Reefdepot, (a high end LFS in Singapore) with conjunction with a friend (Ace) had invited me to present my corals at the show. They had prepared a 100 gallon tank to display my corals. It was a perfect opportunity to showcase my corals and introduce them to the Singapore reefers!
Reefdepot is the main distributor of Giesemann lighting products in Singapore. The booth was sponsored by them and had two representatives there.
Reefdepot guys showcasing some new Deltec skimmers. Like I said before, the Reefdepot guys are into high end equipment!
Authorized dealer for Bubble king too!
Various Giesemann lighting systems on display, and on sale!
Spare Red Dragon pumps anyone?
So this was one of the popular displays. A little Red Dragon pump running silent but working like a giant 2 horsepower Baldor!
And here is our display. The tank is a Giesemann and so are the lights. The artificial rockwork in the background was also provided by Giesemann.
A close up of some of my corals. Check out the rare green-blue base pumpkin eyed Acanthastrea echinata on the right - way cool!
My flyer on top of the display tank designed by my friend Ace. Pretty good for having only a few days to make one and business cards - thanks Ace!
And here is Ace, my friend and customer. Actually he was the first to introduce my corals to the Singapore reefers. Now he has closed down his retail shop and does mostly design and setups of high end reef tanks. He is a new concept kind of a guy, and is extremely talented in designing out systems. He was the one behind the famous reef tank with three plasma tv's that stole the show at the 2005 Aquarama. I actually stayed until closing time to get a peek at how the tv's were put into the aquarium. I'll post some pictures and some of his other works at a later post.Ace's company is called Halequin Marine and he can be contacted at sales@harlequinmarine.com. Actually it is Ace that put this whole thing together with me and Reefdepot guys. The demand for my corals was such a big hit though, that Reefdepot will soon be carrying my corals in Singapore!
Another vendor sharing our booth was marketing these wave makers. Made in the USA and awesome!
Couple of tanks to show how the VorTech works. The corals were actually swaying left to right with this magical wavemaker!
I didn't notice any Korean vendors back in the 2005 show, but this time around, a whole block was dedicated to the kimchee loving (including me) guys!
Many of the Korean vendors were into airstones, but these particular guys were actually breeding ornamental marine fish! They are located in the Jeju Island, an island off of Southern Korea.
Ah, a vendor that we are all familiar with - JBJ. From chillers to "nano cubes", these Chinese made products are really popular in the USA.
Another high end product vendor - Tropic Marin!
Clipper machines! Wish we had one here in Indo. I'll take the one in the background, the manual one. I can see the mechanical ones rusting out and being useless under the humid conditions of Indo.
Lot of books and magazines for sale!
Not sure what brand these were, but it seems like many skimmers look like the ever so popular Euroreefs!
Asian made LED - actinic combos! These weren't around when I was into retailing. Wonder how they work? Sure is bright enough though!
Some beautiful white polka dotted freshwater stingrays!
I think these are called "Motoros" and are highly illegal in the states. But they are gorgeous!
An Asian arowana breeder specializing in white morphs!
I remember back at the 2005 show, where a white silver arowana was so special and desired. But now, I see Asian arowanas in white! Note these are not the albino type with pink eyes.
So this was strange. Goldfish swimming around with nemo!
Couldn't quite figure out what the vendor was selling, but they seemed to have a magic formula to keep fresh and saltwater fish swimming together!
This vendor was presenting all kinds of water treatments. From bacteria to ammonia removers to medications, they had a whole line of goods. Funny thing is that the company has been around for a long time, making mostly products for pond keeping though. They are a US company, now marketing their products in Asia! Many interests, especially from exporters here in Indo are wanting these products. The problem is that there is a law that prohibits any chemical or liquid products entering Indonesia from other countries. 
I picked up some samples and will be experimenting with them. One particular product that caught my attention is the ammonia remover. I will be trying this product with friends in Bali to see if we can lower doas on fish. 
Fish competition is always a big draw to these kind of shows.
