Todd, pm sent
You're welcome @ tigerdragon
You're welcome @ tigerdragon
Paying it forward. What a great thing to do!
- Thread starter joekool
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afamousjohnson
Valuable Member
Nice - skinz was actually the 1st person I ever sent corals too thru delivery. In the case you get us set up with a collective spot for this here is a write up for it from our club site you could use as a sticky there if ya like.
What is DBTC
DBTC, stands for Don't Break The Chain, the idea is that it works like a Pay It Forward (PIF) type program, where someone donates a particular coral fragment with the idea that the person who gets said fragment will grow it out giving to others, who will in turn make fragment to others, etc.
I still don't get it. Why do we have this?
The idea behind it is to help spread coral species throughout the region. This will hopefully lessen the impact of taking corals from the oceans. As well as help spread diversity throughout the area. The idea was a way to push a non-greedy way of helping get corals out there to people. If you can get a coral fragment from a local farmer, that means less of an impact on the oceans. A great many of the "abundant" corals are not in any way mari/aquacultured since it's still profitable to hack them out of the seas.
Ok fine, so how do I get some free corals?
Now while you will get "free corals" this is not what this program is about, this is about sharing and be willing to share with others. While inevitably there will be a bit of a "greed" factor that seems to permeate, especially with more desirably corals, you have to understand the idea is that more will be offered, the way it works is that each coral grows exponentially (ideally), so while it may take some time the coral will be offered again. This program is NOT about stocking your empty tank with new corals for free, what it is about is helping grow a renewable resource and make it available for others for free.
Time? How much time do I need to wait?
It depends entirely on the amount of corals that are initially offered, and the type of corals. Some corals, specifically soft ones, grow quite readily so can be fragmented and dispersed quite rapidly, others like the small polyped stony corals grow relatively slowly, some grow a few inches a year! So it might take longer. Patience is the key, again this isn't to stock your tank full of corals so there should be no rush on getting one.
I don't have an Limited Edition or otherwise rare corals though.
Doesn't matter, this program is not about distributing rare corals, if that happens, all the better however what is needed is a sharing of all corals not just rare ones. You have those brown mushrooms, offer them up, just don't be sad if no one wants any.
Ok, I have corals I'd like to donate, who do I give them too? What do I do?
Alright, now we're talking! First you give them to whomever you wish they are your corals after all. Second you might want to list some rules, or follow some standard rules for who gets them. Third, start a new topic in this forum and type in all the gory details. Some advice 1) Give a brief description of the coral in the topic you make, Blue acropora or whatever 2) Give a bit more detailed of a description in the coral in the body of the message, if you don't know the exact species who cares, it's hard, it's a stick, call it an acropora, chances are you'll be correct, someone else will be most likely help you identify, besides most corals can't be accurately identified beyond the genus. Mention what lighting you have it under, how high in the tank it is, the flow conditions,fish load, or anything else that's out of the ordinary that you might think is relevant. 3) A picture is worth a thousand words! Get a camera, take a picture, don't worry if it's not the best, just give an idea of the overall color/shape of the coral. Post to any one the many online photo hosting sites (photobucket.com, imageshack.us) and then post via tags in the body of the message 4) Mention those rules, and what you would like seen with the coral as well.
What are these rules you mention??
The rules are simply a guideline, so overall call goes to whomever is offering since this is a voluntary program. However some standard rules that can easily be followed, or referred to, such as "must be a member of CRC" (you may open this up to what ever clubs you like, however this keeps it within the club, at least initially) Must be good with XXX (where this is the type of coral, this means you don't just finish cycling your tank and want to fill it up with corals) You agree to give frags to 2 more people before selling/trading of it (This is to keep the exponential growth thing going, also it helps safe guard against one person having an issue, tank crash, fell behind a rock, etc) You agree to pick up XXX (Again wherever you like, CRC meeting is useful, since it makes people go to meetings Smiley, basically it's to keep people from expecting you to deliver it) Pictures of progress ( it's nice to know how it's doing in other tanks under other conditions sometimes)
How do I find chains that have frags available?
This page lists all the chains with frags that are ready to be distributed. Take a look through that list, look at the threads, and then post to the thread or contact the people who have available frags. This only works if people keep their frag status updated, so be sure to do that!
What is DBTC
DBTC, stands for Don't Break The Chain, the idea is that it works like a Pay It Forward (PIF) type program, where someone donates a particular coral fragment with the idea that the person who gets said fragment will grow it out giving to others, who will in turn make fragment to others, etc.
I still don't get it. Why do we have this?
