CMAS Info

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I have to say that I have been so blind to the fact of the amount of information that is now available in the Reef Hobby. Today I joined the local Chicagoland Marine Aquarium Society (CMAS) and attended a meeting with speaker Allen LaPointe from the Shedd Aqaurium. Allen was an entertaining speaker unlike speakers in the same field of water chemistry explaining some intensely complex and often boring subject matter. I have lived in Chicago my whole life and learned more about the Shedd Aqaurium from Allen than I have throughtout my last 32 years. His presentation, full of slides to quickly oraginze his thoughts jamming years of information in a quick 3 hours.

During today's meeting they had a raffle for all that attended dwith donations from Matt of Sho Tank Aquariums a local supporter of CMAS. Matt was kind to donate a retrofit 4ft x 4 T5 bulbs and ballast, a Spectrapure RO unit, and a $100 gift certificate to his store. I have never been there as it is far from home, but i will be going soon. I never win anything, never have. Today as a new CMAS member I won the Spectrapure RO unit The significance here is that I just forked out $300 for a 5 stage unit from the same company. What to do? Thanks Matt of Sho Tank Aquariums. Can't wait to come to the store.

In the near future, CMAS is hosting Reed Mariculture at a local pizza place for a discussion and dinner. CMAS is having a frag swap(80 or so members and a bunch of frags) a week later. I had no idea 15 miles from my home is a very convenient networking group of reefers all for $15 a year.

Which brings me to my next part of the day visiting a local store, a little bit farther than I usually travel, but worth it. A large diverse display of some beautiful SPS corals that they are willing to frag and very competent employees. The name of the store is Aqautic Reef. Wow, I came home with a blue tipped Montipora verrucosa. Gorgeous Very reasonable price(and 15% off from CMAS and 5 % from Noel of Aquatic Reef) for a hard to find monti in an LFS. I have to say that there are hardly any SPS tanks in the Chicago area that I have seen. I also got some Phytopheast and Oyster eggs for 10% off as a CMAS member. Noel asked me as many questions as I to him. He was just as curious what was in my tanks as I was with his. You rarely see this in the LFS stores these days. Thanks Noel from Aquatic Reef.

Wow, what a day. I found a great LFS that I will frequent over the next coming months and a local reefing organization that has already paid for itself. Thank you so much to CMAS, Sho Tank Aquariums, and definitely Noel from Aqautic Reef.

[gwen_o_lyn]

Very cool! I always tell people to join their local reef club. You always come out ahead! Congrats on your new toy and frag!!

[CarmieJo]

Good deal Jim. I save the cost of my membership fee in the local club in about one trip to the lfs.

[BrianPlankis]

Jim,

I'm so glad you found CMAS, I was a member up there for a little over a year and really liked that group. Everyone is far flung up there with Chicago being so big, but when they get a group together they do cool stuff!

I do miss CMAS and having access to John Brandt and many other good names. Of course I can't complain, I live 30 mins from Eric Borneman

Brian

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Very cool Brian. I just starte Eric's book, Aquarium Corals, and have learned plenty already. I would love to pick his brain.

I visited ShoTank Aquariums in Mundelein(provider of raffle prizes, and Matt substituted the RO unit for a $150 gift certificate. I got a beautiful Pink Pocillipora Damicornus(3" colony) and a small 1" Squamosa(I know they are tough and I will feed it regularly), and some Red Reef Food, and I still have $65 left over for a future visit. Very cool. CMAS is starting to seem like Christmas to me.