The E.O. Smith Coral Project Would Like to Thank...

Tropic Marin

I had contacted Lou Elkus from Tropic Marin a few years ago about coming to the Frag Farmer's Market and he was hesistant, as many companies are initially.  After finally agreeing to come out, he was so impressed and excited about the program that I have here at the school that he asked what he could do to help.  Lou offered to provide Tropic Marin salt for the program moving forward, making them the official salt sponsor of the E.O. Smith Coral Project.  With ~800 gallons of aquariums as part of the program, our salt needs have always been a HUGE concern from the start.  Tropic Marin's support of the program, in terms of salt and other chemicals, has been one of the main factors that has allowed us to keep going at the project and make it so successful. 

CaribSea

When I very first started out the program, I knew that I needed large quantities of sand and rock for my tanks.  I also knew that buying 100's of pounds of rock was going to put our meager budget too low to do anything else.  I reached out to Betsey at CaribSea very early on, as I had been using their sand for years in my own tanks.  They were amazing!  I had a few hundred pounds of rock and sand at the school the following week.  They have been HUGE supporters of the program from the very start, helping us out with sand, rock, rubble, etc...   When I reached out to them about taking part in the Frag Farmer's Market, they were more than williing there as well!  Betsey and the group down at CaribSea have been supplying the FFM with water the past few years, as the event has grown into the biggest single day event in the country.  That along with their donations into the raffle have been an enormous help in making the FFM and the E.O. Smith Coral Project such a success.  Purple-up at the FFM has become a tradition that people actually ask about each year!  Thanks to Betsey and the whole crew down at Caribsea for their continued support.

ReefBreeders

Lighting in a reef tank is not only one of the most important parts, but also one of the most expensive ones.  Early on in the project, we had been piecing together the lighting on our various tanks thru donated old fixtures and a few doantions from companies.  Bulbs were used too long and often replaced with the cheapest option to fit our budget.  I had reached out to Logan at Reef Breeders early on to see if we could work something out to get the project moving into LED's.  Logan was super supportive and offered to help us out.  We have been running LED's on all of our tanks for a few years now and love the sustainability aspect of the lights.  Reefbreeders has also been a lighting sponsor for the FFM for a number of years now, providing lighting for smaller scale hobbysists at the FFM, allowing them to set-up their frags next to some of the biggest names in the business.  We would like to give a shout out to Logan at Reef Breeders for his continued support of the program and FFM!

Boston Aquafarms

With the whole E.O. Smith Coral Project themed around the idea of teaching kids about corals and aquaculture, the materials for fragging corals are obviously vital to the success of the program.  Jon Simmons from Boston Aqua Farms has been a supporter of the school's program from very early on.  Boston Aqua Farms coral clippers, plugs and glue have become standard issue for the students working on the various aspects of the project.  A quick email off to Jon that we need anything and he has it in the mail and to us in just a few days.  We really appreciate Jon's support for the project through the years and would not be where we are today without his help!

Wet Pets

The local fish store has become a dying breed with the increase in internet sales of both dry goods and livestock.  The problem is that the local fish store plays a vital role in the hobby by providing an information base, and support system, for people just getting into reefkeeping.  I have worked with a number of local fish stores over the years and have been delighted to see Wet Pets in Vernon become one of the premier aquarium stores in the Northeast.  Don and his crew have really turned Wet Pets into a great store with an amazing selection of dry goods, fish and corals.  It has been great to have them so close to the school.  Don has helped me out in so many ways, from fish to lighting and beyond.  His help in finding the things that I need and making connections for me within the industry have been invaluable to the E.O. Smith Coral Project and the FFM.  I look forward to continuing to work with Don to help Wet Pets succeed and thrive as the reefkeeping landscape continues to change.