Any Merfolk willing to answer questions?

Hi! So, I am new to the mer community, , And I am Getting my first FinFun tail in couple days, and I have a few questions. Some of which are:

Do they allow mermaids at the YMCA?
should I share my tail or not, because I am afraid it will get stretched out and mermaid tails are expensive!
How do I know my tail is clean?
How do I prevent color fading?
What is the best way to store fabric tails? (all these questions are about fabric tails, BTW)
and how deep should the pool I am swimming in be, or does it not matter?

Thank you to anyone who answers my questions, and I an sorry if I am annoying:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MadeleineTheMermaid

Hi! So, I am new to the mer community, , And I am (Hopefully!!) Getting my first FinFun tail in a little while, and I have a few questions. Some of which are:

Do they allow mermaids at the YMCA?
should I share my tail or not, because I am afraid it will get stretched out and mermaid tails are expensive!
How do I know my tail is clean?
How do I prevent color fading?
What is the best way to store fabric tails? (all these questions are about fabric tails, BTW)
and how deep should the pool I am swimming in be, or does it not matter?

Thank you to anyone who answers my questions, and I an sorry if I am annoying:)

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Call the pool before you go.
Up to you whether you want to share your tail or not. I don't let strangers borrow my tails or fins.
It is clean when you can smell the soap scent. Much like a cleaned t-shirt after you remove it from the washing machine.
Use wetsuit wash. Follow the instructions to soak the tail and rinse clean afterwards.
Depends on your cupboard space. I hang mine on a clothes hanger.
Also depends on your swimming ability. If you are a good swimmer and know what you are doing, go deep. If not, stay in the shallows.

I'm not sure where you're from but I have a membership at the YMCA in Lafayette, Indiana. I haven't swam in a tail but i have swam in my mahina and linden with mermaid leggings. No one said anything to me but with my tail that I'm getting I will call and ask.

It is very hit or miss with ymca. I was under the impression they are banned at all ymca. There is a huge thread about it on the forum somewhere. Calling is iffy because whoever answers may say yes and then they say no when you arrive. Call but when you show up make sure you verify again so no one throws you out

I would NEVER share my tails. I let my podmates borrow monofins to try out but that is different. A tail is part of me and also I don't want someone potentially damaging the tail.

For cleaning and color fading, I just wash mine with water. Mine have never faded. I have had many many fabric tails and no fading. Mine are considered clean if I can't smell chlorine or lake smell. Ymmv.

Storage: I fold all mine up, put in bags (plastic bag or bag they came in) and keep them in my rolling suitcase.

The YMCA is definitely not something you should count on. Something that is a bit more viable is a regular gym membership that includes a pool (24-Hour Fitness, for example). Because it's just adults using the pool, they typically dont come across mermaid tails to even have a rule against them, and a monofin is a legitimate training/workout tool.

Only share your tail if YOU are comfortable with it. It's yours, and so is the choice. Personally, I would not share my tail, because I cant guarantee that other people would take proper care of it.

For the most part, it's pretty easy to tell if they're dirty. If it's starting to smell funky, it's time for a wash, too. I soak mine in a wetsuit wash solution (Slosh brand), and occasionally give it a proper wash in some Woolite.

For color fading, make sure to rinse any chlorine out as soon as possible after you're done swimming. Take it straight into the showers with you if you have to. And once it's dry, store it away from sunlight.

If it is a lighter tail, you can hang it up in the closet. Since none of mine have the gorgeous big flukes (all Fin Fun and handmade so far), I just roll them up like I do my leggings and store then in my dresser.

As long as you're a strong swimmer, the depth doesn't matter. Shallow water makes it more likely that your tail will scrape on the bottom of the pool, but that's the only other depth concern I can think of.


No need to apologize for asking questions! They were all very valid things to ask and now there is a lot of helpful information gathered in one place! :D

Thanks everyone for answering!!! I was so surprised that I only posted this thread yesterday, and it already has a bunch of replies. Anyway, thanks for your answers, and hope you have a good day.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mermaid Jaffa

Call the pool before you go.
Up to you whether you want to share your tail or not. I don't let strangers borrow my tails or fins.
It is clean when you can smell the soap scent. Much like a cleaned t-shirt after you remove it from the washing machine.
Use wetsuit wash. Follow the instructions to soak the tail and rinse clean afterwards.
Depends on your cupboard space. I hang mine on a clothes hanger.
Also depends on your swimming ability. If you are a good swimmer and know what you are doing, go deep. If not, stay in the shallows.

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Okay, Thanks for your answer! I will have to buy some of that wetsuit stuff when I get the chance. :)

• I'm not sure if you have a college or university near you, but you could see about swimming in their pool if the YMCA doesn't work out. I have no idea about other universities, but the university I graduated from locally allows anyone to come use the Olympic sized pool provided that you pay an entrance fee of $4.00 or if you are a student you have to show your student ID. Unfortunately, even though I am an alumni I have to pay to get in. So much for having 'perks' at the university I graduated from lol. Be sure to check on visiting parking rules and check the college/university website for a phone number to call the center to check that the pool is indeed open. Sometimes they will randomly close for swim meets or pool cleanings and not update that closing on the online hours. :)

• I like allowing people to try out my monofin and if they are a trustworthy person I allow them to wear my tail - however when I say wear my tail I'm talking about my homemade fabric tail. At the moment I don't think I would allow someone to wear my nicer Finfolk fabric tail.
If/when you get a new fabric tail you can let people swim in your older one.

• Similar to Trade Winds I keep my fabric tail folded up neatly in my swim duffel bag. My Finfolk fabric tail I keep on the floor in one corner of my room and when I make my bed I lay it across the bed length-wise as 'decoration'.

• As Mermaid Rain mentioned you don't want it too shallow or you could scrape your tail so a depth of 5ft or deeper should be good. The length of the pool can be important though. In a small pool you will go from one end of the pool to the other with just a few kicks of your fluke so you start to feel a bit like a betta fish in a small glass bowl. The more space the better!