first time going to my local aquarium club meeting, what do I bring?

[jen_93]

So my LFS has a flyer up for the local aquarium society meeting this Saturday, 7pm at the community center. I've only been in the hobby like 8 months and I've never been to one of these things. Do people actually bring fish? Or is it just a talk and hang out situation?

I've got a planted 20 gallon with some tetras and a betta. Low tech, nothing fancy. Kinda worried I'll show up and be the only one without a giant reef tank lol.

Also the flyer mentions a "frag swap" but I'm freshwater, so does that even apply to me? Should I bring cash just in case there's a raffle? I always see people on here talking about club raffles and I don't wanna be that person with no money when they pull a canister filter.

[sarah_2891]

I've been to a few of these and honestly it's way more casual than you're picturing. Nobody's judging your 20 gallon. Half the people there are growing plants in buckets, and the reef guys are usually the most excited to talk to anyone who asks them anything lol.

Frag swap is technically salt stuff but most clubs I've been to run a general auction or swap table right alongside it. People bring plant trimmings, culls, dry goods, random stuff they dug out of the garage. I'd bring cash, yeah. Not just for the raffle. There's usually a table with $5 bags of plants and someone selling a beat up filter for cheap. First meeting I went to I walked out with a bag of java moss and a bucket of ramshorn snails I did NOT ask for, haha. Learned a hard lesson about saying "sure I'll take some" too eagerly.

Bring a small cooler or even just a tupperware if you think you might grab anything live. And don't be shy about asking what's in the bags before you buy, some of those "free plants" come with a whole ecosystem.