), and my favorites are in Portland, which is nearly a 5 hour drive.

--Gray
 

725196

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I am willing to trade frags for sure!! I have low end and middle of the road corals for the most part. I usually wind up giving the lower end ones away when I frag.
 
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Just John

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I would trade but no one wants my Kenya tree and GSP
I'm happy to trade some pulsing xenia. If it dies I'll just send more. If that dies I'll send some more. If that dies I'll send some more. And so on.
 

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