What was your impression of RAP today?

[WayneL333]

That A.G.E. show tank was badass!
I know who I'm ordering my tank from. The quality was 10/10. That 36" depth

Caveat emptor with them. As a customer, I did not have a good experience with them. Their craftsmanship was subpar and it took FOREVER to get my tank which was ordered through Aaron at the SPS store.

 

[Confuse]

Caveat emptor with them. As a customer, I did not have a good experience with them. Their craftsmanship was subpar and it took FOREVER to get my tank which was ordered through Aaron at the SPS store.

That sucks Wayne. I wonder why they have such great reviews then. Seems like the farther you are, the worse the customer service.

 

[pirate2876]

I found a acros similar shaped to a Strawberry Shortcake, but with crazy darker rainbow colors from Unique, I think they called it Kalidescope Acro. .

Was it 200 bucks? I was going back and forth on getting that one. I settled on 2 amazing unnamed acro from them. They really had some nice stuff.

 

[dattack]

That A.G.E. show tank was badass!
I know who I'm ordering my tank from. The quality was 10/10. That 36" depth

I am not a metal welding expert but you think the white powder coated rim on their tank was nice? Seems to be subpar i thought.

 

[WayneL333]

I am not a metal welding expert but you think the white powder coated rim on their tank was nice? Seems to be subpar i thought.

Yeah, that was one of my issues. Their 'powder coat' on the metal frame seemed like a coat of rustoleam.

 

[MadMax]

Yeah, that was one of my issues. Their 'powder coat' on the metal frame seemed like a coat of rustoleam.

I wasn't there to see it, but as an ex-aircraft painter once upon a time, I CAN state that the powder coating process is usually pretty reliable in appearance and consistency. (there are surprisingly few variables, quite the opposite of automotive paint jobs, etc)
I'd bet good money that the stand was hurried at the last minute to get it finished in time for the show, thus you may be 100% accurate about it being a simple Rustolean job

 

[puggsli]

Was it 200 bucks? I was going back and forth on getting that one. I settled on 2 amazing unnamed acro from them. They really had some nice stuff.

They wanted $ 225 when I asked. I hate how seller's change the price. Others paid less from what I hear.

 

[gus6464]

Just went today and I found all the frags to be meh at kinda high prices but I did get an awesome deal on an advanced acrylics sump with triple socks, adjustable skimmer height, quad dosing lines, probe holder, and built-in ATO container. I was excited to go to clam mania booth as last year they had a ton of huge maximas but this year all they had were teeny tiny ones.

 

[BeanMachine]

I am not a metal welding expert but you think the white powder coated rim on their tank was nice? Seems to be subpar i thought.

Yeah, that was one of my issues. Their 'powder coat' on the metal frame seemed like a coat of rustoleam.

That stand was not made by AGE just to let you guys know.

 

[WayneL333]

That stand was not made by AGE just to let you guys know.

We weren't talking about the stand, or at least I wasn't. I was talking about the metal frames on the top and bottom of the tank.

 

[LAreefguy]

I actually got to go sat. morning an unplanned drop in. I love the show 2nd year going. Its a great atmosphere and so many great things going on. I do have to say I wish that there was more actual fish for sale and rare ones at that. Yea I understand how hard the process is with fish as apposed to coral but that whole sea and reef tank would have been emptied of all those fish if they were for sale. Yes tongs and seaside come with fish packed in bags but personally I wouldn't buy a fish from a bag if I can't even see it swim and clearly see its body. I loved the labouti tank

 

[WayneL333]

That stand was not made by AGE just to let you guys know.

I actually find it funny that you mentioned this too because I found it ironic they had a non-AGE stand in their booth as one of their warranty policies is that the stand has to be made by them or they can't warranty the tank.

 

[gumbii]

long 3 days for me... i had a blast... but i always do... was cool kicking it with LARS, SCRK, crystal and bogdan, jimmy, matt and ashley, dave, brent and katia, wally, greg carol, phil, the guys at legendary corals, robert (adrock) and friends LOL, and others...


got a glance at sanh and oscar... that right there was worth the gas... LOL...


scored a small starfire tank from the fluval guy... he ended up giving me all sorts of stuff to start up another planted tank... LOL... jason didn't want to take me to his store.... even after i jumped in his truck....





























also... i was surprised how everyone was very firm on their prices... especially at the last hour... no deals were had... but i ran out of money, so i don't care... LOL...

