As you can see from my introduction post on this Build Thread about my initial experiences, it was World Wide Corals that truly started my journey into reefing; and I have been, and will continue to be a loyal fan and customer!
My dream was to someday get to see their Superstore/Farm and maybe even meet all the crew that have helped me over the years. Well, it finally happened! I reached out to one of the manager’s, Alex Murphy, about the possibility of visiting and getting a tour, including the farm; and also to meet Vic and Josh if they were in town.
He replied with an enthusiastic YES! So, two weeks ago I got to walk through the doors of WWC!
But here’s the thing, I’m not some VIP customer who spends $1K’s of dollars or a social media presence that can draw customers thru their doors. I’m just a newbie reefer, on a budget, who buys during live sales because that’s what I can afford. So my expectation was to get a quick tour, maybe ask a few questions, get a photo, (15-20 minutes of their time). Thought I would spend the rest of my visit just gawking over the lagoon and huge display tanks and purchase a couple corals and some swag.
NOPE!
Not only were Josh and Tommy waiting for me outside to greet me, Inended up spending an entire afternoon with WWC!
Josh spent 45 minutes discussing reefing methodology and techniques as he showed me the lagoon; Vic arrived and the three of us spent time on how keeping it simple was not only their key to success, but was mine as well because I had embraced the WWC way! Vic went in-depth regarding WWC’s overall philosophy and he is as genuine about reefing and it’s future as he is on camera.
When Josh realized I had been waiting for my tank to mature before adding any SPS, he explained I was going in the wrong order and gifted me a very hardy, beginner SPS, the Green Slimer! Very cool he had been really listening intently as I explained where I was in my reefing journey.
Then it was time for the tour and Alex Murphy was my guide. We ended up spending the next 2 hours together as he walked me through each display, raceway, and farm. We connected on some favorite corals, including a Duncan colony in one of the farm’s DTs, called DreamCatcher. While not exactly available, Alex made sure a very generously sized specimen was going home to me! And he kept stopping at each section of the farm to show me something cool - he didn’t want me to miss a thing. The crew in the farm were listening and made sure we found anything I had never seen before - which pretty much was everything- lol. I met another Alex, who everyone calls by his last name, Winslow. Once he heard I loved pink, he couldn’t wait to show me his favorite coral - the Pink ******* Chalice. He even took the time to show me on his phone, the huge colony he is growing at home. I had to buy one; not just because it was a stunner of a coral, but because he was so passionate and I wanted to remember the experience by seeing one in my lil reef.
I even got to visit Lou, Vic, and Ryan’s office and Vic’s tanks were off the charts! So much better in person. Lou was diligently working on his latest revamp of his desk nano tank and proudly showed it to me. I love the fact that someone who is surrounded by tanks all day long is still soo enthusiastic about his little desk tank - says a lot about passion for what you do for a living.
As I ended the afternoon and got big hugs from Alex (who you should make an effort to meet when there) he ensured I had water and came outside a few times to check on me as I waited for Uber. THAT is who WWC is!
Even Josh came out to check on me and he stayed and chatted for another 30 minutes as I waited for my ride. Again, totally unexpected, but I should not have been surprised - he is as down-to-earth as he comes across on video!
I might be repeating myself when describing the people, but that’s because of the consistency of caliber when it comes to WWC!
Here is a photo that I was thrilled to get. Unfortunately, it was Alex taking the photo so I will get one at RAP-Anaheim in September!
@WWC,
@revhtree,
@Daniel@R2R
I'm caught up now. 