The idea behind it is to help spread coral species throughout the region. This will hopefully lessen the impact of taking corals from the oceans. As well as help spread diversity throughout the area. The idea was a way to push a non-greedy way of helping get corals out there to people. If you can get a coral fragment from a local farmer, that means less of an impact on the oceans. A great many of the "abundant" corals are not in any way mari/aquacultured since it's still profitable to hack them out of the seas.
Ok fine, so how do I get some free corals?
Now while you will get "free corals" this is not what this program is about, this is about sharing and be willing to share with others. While inevitably there will be a bit of a "greed" factor that seems to permeate, especially with more desirably corals, you have to understand the idea is that more will be offered, the way it works is that each coral grows exponentially (ideally), so while it may take some time the coral will be offered again. This program is NOT about stocking your empty tank with new corals for free, what it is about is helping grow a renewable resource and make it available for others for free.
Time? How much time do I need to wait?
It depends entirely on the amount of corals that are initially offered, and the type of corals. Some corals, specifically soft ones, grow quite readily so can be fragmented and dispersed quite rapidly, others like the small polyped stony corals grow relatively slowly, some grow a few inches a year! So it might take longer. Patience is the key, again this isn't to stock your tank full of corals so there should be no rush on getting one.
I don't have an Limited Edition or otherwise rare corals though.
Doesn't matter, this program is not about distributing rare corals, if that happens, all the better however what is needed is a sharing of all corals not just rare ones. You have those brown mushrooms, offer them up, just don't be sad if no one wants any.
Ok, I have corals I'd like to donate, who do I give them too? What do I do?
Alright, now we're talking! First you give them to whomever you wish they are your corals after all. Second you might want to list some rules, or follow some standard rules for who gets them. Third, start a new topic in this forum and type in all the gory details. Some advice 1) Give a brief description of the coral in the topic you make, Blue acropora or whatever 2) Give a bit more detailed of a description in the coral in the body of the message, if you don't know the exact species who cares, it's hard, it's a stick, call it an acropora, chances are you'll be correct, someone else will be most likely help you identify, besides most corals can't be accurately identified beyond the genus. Mention what lighting you have it under, how high in the tank it is, the flow conditions,fish load, or anything else that's out of the ordinary that you might think is relevant. 3) A picture is worth a thousand words! Get a camera, take a picture, don't worry if it's not the best, just give an idea of the overall color/shape of the coral. Post to any one the many online photo hosting sites (photobucket.com, imageshack.us) and then post via tags in the body of the message 4) Mention those rules, and what you would like seen with the coral as well.
What are these rules you mention??
The rules are simply a guideline, so overall call goes to whomever is offering since this is a voluntary program. However some standard rules that can easily be followed, or referred to, such as "must be a member of CRC" (you may open this up to what ever clubs you like, however this keeps it within the club, at least initially) Must be good with XXX (where this is the type of coral, this means you don't just finish cycling your tank and want to fill it up with corals) You agree to give frags to 2 more people before selling/trading of it (This is to keep the exponential growth thing going, also it helps safe guard against one person having an issue, tank crash, fell behind a rock, etc) You agree to pick up XXX (Again wherever you like, CRC meeting is useful, since it makes people go to meetings Smiley, basically it's to keep people from expecting you to deliver it) Pictures of progress ( it's nice to know how it's doing in other tanks under other conditions sometimes)
How do I find chains that have frags available?
This page lists all the chains with frags that are ready to be distributed. Take a look through that list, look at the threads, and then post to the thread or contact the people who have available frags. This only works if people keep their frag status updated, so be sure to do that!
heathd.hd
2500 Club Member
I'm honored guys and ladies! I can't wait to get more in my tank so I can play my part in donating some stuff to good homes! Or just someone that could use the help. I've been trying to play my part with the diy thread in helping people with sump ideas and setting up there tanks! I love this site and am addicted not only to the tank but the people! Ty again.
afamousjohnson
Valuable Member
And in the case there are any clubs out there that do not do a particular program like this within your club - here is a write up I did for our program you could use in the case you wanted a base to build off of in bringing something like this into your club.
It is a Karma program and this write up was utilized as a Karma Contract for members to sign into the program(this one deffinitly works better for a club type program rather than a forum program due to rules.lol)
1st things 1st - These are the basic requirnments to be an elidgable participant within the clubs DBTC program, and are non-negotiable!