 

[cowboycove]

Never been. But f-$k rap. I let Tim hit rap then I hit Tim. Lol. Just left with 20 frags.

 

[josebelthobby]

mine was

[MENTION=3628]BeanMachine[/MENTION] Cody vapin .....lol I told him Cody stop you gonna die...lol been honest must of the stuff was a little pricey....always great show a lot of .information nice meeting new people.... and learned about the new stuff ... like the new pump from Neptune...

 

[pciscott]

The AGE tank was bad ***, I helped unload it into Greg's house this evening. PVC bottom and the steel bracing on top and bottom sealing that tank up so a panel could never pop off. I too would have picked black to coat the braces, but Greg is in to the Iphone, I this I that look. I guarantee it will be spectacular quickly.

Wayne I got a nice old school Ice Fire today from a hobbyist, it is big enough to share, missed you today.

I just got home after helping vendors get out of the show and need to put my corals away.

That's a Rap

 

[WayneL333]

The AGE tank was bad ***, I helped unload it into Greg's house this evening. PVC bottom and the steel bracing on top and bottom sealing that tank up so a panel could never pop off. I too would have picked black to coat the braces, but Greg is in to the Iphone, I this I that look. I guarantee it will be spectacular quickly.

Wayne I got a nice old school Ice Fire today from a hobbyist, it is big enough to share, missed you today.

I just got home after helping vendors get out of the show and need to put my corals away.

That's a Rap

Lol! I got your drunk text today. Sorry, but after disappearing for a couple of days, I felt I needed to put in. Some family time today. I'll definitely take you up on your offer Scott. Thank you for your generosity, and I'm not just talking about the frag. I'm sure this sentiment is widely shared amongst most who is reading this. I still haven't tasted tri-tip cooked as well yours!

 

[johnwin84]

I got $2 corals from reef raft at 230ish

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

 

[SGreene]

I went there Sunday afternoon and found that everyone was willing to make a deal. Scored a 6 polyps JF Acid Reflux for $30, that's $5 a polyp, can't beat that. Picked up a few other Zoa/Paly. It was nice meeting folks that I only know by their online names. Everyone was very cool, loved it.

 

[lowbudget]

In all fairness, I doubt you'll find many sellers offering bargain basement prices; this for the following reasons:

EXPENSES: vendors have to pay hundreds of dollars for their booths, and not due to greed or unscrupulous show operators, but for the mere fact that holding an event such as MAX or RAP is UBER EXPENSIVE.
TIME: Transporting livestock to a remote venue, setting up, selling/trading, tearing down, dealing with customers, etc. etc. is extremely taxing on even the most hard-working individual
ECONOMICS: Lets be honest. The reef hobby has created a suedo-ego-driven-trendy-hype as with any other industry. So why would vendor "A" sell frags at $10 each when vendor "B" gets $15 or $20 each? The market dictates prices, not so much the seller
CONVENIENCE: Where else can you find such diverse selection under a single roof, ANYWHERE in the world?
CAMARADERIE: Where else in the world are you given the chance to pick on Gumbii??
SUBSIDIARIES: Food, speakers, raffles, workshops, demonstrations, etc. etc. are all inclusive to the Reef show experience.

Every show has its own unique character, advantages, and disadvantages.
MAX may not draw quite as many visitors, for instance, but we cater to a more family-oriented crowd by design (which carries its own advantages)
MACNA holds a banquet ceremony that neither CA show can even THINK of replicating (it is just too dammn expensive).
CFM reaches niche places in the country that none of the big shows can even think of touching. They do well by hitting much smaller venues.
and then you have the smaller frag swaps that the local clubs host. Many hobbyists have reported liking the old school frag swaps best, so there you have it!
The diversity of choices are there for all to enjoy.

wow kevin so true.