ejaustin

I'm interested. Where and when do I pick it up? ej

PM sent. ej

I have a rock with some zoas on it that has way too much algae on it. For some reason, the algae eaters in my tank have not mowed this one. I don't want an emerald crab in my tank because I'm afraid it would eventually attack my shrimp/goby pair. I'd be happy if someone would borrow it to feed a critter or two. ej

Glass Cages sells a 45 gallon that is 48 x 12½ x 17 Tall. $81. Of course, that doesn't include stand or shipping. ej

Another important point is that if you want WYSIWYG items, you should let Mark know when you decide. On previous orders, Vivid has been good about holding WYSIWYG items for people who wanted them, but you have to speak up for them to be held. ej PS Sorry, Mark. I thought it is an important thing for people new to group buys to know.

Okay, I spoke to Beth and Rachel at Pacific East. Both seem very nice and concerned with our satisfaction. Rachel said when she ran the charges the first time, she did not divvy up the box fee correctly. Since the batch hadn't been loaded, she thought it would cause less confusion to void the first charges and submit the corrected charges. You know how banks are... much quicker to reserve funds than to release them. Even so, the incorrect charge should be corrected soon (within a couple day is my guess). If you want her to, Rachel can send you a copy of the void transactions. ej

Everything in all orders appears to be present and accounted for. Also, they included a free zoa for each of us and a postcard good for 15% off our next order. The packing was good. Styrofoam with newspaper and a couple small cold packs. All the bags on the bottom of the box (not stacked). Not remarkable, but good. The bags with the goodies filled the entire box. The frags don't seem to be the oversized ones we've seen from Vivid. We'll see how they look when they open up. Daniel and I each got a 20-pack of zoa frags, so I'm interested to see what kind of selection they chose. Their site does say there could be repeats, so I'll be interested to see how many repeats. I didn't get any wysiwyg, but it will be good to hear from Yasmin and Chiu if they are happy with their wysiwyg items. Their store just opened, so I'll give them another call about the billing stuff. ej

They are here!!! And, yes, Daniel, your stuff is in the box. Also have stuff for Yasmin and Chiu. Come and get it!!! My cell phone, if you need it, is 512-497-9799. See y'all soon. ej

Since you were charged, I expect your stuff will be in the order. I'll let you know as soon as I open the box. Should be here soon. ej

Our guys are on the truck. I've called Pacific East about the double charges, but they are not open yet. My address is 7724 Croftwood Drive Austin, Texas 78749 From William Cannon and Brodie, go south on Brodie. Go through 2 intersections with traffic lights. Turn right on the next street. That's Croftwood. We are on the right. We have an unpainted picket fence. Might be a silver HHR at the curb. My red eclipse will be in the driveway. I'll let you know when the box gets here. ej

Here's the tracking information: Number of Packages 1 UPS Service: NEXT DAY AIR Weight: 20.0 LBS Tracking Number: 1ZA85T650144709992 You can track your shipment by visiting http://wwwapps.ups.com/WebTracking/process...85T650144709992 on the Internet. They never called me either. Also, someone told me he has 2 charges. I checked and I have 2 charges, too. Everyone, please check your payment method and let me know if you see a double charge as well. I will call them first thing in the morning to get them to explain / fix it. ej

Okay, I've received the tracking number, but I can't do fancy stuff like copy-and-paste with my iPhone. I'll post it later when I'm home. Will be delivered by UPS tomorrow by 10:30 am. Watch this space. ej

