CT Frag Farmer's Market - 3/2/19
 

It's back! The biggest single day coral show in the U.S! With over 60 coral vendors, and a bunch of dry goods companies as well, you will not find a bigger selection of corals anywhere. I already have a great list of coral vendors coming out, including some of the big name favorites and a TON of hobbyists as well.
I do have some space open for "dry goods" companies to set-up, if any of the manufacturers or small reef-related businesses are interested. The set-up "fee" is too good to pass up... Shoot me a PM if you are interested in having a table.
See you all at the FFM in March!
-Jon

The seller list for the FFM is full, as of now, with a waitlist to get a table. It includes some AMAZING sellers this year!

I just got word that Caribsea will be supplying the water for the Frag Farmer's Market again. With 60+ coral vendors, all wanting just a little water, that is no small thing! Thanks to Betsey and the crew down at Caribsea for helping out again this year, and for their continued support of the E.O. Smith Coral Project!

Just putting the last few touches on the seller list for this year. It is another HUGE list of sellers for this year's FFM!

Here is the vendor list for the 2019 FFM...

Corals + Livestock
AC Corals
Alex's Advanced Aquatics
Aquatic Creations
Aquadreams
RozArt Corals
AZNnutty's Saltwater Connections
Blake's Aquaden
Blastomaster
Blue View Aquatics
Cheesy Corals
Coralcruze
Koral Craze
Coral Reef Connection
Covey's Coral Cove
Credable Coral Labs
Cully's Corals
DBReef
Dr. Salomon Corals
E.O. Smith Coral Project
Elmafioso52988
Exotic Fish and Corals
Fish Ninja
Frank180Reef
FUPA
Greg Demos - Aquacultured Acropora
Greg Hiller
Greg's Corals
Rick Correira
Headie Corals
Jason Foxx
King Pin Coral
Kwong1998
Back Woods Reefs
Manny Cabral
Marine Science Magnet School
Matt Spaulding
Mike Herbas
Micheal Reeve (Underwater Bliss)
Tidal Wave Aquatics
Mod Corals
Mocorals
No Comp Clowns
NY Coral King
Ocean State Aquatics
Pablo
Pacific East Aquaculture
Paulywalnuts
Pieces of the Ocean
Pop Corals
Reef Creations
Reef Junkies
Reef Shine Guys
Reef Trends
Rich Beck Jr.
Rick W.
RTMA Corals
Rudy Batara
School of Fish
Roaming Reefer
SickNTwisted Corals
Son and Sand
SteelerMike
Supreme Reefs
Talon's Cove
Tank Breakers
Tidal Wave Aquatics
The Reef Shoppe
TJM Corals
Triggreef
TSM Corals
Ultimate Corals
Usctom
Wet Pets
Zooanthids.com

Clubs
Boston Reefers
CTARS
LIRA
NY Reefs

Schools
Hall High School
Natchaug Elementary School
Marine Science Magnet School

“Dry Goods” CompaniesAgcore Technologies
Brightwell
Caribsea
Cobalt Aquatics
Colchester Pet
Credible Coral Labs Art
Dirks
Fritz
GHL
Kimmies Cupcakes
Mike's Phyto
Monti Caps
Mystic Aquarium
Neptune Systems
Polyp Labs
Quality Marine
Reef Breeders
Reef Nutrition
Reef Rax
Reef Shine
Reef Trends
Reef Weeds
Rock Hard Reefs
Sea Chem
Tropic Marin

Fantastic list, can't wait to go this year

100+ vendors, more coral vendors than at any other show, great speakers, door prizes, a HUGE raffle, a painting session with Rachel from Reef Weeds, a cornhole tournament with the Reef Shine Guys, only a $5 admission, and all the proceeds go to support the coral project at the school! My students and I have been working hard to get this whole thing together. Hope to see all of you at E.O. Smith High School in Storrs CT on March 2nd!

Less than 2 weeks to go before the biggest single day show in the US!

https://i.ibb.co/fqD20qp/FFM-Room-Map-2019.jpg

Here is the map for the day (as of now...)

Rounding up the last of the sticks, softies and nems I will be bringing. Who's is ready for a great show!https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...cab92f6056.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...e02dcec3d6.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...d7a8df2a87.jpg

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

Nice! Thanks Matt. Just a small sample of the sweetness that will be at the FFM in a week!

https://i.ibb.co/NZ0SZD4/moas.png
Look what came in the mail yesterday! Jon from Boston Aqua Farms is sponsoring a FFM contest this year. We are going to do a year long Moai topiary contest. You take one home, grow whatever you want on it for the year, take pics and share them with me. The winner will get a Boston Aqua Farms prize pack and a FFM GC for the 2020 FFM. Sign up by PM'ing me here and get on the list to get a Custom FFM Moai. Moai must be picked up at the FFM this coming March 2 to be eligible!

https://i.ibb.co/W2X6Mv3/eye-candy-2019.jpg
The eye candy that is being posted up in the FB group has been CRAZY. I can't seem to convince the vendors to post here so here is a sampling of what has been posted there by sellers at the FFM to show off what they are bringing...
Less than a week to go, 100+ vendors, not a show to miss!!!

