Next Meeting Will Be Friday, November 14
Please join us at the November Meeting, on Friday, November 14, at 8:00 pm at the Ritchie Memorial Shelter House. We will have BAP and HAP with mini-auction, the product raffle, and refreshments. The November Bowl Show classes will be: All Other Livebearers; All Other Egglayers; All Other Catfish. Additionally, we will be voting on Board Officers for 2026 (ie, President, Vice-President, Recording Secretary, Membership Secretary, and Treasurer).
The November program, “Keeping the Hingeback Tortoises of West Africa and How They Led Me to Fish,” will be presented by GAAS Member, Tom Arbour.
Program Description: The Hingeback tortoises are a fascinating group of Chelonian species that live only in Africa. They’re unique in the world of turtles and tortoises because the hinge of their shell is integrated into the carapace, or top shell, rather than the plastron, the bottom shell. Hingebacks were widely imported to the U.S. for decades, a practice which has reduced their numbers in West Africa. I’ve been keeping hingebacks continuously since 1998 and began successfully breeding these amazing creatures in 2020. I will focus on three species, the Home’s Hingeback, Eroded Hingeback, and Western Hingeback. These tortoises frequent the same habitats that many of the stunning cichlids, killifish, and tetras available in the aquarium hobby also depend upon. Please join me as we learn more about the only group of tortoises that are widely carnivorous and aren’t afraid to go swimming with the fish in the waters of West Africa. Understanding their habitats in the wild has been key to my success keeping a notoriously difficult group, having hatched more than 75 animals since 2020.
The Fall Auction Was a Success
Thanks to all the hobbyists who traveled from near and far to attend and participate in Akron’s fall auction on Sunday, November 2. We were fortunate to have over 120 registered buyers along with many sellers and volunteers who made the magic happen. A good crowd stayed until the very end, and the items up for auction were of good quality and variety. Especially nice were the donated plants from wholesaler, Florida Aquatic Nurseries. The club is grateful for auctioneers, Randy and George, for keeping the auction moving with their enthusiastic knowledge and skills. Thanks to everyone who made it a very successful auction. We will do it again on March 1, 2026
Here are a few pictures from the Fall Auction on November 2, 2025.
Save the Date for the Annual GAAS Christmas Party
Please make plans to attend the annual GAAS Christmas Party on Friday, December 12, 2025, at 8:00 pm at the Ritchie Memorial Shelter House. There will be NO POTLUCK. The club will provide the meal, dessert, drinks, and everything for the meal. (Members can bring a dessert if they like, but this is optional.) There will be a minimal cost. More details to come.
Awards for the 2025 Bowl show competition, Breeder of the Year, and Horticulturist of the Year will be presented at the December meeting.
We ask that members bring in a donated bag (or as many as you want to bring) of fish, live plants, driftwood, only new decorations or equipment, live food, or other hobby-related items. These donated items will be offered as a gift exchange in our traditional manner. Donations of nice fish, food, supplies, or anything hobby related do not need to be wrapped, but please label the items appropriately.
All BAP and HAP items turned in at the December 12, 2025, meeting will also be placed among the gift table items and will be applied to the 2026 BAP/HAP competition.