- Must read these rules ALL OF THEM -and post here within this thread that you have done so - this will be utilized as a source of written contract that you have read and agree to follow all rules within
- Must be a paid club member within elidgable dbtc status
- Must have an up-to-date tank thread within the "members tanks" forum - including pictures and tank specs
Now that being said. We will be making a few changes to the program and stating the basic generic set of rules to be used for the DBTC in the following paragraphs. These will be the generic set of rules but in the end it is up to the chain starter to use/adjust/add to these rules as they see fitting for the piece they are entering. I would suggest using the set rules tho - as they are set up to well protect your piece/pieces and in giving them the best chance at survival. We are looking at entering a lot more pieces of a higher caliber into the program and need this structure of the star grouping in protecting each piece entered while rewarding those that are actively following the participation rules needed and helping us build the program.
I have removed the "posting number" star program and replaced it with our New DBTC star rating program. This star rating can be found under your screen name. It will label your group and give you the # of stars you are at within the program. This will be used in determining the pieces you are elidgable for. If you do not have any stars than you are not elidgable at this time to participate within the clubs DBTC program(you must meet the minimum requirments to be elidgable) If deemed inelidgable at any point during your participation within the program - your stars will be taken away - and I will go further into that later in the write-up and the ways to become elidgable again. Along those lines you must also meet the individual pieces set rules.
Star rating program levels and requirments - (all star levels will still need to meet specific individual DBTC piece set rules)
1 star - entry level open to elidgable members who meet specific individual 1 star rated dbtc piece rules/requirments
2 star - picture proven successful coral growth and color of same type as offered dbtc piece - or already held dbtc piece in grow out stage
-this does not mean taking pics of a new colorful piece you just bought that has only been in the system for a few weeks. This intitles 1-2 months in determining how your system does with that specific type of coral and sustaining its color and growth/health.
This will also include folks that are holding dbtc pieces, and keep up on their updates in a timely fasion with the rules.
3 star - for those that have either donated a piece into the DBTC program OR had a successful grow out experience with a previous dbtc piece and passed on one successful frag of the 2 needed to complete.
4 star - for those that have donated 5 or more pieces into the DBTC program OR had a completed successful grow out with a DBTC piece and passed on both of the 2 needed frags.
5 star - for those that have completed all of the star program requirments combined - successful completed grow out of a DBTC piece combined with the donation of 5 or more pieces into the DBTC program.
- Must take a pic of frag upon receipt and post directly to its specific dbtc thread stated it has been received.
- Must read DBTC rules Login
and how the dbtc works DBTC explained!
within the DBTC forum and post back here that it is done.
-person must be a club member-any club.
-must have an up to date tank thread or start a new one and of had your tank up for at least 4-6 months(time determined by piece offered)
-must post update pics on pieces growth at least on a monthly basis
-the piece must be fragged within one year (or pictures shown that the piece isn't large enough to frag).
-two frags must be passed on as a part of the DBTC before pieces can be sold,traded,owned,etc. (if the person takes down their tank it must go to someone else in the club to continue the chain).
-if the chain starter's piece dies he is to be given the next available piece in the chain.
-if piece dies you must notify the club so the dbtc list can be updated on the pieces status
(afamousjohnsons)out of town rule
-if the person recieving the frag is from out of town and belongs to another club the first piece given out as a dbtc is to be returned to a member of CRC leaving the 2nd piece for you to donate into your own clubs dbtc amongst its members.
24Hour rule- You can only grab 1 dbtc piece in each 24hr period(1 each day). No consecutive grabs. To help spread the corals out and give each member a chance at obtaining a piece
You Can Be Deemed Inelidgable at any point for breach of contract
The biggest offense here is not staying up to date on your update pics of a dbtc piece. An update with pic is needed for each piece on a monthly basis. Our months basically run from meeting to meeting. So you will have until that months meeting to get that months update pic posted. If it has not been done you will be reminded at the meeting when we go over the "needed" update pics list, and will have till the end of the month(which would be the next meeting - and gives everyone a little over a month to get this done - I think that is a pretty fair timeline to post 1 picture.lol) to get your pieces update picture posted. If it has not been done by the following meeting(which would be over a month) you will be deemed inelidgable for the program - and your stars will be taken away
Each member will get 1 "BY-MONTH" a year to be used as a freebie before being deemed ineledgable. Which means you can only miss 1 month before being penalized.
I've been deemed inelidgable for the program..How do I get back into good grace??
Well in order to do so it is simple. You must have 2 consecutive qualifying requirment months in posting your updates on the pieces your holding. After you have reached the 2 consecutive "following the rules" months you will be deemed elidgable once again and your stars will be returned.
I just want to thank everyone that plays a positive roll within this program. It is an incredible program and follows well between the guidelines of the clubs mission statement - while also providing benefits to our paid club members
thank you
Chico Reef Club Board and forum staff
It is a Karma program and this write up was utilized as a Karma Contract for members to sign into the program(this one deffinitly works better for a club type program rather than a forum program due to rules.lol)
NEW AND IMPROVED DBTC PROGRAM AND RULES
1st things 1st - These are the basic requirnments to be an elidgable participant within the clubs DBTC program, and are non-negotiable!