I'm so sorry to hear about your losses. ej

I am totally with you. I am extremely introverted (although not shy) and I find it taxing and often uncomfortable to be with people I don't know well. But not everyone is the same way. Some people find it energizing to have others around, even strangers. Even quirky strangers like me. And many people *love* the opportunity to show off their tanks with someone else who is actually interested. I do view my house as a refuge where I can relax and have soothing quiet and predictability. At the same time, I do enjoy having people over to my house as long as there aren't too many and it's not for too long. An agreed-to, brief visit is not disruptive or intrusive, even by my hypersensitive standards. Do try a meeting or two. You might enjoy them. I generally go (although this month I think I'm going to go to the coast instead), although I often come kinda of late and leave early. No one seems to mind. I don't have anything to trade and I don't have a lot to contribute to conversations. My tank is small and low-tech, my corals are few and common, and, well, I'm pretty socially awkward. Again, no one seems to mind. (I'm also intelligent and kind-hearted and creative. I don't think I'm a loser. I just recognize my own quirks.) The meetings are a bit of a stretch for me, but I think it's a good stretch. There's a forum in the classified section for group buys. azcummins has co-ordinated some with Vivid Aquariums and overall people have been very pleased with their purchases. Read a couple of the threads and you'll get an idea of how they work. (Each vendor does it a little differently.) Anyway, welcome and good luck. Don't feel like an odd duck. All kinds of people enjoy living with saltwater critters. ej

The cut off time is noon. Eastern Time, I assume. That would be 11am Central. ej

You give your payment info when you check out. They will charge you when the order ships. ej

A few years ago, I went on Big Bird's Collection Trip to Port A (does he still do that???) I tagged along with some people who had collected before. We caught several little blennies. Three of them lived happily in my tank for a year or two. (Sorry, but I have no sense of time.) We just walked down a jetty at dusk with a fine net. Where it was easy to reach, we'd stick the net in the water and then quickly close it up to the rock and then sort of slide it up the rock. We didn't get one every time, but we did get several. I've never got anything to swoon over, but I've only been the one time. ej

I believe you can use either. ej

I finally got around to placing my order. When you're checking out, there is a place for special instructions. Would be kind of hard to miss. Remember the order will close Thursday at lunchtime Eastern time. For LE items, you need to order by Wednesday lunchtime. ej

Here's the latest from Pacific East about where to put the group buy info: I'll be putting in my order this evening, so I'll be able to speak from personal experience then. Sorry for the confusion, everyone. ej

Most people use chaeto or calerpa in their fuges. You can generally find someone who will share some. Dunno what the mods would cost. ej

vwmike, I'm thinking of doing the 12 they-pick-them frags for $99. I'm interested only in zoas and mushrooms, but if you wanted to split a frag pack and get some acros or hard corals, we could do that. You'd have to take the acros or hard corals, though. I don't have the lighting to give them a chance to thrive. Let me know. ej

Yes, it is. I did give them a link to the forums. I hope they check out the thread on the last group buy from Vivid so they can see what kind of information we all share during and after the group buys. I notice they have quite a few acans and also several kinds of blue zoas. I don't think their prices are eye-popping overall, but the buy one get one could result in some great deals. I also like that most of their stock seems to be aquacultured, which means lower impact on wild reefs and a greater chance that the critters can live happily in captivity. Personally, I'll probably just get a zoa or a zoa-and-mushroom frag pack to assess the quality of the stock. I'll be interested to see what other people think. In my experience, ordering from unfamiliar on-line retailers can be a hit-and-miss proposition. That's why I tried to be clear upfront that I don't have any experience with these guys. However it goes, it will be good that ARC overall has some basis for deciding if this is a retailer people want to give their business to. ej

You could call them to talk about the requirements of the critter. Whether you buy and whether you buy *from them* are separate decisions. I don't think asking questions implies a commitment to purchase. But maybe I have bad manners in this regard??? If a business is helpful, I try to do some trade with them, but it might be something different from whatever I was asking them about. ej

It looks like they have this at Pacific East Aquaculture at this page: http://www.pacificeastaquaculture.com/Deta...d%3d83%23T1-22+ They seem like nice folks and are willing to chat on the phone. According to their site, this is from a mother colony that they've had in captivity for quite a while, so they may be able to tell you something about the requirements. We're in the process of doing a group buy from them (see the Group Buys forum). LE corals have to be ordered by Wednesday lunchtime to make it as part of the group buy. ej