08/27/2024
DEKALB AFRICAN CICHLIDS is gearing up for the fall fish swap season. Early on we have the Green water Swap 9/14/24 the Milwaukee Swap 9/15/24 the GCCA Swap 9/22/24, Fins and Feathers Fest 9/28/24 and our own Northern Illinois Swap on 10/6/24. Fish swaps are an great opportunity for viewing a lot of vendors at once who have almost everything fresh water, fish, plants, shrimp, accessories, foods both frozen and dry, equipment and much more at very attractive prices. Some swaps are free admission others have a small fee. All have FB pages with addresses, times and details. Here are some tips for the newer hobbyists (and reminders for the "old timers".
1) Ask questions. The vendors have a great deal of experience in the hobby and are more than glad to offer their expertise.
2) Pre ordering will insure your purchase and avoid the first 1/2 hour crush of business. If you have a specific need most vendors will be happy to take your advance order. Some will ask for pre payment others will not.
3) Have patience. Most tables are only 6-8ft long so only a few folks can get front row seats. Best bet is to make a circuit first kind of a preview run to see in general what people have.
4) Bring a reusable bag for your treasures or be prepared to have a great many plastic bags hanging off you and your party. Some folks even have thermal insulated for carrying frozen foods or protecting delicate fish from temperature changes.
5) Aisles are not 4 lane highways. Some smaller swaps especially in the first 1/2 hour can be a little tight. So if you have strollers or other larger items be aware.
6) Payments will vary. The sure bet is ca$h. Some vendors will take electronic payments or even credit card transactions but not all.
7) Most vendors have business cards. Pick them up for future reference. Many times after a swap I see a post about "Who was the guy in the yellow shirt selling Mbuna? He was by a window!" They come in handy when you are between swaps. These folks do business besides the swaps.
Hope this helps. All these make the experience more enjoyable and productive for both the buyer and seller. Swaps listed above I have on my website also with times, dates and locations
Google: Chefs Corner and his Aquariums