January Meeting Structure Suggestions

[underWoasisjake]

Ok if you guys have seen already on the January meeting chat thread, some of you were disappointed on the length of the meeting and maybe have it more structed. So here everybody can post ideas for the January meeting maybe and also future meetings as well. Hope this thread helps out.


- personally i am still very interested in the basic sump concepts
the pros and cons of having one.
- also would be neat to learn on how to maintain parameters
such as calcium, pH
- maybe some neat tricks on how to lower nitrates and
phosphates


Some suggestions from myself on what i think would be neat to learn and hear more about.

[mitchellmoto]

Personaly I haven't had any problem with any of the meetings except the last. I admitt it was slightly short. By far the shortest so far since I've been attending. But as far as a truely structured meeting I'm sorry I'm going to leave it in everyone elses hands only becasue I'm not to much in to structure. I enjoy just meeting up and hanging out and chatting. I really enjoyed the talk and drinks after the last meeting and thank everyone who came out afterwards.

I will attend every meeting I can possibly make and since the club has started back up I believe I've only missed one and I've enjoyed every one. And I won't stop attending if it becomes more structured but since everyone is putting in their 2 cents I better throw in mine. I just won't be able to get into it too much if we just sit down and follow some pre written guide line.
And believe me when I say how much I thank Killingseed on all his hard work and find it almost amusing how Killingseed has been trying since the getgo to get the meetings more structured and everyone kept shying away from it now it seems a lot have changed minds or maybe it is just the fact we have a lot of new people.

As far as the demos I'm more into fragging and propagation methods and really not too interested in learning to much about equipment, like the last meeting the water top off didn't grab even a bit of my attention. It is such a simple idea to me. The Maxi-jet mod was ok.

Once again I'm just throwing in my 2 cents so no one take anything to personal. I believe killingseed has done a great job so far and think it is great some other people are stepping up to the plate to help and bring in more ideas but to me following a structured timetable isn't interesteing to me.
Later

[benjabba]

Since I am getting ready to start adding kalk to my tank it would be cool, for me, if we could talk about that. I have been reading up on it but it would be good, again for me, to get others perspective on it.

I also enjoy kind of just hanging out and talking but I also like product demonstrations and talking about things that are new to me.

Ben

[jmait769]

Sorry, I have not been on much as my Mom is here for Christmas and New Years but wanted to comment on this.

I have to agree with Mitch here but also we need to look to the future and see where we want this to go. Right now it has been a casual get together and I think this has grown the group more than hurt it. I think we can say we have about 30 people who attend and participate (I may be off?).

John (killingseed) has been trying to get it more structured with officers and a checkbook but this has fallen on deaf ears for the most part. This means a constitution, bylaws, dues and responsibility rests with those officers that are elected for meetings and such. Lot of info on the MASNA site which I have linked to below and John has presented at earlier meetings. Personally, I think we are close to this level and maybe we should make this a big part of the up coming meeting since more people are discussing structure. I would rather discuss this more in detail at the meeting, if everyone wants to, more than doing it online. Just my 2¢.





Jay

[killingseed]

i'll add my 2¢ when i get back.

also add that 2008 is international year of the reef!

[killingseed]

well i wrote my 2¢, but its like a page and a half of blah blah and thought it was overkill. i have wrote stuff like that for here and just never post them. i think mitchellmoto and jmait769 have narrowed it down with out me posting beyond that. if you want me to post it i will.

its like this i do ask at most meeting what people want to do and try to arrange or add to my list, which is another thread here somewhere.

[Salty Sam]

Well, you will never make everybody happy all of the time....I think there is some give and take.

Some people dont want to have officers and dues and such, others would.

On the flip side there are some that just want to trade frags and nothing else.

Then there are those that would just like to learn the hobby and gain knowledge.

Thats my Nickel worth!

[killingseed]

post it anyways.

