3 Tips for Successful Frag & Equipment Swaps

One of the best ways to meet fellow saltwater tank owners and reef keepers ( tank owners that keep coral in their tanks) and to make a little money off your tank is to attend a frag swap.

A frag swap is like a saltwater tank garage sale. They are usually hosted at either someone’s house, or in a public venue and tank owners bring equipment, coral frags and (sometimes fish) to trade or sell. As a buyer, frag swaps can be a great place to get used gear as you get to see the item up close in personal and for coral frags, everything is what you is what you get (WYSIWYG). WYSIWYG items are reef keeper’s favorites as you can check the frag for health, size and color without relying on photographs which can be, well, Photoshopped.

Today I’m going to focus on the selling side of the frag swap equation and how to take care of your buyers so you get maximum bang for your buck. In a later post, I’ll talk about the buying side of the equation.

Here are 3 tips for a successful frag swap:

#1: Take photos of the item in action and in your tank.

If you are selling a piece of equipment, by all means take the time to clean the equipment before the frag swap. However, before you take the item off your tank, take a couple of pictures of it in action and on your tank. This way buyers will get to see that your item actually works as described and for things like lights, buyers will get to see how the lights would look on their tank. Once you have your picture, clean the item up, dry it off and bring any original documents/owners manuals with you to the swap.

For coral frag swappers/sellers, take a picture of the frag and preferably the mother colony in your tank under your lights. The reason for this is that the coral will always look best under tank lights. Also, frags tend to lose their color when it gets tossed in a bag and hauled to a frag swap. Most of all, aquarium lights are made to have your corals look GREAT. Sunlight and indoor lighting has the opposite effect – frags always look brown (and therefore ugly). Post the picture on the frag swap thread on your local club’s website and bring a picture of the frags in your tank to the frag swap with you. Remember, buyers want to know what they are getting so by bringing the picture, they’ll get an idea of how the frag looks in an actualy tank.

#2: Let people know what you are bringing ahead of time.

Auctions do this all the time – they have a “preview day” or a preview catalouge to let potential buyers know what will be for sale in the auction. Buyers then can decide what they want ahead of time.

You can use the same strategy for selling your frags/equipment. In the frag swap announcement thread on your club’s message board, let people know what you are going to be selling/trading. Potential buyers can then know what you are selling so they can come straight to you if you have what they want. If there isn’t a frag swap thread, start one! Great headlines include – “What I’m bringing to the frag swap”, “Lots of stuff that has to go”, “Fully healed frags this weekend”

#3 Fresh cut isn’t great in the coral world

Fresh cut frags are not as favorable as fully healed and encrusted frags. A fresh cut frag of coral is stressed from being cut, glued and re-positioned in the tank and will be more succeptable to rapid tissue necrosis (RTN) and death. Encrusted frags show buyers and traders that the coral is healthy, growing and has maximum chance of survival.

Yes, cutting frags weeks ahead of the frag swap, storing them and then letting them grow out takes some effort, but when you are known for selling and trading top quality (i.e. fully encrusted frags), you will get better prices for your frags and your buyers will be happier because their purchases will have a better chance of living.

Frag swaps are a great place to meet new saltwater tank owners in your area and to sell/trade/buy equipment/corals/fish. By using these tips, you will be taking care of your buyers which makes for a great transaction for them, and more money (and frags) in your pocket.

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