- Must read these rules ALL OF THEM -and post here within this thread that you have done so - this will be utilized as a source of written contract that you have read and agree to follow all rules within
- Must be a paid club member within elidgable dbtc status
- Must have an up-to-date tank thread within the "members tanks" forum - including pictures and tank specs
Now that being said. We will be making a few changes to the program and stating the basic generic set of rules to be used for the DBTC in the following paragraphs. These will be the generic set of rules but in the end it is up to the chain starter to use/adjust/add to these rules as they see fitting for the piece they are entering. I would suggest using the set rules tho - as they are set up to well protect your piece/pieces and in giving them the best chance at survival. We are looking at entering a lot more pieces of a higher caliber into the program and need this structure of the star grouping in protecting each piece entered while rewarding those that are actively following the participation rules needed and helping us build the program.
New and Improved DBTC Program
We have changed the program to put elidgable paid members into DBTC star rating membergroups. These groups will be used in determining the elidgability of a member on certain dbtc pieces. Each piece entered into the DBTC will be given a star rating and only members within that star member group or above will be elidgable for the piece. This will help donating dbtc piece starters with the confidence in where their piece is being placed and the hands that it is in - leaving all bias out of the program while still protecting and securing the piece with the direction it is to be passed.I have removed the "posting number" star program and replaced it with our New DBTC star rating program. This star rating can be found under your screen name. It will label your group and give you the # of stars you are at within the program. This will be used in determining the pieces you are elidgable for. If you do not have any stars than you are not elidgable at this time to participate within the clubs DBTC program(you must meet the minimum requirments to be elidgable) If deemed inelidgable at any point during your participation within the program - your stars will be taken away - and I will go further into that later in the write-up and the ways to become elidgable again. Along those lines you must also meet the individual pieces set rules.
Star rating program levels and requirments - (all star levels will still need to meet specific individual DBTC piece set rules)
1 star - entry level open to elidgable members who meet specific individual 1 star rated dbtc piece rules/requirments
2 star - picture proven successful coral growth and color of same type as offered dbtc piece - or already held dbtc piece in grow out stage
-this does not mean taking pics of a new colorful piece you just bought that has only been in the system for a few weeks. This intitles 1-2 months in determining how your system does with that specific type of coral and sustaining its color and growth/health.
This will also include folks that are holding dbtc pieces, and keep up on their updates in a timely fasion with the rules.
3 star - for those that have either donated a piece into the DBTC program OR had a successful grow out experience with a previous dbtc piece and passed on one successful frag of the 2 needed to complete.
4 star - for those that have donated 5 or more pieces into the DBTC program OR had a completed successful grow out with a DBTC piece and passed on both of the 2 needed frags.
5 star - for those that have completed all of the star program requirments combined - successful completed grow out of a DBTC piece combined with the donation of 5 or more pieces into the DBTC program.
New and improved generic DBTC set of rules
- Must take a pic of frag upon receipt and post directly to its specific dbtc thread stated it has been received.
- Must read DBTC rules Login
and how the dbtc works DBTC explained!
within the DBTC forum and post back here that it is done.
-person must be a club member-any club.
-must have an up to date tank thread or start a new one and of had your tank up for at least 4-6 months(time determined by piece offered)
-must post update pics on pieces growth at least on a monthly basis
-the piece must be fragged within one year (or pictures shown that the piece isn't large enough to frag).
-two frags must be passed on as a part of the DBTC before pieces can be sold,traded,owned,etc. (if the person takes down their tank it must go to someone else in the club to continue the chain).
-if the chain starter's piece dies he is to be given the next available piece in the chain.
-if piece dies you must notify the club so the dbtc list can be updated on the pieces status
(afamousjohnsons)out of town rule
-if the person recieving the frag is from out of town and belongs to another club the first piece given out as a dbtc is to be returned to a member of CRC leaving the 2nd piece for you to donate into your own clubs dbtc amongst its members.
24Hour rule- You can only grab 1 dbtc piece in each 24hr period(1 each day). No consecutive grabs. To help spread the corals out and give each member a chance at obtaining a piece
You Can Be Deemed Inelidgable at any point for breach of contract
The biggest offense here is not staying up to date on your update pics of a dbtc piece. An update with pic is needed for each piece on a monthly basis. Our months basically run from meeting to meeting. So you will have until that months meeting to get that months update pic posted. If it has not been done you will be reminded at the meeting when we go over the "needed" update pics list, and will have till the end of the month(which would be the next meeting - and gives everyone a little over a month to get this done - I think that is a pretty fair timeline to post 1 picture.lol) to get your pieces update picture posted. If it has not been done by the following meeting(which would be over a month) you will be deemed inelidgable for the program - and your stars will be taken away
Each member will get 1 "BY-MONTH" a year to be used as a freebie before being deemed ineledgable. Which means you can only miss 1 month before being penalized.