Too much info or detail on one meeting may be overkill and we might find our self repeating things over and over again. Need to work on different aspects of hobby from equipment, fish and par. care for different meetings. Getting members to do presentation is a great way for other to learn about different things. None of us are experts or have degrees in marine biology but most of us all have experience. I do think a lot of the decision should be made by one or a small group of members. For example, a web site would be nice to have but I don’t want anyone person to set it up. In time that person could fall off the planet for one reason or another and that would leave us in a major bind. One reason I look forward to making a legal name for our group then the group would be in charge of the site and it wouldn’t have to be restarted.
I have done a lot of club chatting during the first set of meetings, but the last couple meetings I really have just let that go casual to see what people say and try to listen what they are talking about. Listening to people chat is a way to come up with other ideas for later meeting.
Allowing people to just chat is another great thing the group has to offer.
Thanks jmait769, I am not here to push making us a legit club right away. Heck I have most the paper work done and could turn it in anytime. I want to know that there is enough people and that most of us agree on what takes place for this to happen and I want other to take part I that detail so their points of views and be add to the structured the club.
It’s up to each and everyone of us to advertise the club. Met and chat with new people at some of the LFS and let them know about some of the stuff we chat or demo at the meetings. I try to chat with someone new at the LFS and tell them about the meetings.
discussing structuring I rather do during meetings only due to that fact that RC is a public open forum. There may be something that don’t concern RC or the open public.
Most meetings have lasted up to 4 hours with the exception of the last meeting where some of continued the meeting at bj bar a grill would have like to see more go with us for the after mass drink and chat. We even took a detour and checked out my tank.

[mitchellmoto]

Hey how come Sam is worth a nickel and everyone elses is 2 cents

[benjabba]

Everybody knows stuff costs more at the LFS. Even Sams .02

[starsbravo]

Well here is my 2 cents. First of all Killingseed, if you have most of the paperwork fille out to make ELPMAS an offical club, how come you dont present that during a meeting instead of just seeing how things turn out. One of the main ingredient in an effective club is communication. Maybe not some people dont want to listen to official club business and maybe some want to be a big part of the club like holding an official seat in the club. However the only way to find out is to start communicating ideas, brainstorming, and coming with solutions that would best serve not only the members in the club but the husbandry of the hobby. My main goal and platform, if it were up to me and I was heading a marine aquarium club would be the preservation of the hobby and the mastering of husbandry. Its fine and dandy to frag, trade, modify and even create new ways of reefkeeping , but I think we need to focus on how to effectively and adaquately keep marine animals in enclosed environment. Most of us do have experience in reefkeeping, but how do we really know that we are promoting optimal coral growth and husbandry? Some of us may half *** some things and other may do everything to a tee, and even some of us dont even know that we are even doing anything wrong. What I sugesst is that we create a more structured club in te sense of meeting topic and presentation. Coral frag swapping can happen at anytime at any part of the meeting so there is no sense having a meeting just to swap frags. We need to help each other out, do some research, present it at meetings so that those who are not so experienced can enjoy the same pleasures. Lets help each other out and come up with detailed schedule next meeting of what we want subsequent meetings to contain. That way there are no suprises and everybody benefits. Heck even if anybody wants to throw in a personal demostration during the meeting we still can have time. Lets make the most of our meeting time when we have it and enjoy everyones breadth of knowledge.

[rlcline76]

Well, I haven't been to the meetings yet. strayvoltage asked if I would be willing to do a demo on disease treatment. Everyone pretty much knows what ich looks like, lol. But maybe I can get something together on medicinal applications and side effects. Let me do some extra research, there is a bottle treatment for just about everything out there and I like to know my crap backwars and forwards...makes Q & A time more interesting. There is nothing like a good poisoning scare. When I am ready, I will say something...maybe we could get someone more equipment minded to get the debate started on UV Sterilization and how to blind yourself changing the bulb????? I'll want about 2 other people (Yes, even though I haven't been at a meet I will make demands! LOL) It will have to be at my house to ensure that I will attend, and there will be beer.

[Salty Sam]

Well said Josh!

[strayvoltage]

I agree, well said Josh. I also agree with the others on this subject and see each of their ways of looking at it. What I have been saying is exactly what Josh has put in words so well, or at least trying to say. I still think we need to make it as fun as we can and still have the demo's and the frag swap/trades as well as just some time for general get together and chat between the members. But the official part of the meeting should be carried out at some point for every meeting. We can all learn from eachother in some way.

I have already put together a lot of info about the pros and cons of a sump, as requested by Jake. I will share this at the next meeting if that is something that everybody would like to listen to and talk about.

Again we need to keep this fun and interesting. If it turns totally official and there isn't any fun to it then I feel we will lose members rather than gain more.

[underWoasisjake]

strayvoltage - if you guys have already talked about the pros and
cons of a sump already in a previous meeting then
that is fine, just wanted to throw some ideas out
there. Wish i would have gotten on RC sooner! =)

[strayvoltage]

Jake if it has already been talked about I am not aware of it. This is why I suggested starting a thread for ppl to post what they would like to talk about or see done at the meetings. If we don't all say what we want to learn more about or what we are interested in seeing done for a demo, then nobody will know that others want to hear about or see these things done.

[jmait769]

Jake – all you ever wanted to know!! Reefkeeping 101 – Sumps!

Jay