Anthony Calfo's Wake-up Call

[KingFish]

Finally, a noted dignitary in the hobby and industry outlines the grotesque trend of this hobby, and how the industry toys with misguided hobbyist. In his words:

"This article is about unoriginal thinking, nefarious merchant practices and misguided consumer habits."

It is a very enlightening article, some points noted is well in the heart of a minority in the marine hobby community. Please find some time to read it at:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-02/ac/index.htm

[KingFish]

In summary, the following points are as follows:

Hobbyists who regard themselves as 'progressive' who owns expensive equipment (because they can afford them) and buys livestock which are in vogue.

In local context, proceeds to flaunt them in public, thereby creating a hype which will start with a wild demand which the LFS quickly exploit by driving up prices.

Worse still are those scumbags taking pale, stressed and or bleached cnidarians and offering them as “rare” pink, yellow or white specimens. It’s profoundly ironic to pay a premium price to an unworthy seller for an inferior specimen.

The minority here will agree to that.

Ironic is the word to use since the buyer who creates the hype may well for paying premium prices for an inferior specimen which he/she does not understand well enough in the first place.

[KingFish]

Then there is the 'silly obsession with over-engineered skimmers', or may equipments in general, is very much the obsession and object of senseless competition within the local hobby community.

[KingFish]

The article is straightforward, delivered in manner which is almost like hearing it over a nice cuppa.

So agree or agree, this is the lowdown of this hobby.

[35Cents]

A very blunt and factual write but nonetheless enlightening. Love the part on the too-rich-yet-too-fickle-and-mindless-reefer, its a real reflection on what's going on.

[riot]

Oh crud and I was thinking of upgrading to a bigger HS.

[Achilles Tang]

Very very enlightening indeed! Bravo!

[Clownfish]

that's veri true indeed! i rem someone posted on his bleached ricordia florida as a rare buy!

[AlfaRomeo]

A very true reflection of whats going on in the local market. The latest trend is ... can anyone say 'Dwarf Angels?'

[roidan]

yah man....there are always leaders and followers around

that's why i stopped posting corals altogether...when i started the hobby i bought blastos and pratas at 20plus to 30plus even for red ones and after people see juicy pictures in local and overseas sites, went up a few folds ...

geee....i was telling my friend...wonder if one day will leathers be sold at sps prices maybe a few juicy macro shots of leathers will do the trick

[RAV-65]

Well, in fairness to some of the younger/newer reefers... I used to tink the white hammer coral is rare until I discovered that it's bleached... we all need time to learn about this hobby which requires vast amounts of knowledge...

[Achilles Tang]

Remember the rare Merlettis?

[RAV-65]

A very true reflection of whats going on in the local market. The latest trend is ... can anyone say 'Dwarf Angels?'

Now, who are the guilty ones?!?!?!

Opps! I just got a dwarf angel lately... but I've always loved Golden Angels...

[roidan]

Remember the rare Merlettis?

oh yah....

exotic to some selected few.....but weird it wasn't much of a trend seriously to the general reefers..

but nonetheless we see coral trends, fish trends, skimmer trends....and now, even giving up the hobby is becoming a trend

[Achilles Tang]

Really?? Damn!

Okie... I QUIT too!!

Seriously, that article does reveal a lot of truth and it applies not only in the US but also here in SG... it's probably worse here I think... Our KS mentality can be quite alarming....

But Roidan... does that quad-beckett thingy... ahem... hee hee.... Waahahahaahaha!!!!

[roidan]

shhhhhhhhhhhh....only running 1 atomic-splitting pump now hor

but then seriously...quite a number of us failed his skimmer criteria already...look around us...who has skimmers worth more than USD600 in their systems...

and i think he cannot expect a large home aquarium or public aquarium to run on tiny skimmers can he? seriously comes down to what one needs to keep what he is keeping.

given such an environmental tone he is portraying in his article, shouldn't he be lobbying against performance cars that burn tons of gasoline and adding more to pollution than our cleaner-in-comparison skimmers?

it's akin to saying everyone should just drive small cars, or rather, dun drive at all and ride bicycles

[DeepBlue]

not bad....my skimmer cost less and fits into 1/3 of a sump space....

BTW...I used to buy red pratas at $30 to $40 ...

[roidan]

yah man..

blastos only 20odd those days.....then came the prata fever, yuma fever, blasto fever.....then morphed to acans fever....

nowadays better buy what you like before the next trend catches on, you never know if what you like will be the Next In-Thing

[Dispar_Anthias]

I always love dwarfy... Just that nowadays got more rare ones den started on them.... Anyone say AT and tangs

Eh what abt red cynarina.... red blastomussa.... hmm i remember moorish idol.... ric..... acans(especially lords).... oh ya and zoos(forgive me )

heng ah my skimmer also cost less too lol:

[Dispar_Anthias]

yah man..

blastos only 20odd those days.....then came the prata fever, yuma fever, blasto fever.....then morphed to acans fever....

nowadays better buy what you like before the next trend catches on, you never know if what you like will be the Next In-Thing

ya loh all you need is someone to post a few pic den everyone start cheonging liao.... so from today onwards.. those with super lens and DSLR camrea ban from taking pic and post in this forum

hmm urchin craze

[RAV-65]

Okie okie... I got ore confessions to make... I always wanted a blasto after seeing a specimen at a reefer's house and I went bonkers over blastos when it started re-surfacing in the market after a long absence!!

Cyanrinas too!!

[Dispar_Anthias]

Really?? Damn!

Okie... I QUIT too!!

Seriously, that article does reveal a lot of truth and it applies not only in the US but also here in SG... it's probably worse here I think... Our KS mentality can be quite alarming....

But Roidan... does that quad-beckett thingy... ahem... hee hee.... Waahahahaahaha!!!!

no lah bro roidan skimmer not trend... cos his no name.. just abit oversize

[roidan]

maybe next is leather craze?

ask weileong macro a few leathers super super swee and soon leathers will start to sell at sps prices ................now that we mention it...

WHAT ARE YOU WAITINGGGGGGGG FOR!!!!

faster go buy the leathers

dispar, bo bian hor...if i use the green and earth-friendly skimmers that the author advocate, i would have long given up on this hobby...because all my fishes would have died

[Dispar_Anthias]

yah man..

blastos only 20odd those days.....then came the prata fever, yuma fever, blasto fever.....then morphed to acans fever....

nowadays better buy what you like before the next trend catches on, you never know if what you like will be the Next In-Thing 

Ya.. so who are those that are responsible for the lps and yuma price inflation.. Hmm i think i know who liao

But surprise sps fever still there but the craze nv get overboard like lps or yuma....

[roidan]

dispar

and remember after buy liao, dun post....if not everyone's tank will start looking like each other's

remember you told me how come some reefers tanks look so similar to each other?