From discus to flowerhorns to arowanas to bettas to goldfish to guppies - the best looking guys from the species are represented here.
Here is my favorite freshwater fish - the Asian arowana - also known as the Dragon fish! Small specimens can still sell for thousands in the US. They are still banned, and don't really know why. All other countries have lifted the ban on these beautiful "Feng Shui" fish!
A reef tank competition!
This display is simple and open, but probably could have gotten more brownie points if it had some fish.
I liked the layout on this tank the best. Plenty of space for fish to swim around, but again no fish!
Ah yes finally some fish! The school of yellow tangs contrast with the corals and rockwork well.
If I was the judge, this tank would have won first place. I've been in sections of the reef where the corals literally were growing on top of each other, like this one. Plus the fact that it was dominated by acros and it was presented by a friend:)
This tank was interesting. Whoever set it up had in mind to present a message. Too small to read so I have typed it out below:Lions in the ocean?
Invasion of its species!
Oh look how they are reproducing!
Now they're even in US Coastal waters!
Florida was where it all started.
It seems they're spreading fast!
So we should really stop releasing them!
Hold on to your lionfish!
Some friends from Aquarama. To my left is Bob Fenner, founder of wet web media. I met bob several years ago when me and the local reef club sponsored him to do a talk. He is like a walking fish and coral encyclopedia! To my right is the famous Leng Sy. He is famous for his montipora capricornis, known as the Leng Sy cap. He is known for his company, Ecosystems and products like miracle mud. Now he is going to be super famous for his new magazine! It is called Reeflife, and I had the privilege to check out the first issue. Beautiful pictures from Scott Michaels! One more thing, Julian Sprung was also here at the show, doing a presentation. I tried to track him down after wards and say hello but couldn't find him:( Oh well, maybe I'll see him at MACNA this year.
And here is another famous guy, at least in Asia he is! This is ChingChai, the founder of the Siam Reef Club, in Thailand. He is an avid reefer and his dedication to the hobby is well noted from all over Asia. His tank was featured on Reef Central's tank of the month, last year May. He is into sps, and I will be looking for some nice rare pieces to go into his magnificent tank! Great job on spreading the reef hobby in Thailand ChingChai. He has invited me to come visit him, and I will in the future!
Wow what a surprise! I have been talking to these guys for a while through e-mail about how to import in corals from Indo. And all of a sudden they show up at Aquarama! They didn't know I was going to be here and I didn't know they were coming. It was a pleasant surprise. What a bunch of nice dedicated reefers these guys were. They have an LFS promoting the hobby in the Philipines! Go check out their website. It was weird, these guys were talking to me like I was some sort of a celebrity or something. But it was great meeting you guys - Justin, Edwin, Randell, Raymond, and Wiley, keep in touch and I will go visit you guys one day!
It was a strange coincidence meeting up with this old chap from Australia. His name is Gary and he is a diver/collector/exporter. I didn't know it but it turned out we have a mutual friend in the US. Gary supplies to a friend of mine. So in no time we were talking like old buddies! Gary had come to Aquarama to get customers in Asia. I know his products are top knotch. If anyone is interested in great Aussie corals, outside of the United States, contact me at joylucktp2000 and I will give you Gary's contact. I have some pictures that he gave me and I will ask permission to post them on my blog. One day, I hope to visit Gary as well and go coral collecting with him!Conclusion
Ok guys that is it for this topic. Again I like to thank Ace, Nelson (Reefdepot), and Giesemann for letting me present my corals at Aquarama 2009. It was fun and a great experience. Maybe we can get together next year for Interzoo ha! ha!
I'm heading out to Bali in the morning for hunting for aquacultures. I will go back to posting regularly, I promise!
Also I took some videos at the show, but can't seem to upload. The internet connection is so bad that it keeps going in and out. Oh well, it looks like I will be sharing lots of videos when I get back to the US.
Cheers,
Eddie
1 comment:
WOW!! I like your blog very very much, Pls let me know any update from your blog. :-).
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