Becoming a supporting member helps keep this club afloat. In return, you’ll have access to the Members Only forums, access to the H.E.L.P. program, and take advantage of the Coral Donor Program.
Club dues are $20 a year for single membership and $30 a year for a family membership. New member dues and all renewals may be paid in person at a club event or via PayPal. Come on out and join us sometime, non-members are always welcome to any of our events and there is no commitment to join.
What/Who is SLASH?
St. Louis Area Saltwater Hobbyists (SLASH) is a social club with members from all walks of life who share a common interest in saltwater/reef tanks. We meet casually about once a month (Pizza Nights) at a local fish store then head to a nearby eatery for some tasty food and beverages. If a member in the area is feeling particularly hospitable, they will then open up their home for a tank viewing and more socializing afterward. Twice a year we host a frag swap that is open to all which draws vendors and attendees from multiple states to buy, sell and trade livestock and dry goods.
The majority of SLASH communication is done right here on our Reef Central Club Forum so it’s easily accessible by members and nonmembers alike. Don’t be shy, feel free to start a thread and introduce yourself!
Also, be sure to “like” our Facebook Page and follow us there as well!
Benefits of Membership:
Local Fish Store Discounts
With a current SLASH membership card, many of the area’s LFSs will honor a club discount. At the time of posting (subject to change at any time):
Aquatic Treasures (Collinsville, IL) – 10% off all livestock purchases
Gateway Aquatics (St Louis, MO) – 10% off all livestock purchases over $50
Marine Solutions (St. Charles, MO) – 10% off all purchases
Saltwater Island (Ballwin, MO) – 10% off all purchases excluding tanks
Tropical World Pets (Webster Groves, MO) – 10% off all purchases
SLASHClub.org Access
Though the majority of SLASH’s general discussions are done in this forum, all of the club’s “member’s only” programs are managed on our club’s website: www.slashclub.org.
FYI, If you’re not a current paid member or not logged in to the club website many of the site’s forums will appear missing or empty.
Coral Donor Program (CDP)
The SLASH Coral Donor Program (CDP) allows members to receive frags from other members for no cost with the condition that they in turn pass along frags to other members once the coral has grown out. The CDP is completely voluntary so this is where it helps to be a little social and make it out to events and get to know a few folks. There are well over 200 different corals available to SLASH members through the CDP and the list continues to grow.
The CDP is managed on a members-only section of our club website here. The full rules and a more thorough description of the program are available at the top of the CDP forum. If you are interested in learning about the program before you become a member you can read some of the details over on this ReefCentral thread.
Helpful Equipment Loan Program (HELP)
The Helpful Equipment Loan Program (HELP) is designed to help our valued club members by providing access to extremely useful but relatively expensive equipment that is typically not utilized often enough by the average hobbyist to warrant an individual purchase. Full rules are available on the HELP forum. This program not only allows access to really cool gear but also provides support and training in its use. This program is intended to grow over time, adding additional equipment to the club’s inventory as interest and our budget increases.
At the time of posting the following equipment is available to SLASH members:
PAR Meter (for measuring light intensity)
Diamond Holesaw Set (for drilling holes in glass)
Dwyer Airflow Meter (for measuring skimmer air pull)
Wet Band Saw (for cutting stony corals)
Professional Quality Suction Cup Handles (for moving large tanks)
Large Fish Trap (self-explanatory)
Phosphate Photometer (for accurately measuring inorganic phosphate)
Other Members-Only Activities:
We routinely conduct other activities that involve prizes such as raffles, poker runs, and coral growing contests. Some of these activities welcome non-members to participate but typically only supporting SLASH members are allowed to win prizes. We also offer a couple of non-publicized benefits to current card-holding members.
Take Care and Happy Reefing!