Who's pumped for this event.....over 60 coral vendors in one spot....not to mention all the dry goods, artwork, equipment and reef related items!!!

Only a few days to go before the biggest single day swap in the whole US! Anyone even close to CT should give the Frag Farmer's Market a shot. If you have never come out, you will not be disappointed. With close to 80 coral vendors, (over 100 total), there are more corals at the FFM than at any other swap for sure. If you have come out in the past, you are already coming out, so I will see you there!

Here are some of the FFM FAQ…


"I have to drive 3 hours to get to the Frag Farmers, is it really worth it?"
-I always look at a big show this way; I drive an hour to go to some of the shops I like best. What if I could drive 3 to see all of the fish stores in one place. With almost 80 coral vendors this year, this is the single largest grouping of corals you can find anywhere. No conference, no show, no swap focuses on just corals like the FFM. With a number of vendors similar to a RAP, or MACNA, but a $5 entrance fee (and SUPER low vendor fee). The room after room of corals at the FFM is overwhelming, even to me and I have been at them all!


“How do I get tickets?”
Admission is $5 and spouses and kids under 12 are free! All sales are at the door for the FFM. There are no advanced sales.


"Will there be high end Zoas and SPS at the FFM?"
-Yes, there are a TON of high end Zoas and SPS at the FFM, sold by many of the vendors. The FB group for the event has been blowing up with “Who is brining (Fill in crazy name here) to the show?” and a few different people coming who have it answering. I see things at the FFM that I didn’t even know existed…


"Can I find easy to keep corals? I have a new tank and am just looking to fill some space."
-Yes, that is there too. Lots of the hobbyists farm easy stuff, GSP, mushrooms, leathers, xenia, etc... Our school project keeps mainly easy to keep stuff and would be happy to share!


"What are the typical prices at the FFM?"
-The prices at the FFM tend to be better than you will find elsewhere for three reasons. One, the shops always stock up to sell at shows and give better pricing than you would see in their store, or online. They often do package deals, 5 for $50, etc... Secondly, the buy-in for shops is so low, they don't feel the pressure to make back their set-up fee. Typical shows this size charge $1000's for the space, mine is still well under $100, and only $30 for hobbyists. People always ask why don't I charge more, and the answer is I'm not in this for the money. I just want to be able to run my coral project with the kids at the school. Lastly, with so many vendors, you can find the same coral at multiple stations. That competition causes better prices. Frags range anywhere from free (yes that happens!) all the way up to $1000+.


"Do vendors accept credit cards?"
-Some do, some don't. Most of the shops do but some of the hobbyists do not. I always suggest cash, it’s a sure thing.


“How much money should I bring?”
This is a tricky question. Let me give you a word problem to describe it (sorry it's a teacher thing):

When you leave home, you have $X you are planning to spend. You spend it in the first room of the FFM (there are 16 this year) You see five other things you want in the next room. You visit the ATM across the street and take out $Y for those pieces. Your cooler now weight Z lbs. You leave having spent $X + $Y, and wishing you had bought that one other frag that you had never seen before. How long will your wife make you sleep on the couch when she finds out how much money you spent? and can you see the tank from the couch?

Seriously, I always suggest that people bring 2-3X what they think they will spend. The deals and variety are too good to pass up at the FFM.

“Should I bring a cooler?”
Yes, bring a cooler. The good news is that you don’t have to lug it around all day. The FFM has added a FREE cooler check station. The volunteers at the station will watch your cooler for you all day. If you need to drop something off, just stop by the table and throw it into your cooler! Don’t worry your stuff will be safe at the cooler station.


"Is there a raffle?"
Yes there is. It is one of the biggest you will see at a swap with anything from rock to supplements, fish to coral, controllers to pumps, to AIO tanks, and a TON more! Raffle tickets are for sale all day at the FFM.


"Where does all the money from the FFM go?"-Unlike most shows, ALL of the proceeds go to support the E.O. Smith High School Coral Project. I teach my students about corals, aquaculture and conservation by having them help me run the schools coral farm. The FFM has become so successful that I have been able to start helping other schools get going with similar projects in their classrooms. I have also used the proceeds from the FFM to give out $3000 in scholarships over the last four years to students who are going to college to study marine science.


See you all in a few days!

Jon

A few people have asked about the snow predictions and the FFM. Looks like we are going to get a few inches, no big deal for a New Englander and certainly no reason to hunker down like the world is ending...

2019 FFM attendance was 1479 people!!! Up again this year.
Next year's FFM is on March 7th, 2020 - always the first Saturday of March!