The Reefers Code

[rworegon]

I saw this linked on facebook. Its a nice writeup about the early days of reefkeeping and how greed has changed the landscape of our hobby:

http://reefbuilders.com/2014/12/11/reefers-code-formally-mike-paletta/

[Micah]

I freaking love this article and completely agree with everything in it. I remember the day where you'd go to a club meeting and people would show up with baggies of frags... for no reason. Among the people who brought baggies, trades would be had.. even if you came empty handed, chances are you'd go home with something. When I started this hobby in 2003, that's how I got almost all of my first frags.

[badxgillen]

Good read, the practices should be more popular in the hobbyist crowds, maybe the more people see this article the better they will respond in kind. I miss the good old day in general.I still come to every meeting with bags of frags for trade and helping out the new guy and I have seen this behavior before. Last meeting I went to Garrett, bicycle bill, earthbound, and some one I did not know all gave something away., it was great..Share the Love. ...I know all about the Reefer Code.QUOTE=Micah;n565354]I freaking love this article and completely agree with everything in it. I remember the day where you'd go to a club meeting and people would show up with baggies of frags... for no reason. Among the people who brought baggies, trades would be had.. even if you came empty handed, chances are you'd go home with something. When I started this hobby in 2003, that's how I got almost all of my first frags.

[JManrow]

Good article. In the early 8os and 90s there where only a few shops that carried reef supplies. We had to build much of our lighting and filtration systems. I saw very few corals offered for sale in the 70s, and only anemones and a small assortment of inverts in the 60s. When we first started a marine aquarium club in 1995, we were just beginning coral fragging and very few of us had bred marine fish. I remember peoples' looks of shock when LeRoy and SallyJo Headlee of GARF visited us and started cutting up Xenia and Acro! We didn't have a lot online, so we relied on books, magazines, study groups, marine aquarium conferences, and most of all each other to learn as much as we could about new trends in reefkeeping. We had guests speakers a few times a year, flying them in and staying as guests in our homes. We didn't have a forum, but I think we had better communication, and we had as little as possible of politics in the club, other than calling myself Group Coordinator, and we had a Treasurer. The main thing was we all had a great time! We visited at each others houses and had meetings and workshops all the time. We talked about the day when we would start seeing captive raised corals and tank raised fish in the stores. I remember joking around with Stanley Brown of the Breeder's Registry about one day we would probably have different types of marine fish the way we have bred freshwater fish with specific colors and fin patterns! We loved our hobby so much that we wanted to help each other out and passed the hat to have guest speakers... all without a forum or dues. I'm not sure when all the meanness and fighting started, but we sure had a better time without power trips and putting somebody down. I suppose it was over money and losing all the excitement of doing things together as a group. I know we can do better than what we are doing now. A lot of advancements started in Oregon, and I would hate seeing the club fall apart because of problems with people not getting along, or even trying to. Keeping a club running is not easy. In the past we took on challenges, instead of just seeing problems and giving up. I would like to see a marine conference here in a year or two. We know enough speakers and sponsors available to us. I am in agreement with Mike Paletta about the code. We need to get along with each other first.

[JManrow]

Good read' date=' the practices should be more popular in the hobbyist crowds, maybe the more people see this article the better they will respond in kind. I miss the good old day in general.I still come to every meeting with bags of frags for trade and helping out the new guy and I have seen this behavior before. Last meeting I went to Garrett, bicycle bill, earthbound, and some one I did not know all gave something away., it was great..Share the Love. ...I know all about the Reefer Code.QUOTE=Micah;n565354']I freaking love this article and completely agree with everything in it. I remember the day where you'd go to a club meeting and people would show up with baggies of frags... for no reason. Among the people who brought baggies, trades would be had.. even if you came empty handed, chances are you'd go home with something. When I started this hobby in 2003, that's how I got almost all of my first frags.

 

I think it was you that gave me those zoas at the September meeting at Garrett's in Salem. I agree it is up to us to keep the hobby alive. There will always be those who will share what they have, and there will always be those who only think of themselves. As far as this club is going, I am hoping those on board would hang in there. We never came this far by giving up. We need to pass it on. I know I will do all I can to help. There is always something new to learn.

[reefnjunkie]

Great link

[fishmanmike01]

Awesome read. Thanks.

[Mandinga]

Money has truly morphed the code.

 

I have and always will follow this code. You cannot be a long term reefer and not partly follow this code.