I've been deemed inelidgable for the program..How do I get back into good grace??
Well in order to do so it is simple. You must have 2 consecutive qualifying requirment months in posting your updates on the pieces your holding. After you have reached the 2 consecutive "following the rules" months you will be deemed elidgable once again and your stars will be returned.
I just want to thank everyone that plays a positive roll within this program. It is an incredible program and follows well between the guidelines of the clubs mission statement - while also providing benefits to our paid club members
thank you
Chico Reef Club Board and forum staff
TJ's Reef
Valuable Member
^^^NICE^^^ Thanks for posting up the DBTC write-up above, just the kind of responses I'm looking for here. I am working on a couple different angles for our shipping costs involved and will get back to thread with results ASAP.
Thanks again to everyone who is jumping in here.
Cheers, Todd
Thanks again to everyone who is jumping in here.
Cheers, Todd
It's always nice to Pif. You never know when you may be the screwed one. I have given plenty away in my 2 years or sold very cheap. You never know when you may end up being the one that needs a hand also. Life changes in a instant and it's always good to have other people that you can count on if something happens. It's kinda happened to me lately. I took a new job and things got pushed back. So now I'm jobless and of course being in the restaurant business it's slow time so my job was hired out and no one is hiring. I'm sure coming soon I won't be able to afford a bag of salt to do a water change. It's part of life and hopefully I'll be back to work soon. I was expecting to be making more money now not less. But being that I've helped others before I'm sure there's a few I could borrow a bag of salt from till I get things situated.
OP
OP
I nominate Jackie as well and I feel she has a grasp on things now for some SPS corals. I have a couple frags I want to send to her and I'm definitely will be sending my buddy Todd some. I want to send out a larger red dragon to you Todd but it is fragile so the smaller one I have now should work but with the way things grow in your tank should be fine. I know you lost a couple things in your last fresh water swim so if there is anything I have you have me you need back that survived the soccer ball shipping I would be happy to send it to you.
I have heard from many that if you put a mirror label on the box they handle them with much more care.
I have heard from many that if you put a mirror label on the box they handle them with much more care.
OP
OP
DBTC seems okay.
OP
OP
Todd like your cub idea.
We should do something.
I should borrow this DBTC THING FOR OUR LOCAL club.
We should do something.
I should borrow this DBTC THING FOR OUR LOCAL club.
Awe, thank you so much Joe!
OP
OP
Your welcome. To bad you don't live closer I could just drive some over to you. But it shouldn't be to bad to ship to you.
saltyphish
Certified Sand Groomer
Nice to see this thread running again.
So is shipping this was cheaper then in the online stores? Or is it the same amount?
Absolutely love this thread and would be more than willing to donate! I have never tried shipping corals before so I would hate to make someone pay $40 for shipping and have no corals to show for it...
Absolutely love this thread and would be more than willing to donate! I have never tried shipping corals before so I would hate to make someone pay $40 for shipping and have no corals to show for it...
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afamousjohnson
Valuable Member
It is great in many ways - along with the given impact results - it is a forum/club activity that helps start things or keep them going. We have a spread sheet over here tracking some 70 pieces we have in circulation.
Took it a step further last year and hosted a 12hr live DBTC-athon on the forum. It gave us our most online # ever for the day on the forum and was sooooo much fun. Ran it a lot like a live sale with no sales. Got pieces donated from club members to be used in the event and put up a new piece every hour on the hour for 12 hours.lol with some bonus pieces added in between times. Was a huge hit for a club activity. With no consecutive grabs made it fun for all.
This is really a great idea! And I'm sure that it worked very well for a club because members are generally in close proximity of each other. Here though it may not be because people that receive 1 piece could be paying a small fortune in shipping. So would shipping costs outweigh one coral? Most likely. For example, average cost for FedEx ON shipping from WA to FL for me was about $75. I even paid $90 once. Just something to think about.
TJ's Reef
Valuable Member
Hmmmmm........ overpriced shipping may be of no concern to us ?????? Working on something..... hush hush, will let you all know next week how this may change things up in a big way for us with the 'PIF' program.
Cheers, Todd
Cheers, Todd
Great to hear Todd!!!
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