The GAAS/YATFS Severum Showdown

will finalize at the Ultra Aqua 2018 Show & Auction Event. (June 9-10)

*Members of GAAS and YATFS who participated in the growth contest, please bring your largest Gold Severum to the Severum ShowDown Section of the show, (no entry fee),

*MUST be your original Severum given to you back in April 2017 as part of the GAAS or YATFS Growth Competition.

 

June 2018 Ultra Aqua Speaker

Pat Hartman

Program title:
“A Rookie Goes to Mexico—Part 2—NAGWG Goodeid Study Tour 2017”

Program Description:
Pat is active with the North American Goodeid Working Group (NAGWG), and in February 2017 he made his second trip to Mexico as a part of the first-ever NAGWG Goodeid Study Tour. Pat will describe his experiences of sampling fish in native Mexican habitats, visiting the famed Fish Ark in Morelia, and viewing reintroduction efforts with Zoogoneticus tequila at Teuchitlan Springs.

Pat Hartman Bio:Pat Hartman has been keeping fish for over 40 years. Although not a founding member, he has been a member of the Southwestern Michigan Aquarium Society (SWMAS) in Kalamazoo, Michigan, since early 1979, and is active with the Grand Valley Aquarium Club (GVAC) in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

In the early 1980s, Pat developed a special interest in livebearing fishes and rapidly became involved with the American Livebearer Association (ALA) where he served in various capacities, including Chairman. Pat was honored by being named “Fellow of the ALA” in 2006. Pat is involved in most every aspect of the ALA, having won several major Show Awards at the ALA Convention, participates in the Species Maintenance Program, serves as auctioneer, and has successfully bred over 170 species of livebearers in the ALA Breeder’s Award Program. Today he specializes almost exclusively in wild species of livebearers.

Pat is active with the North American Goodeid Working Group (NAGWG), and he made his first trip to Mexico in November 2014. During that 2014 trip, in conjunction with the 4th International Symposium on Viviparous Fishes and jointly with the Goodeid Working Group meeting, Pat visited the Fish Ark and collected Goodeids in the wild. He made his second trip to Mexico in February 2017 as a part of the First ever NAGWG Goodeid Study Tour.

Elsie Swanson —-  Email

 Our April meeting was happy to welcome Joe Doyle back to our club with his presentation “Getting Ahead in BAP!”

Joe was supposed to do this presentation for our January 2018 Meeting, however the weather had other plans and we had to reschedule. We are very glad to say the weather cooperated this time and we received a super informative and interesting presentation that was well worth the wait! We learned from Joe’s many successes as well as trials and errors along the way. I’m sure we will all benefit from the abundance of all that priceless first hand knowledge!  We hope to see you again soon Joe!

(See below for Joe Doyle’s full bio)

We had  3 BAP and 1  HAP spawns turned in with 8 BAP and 4 HAP Certificates awarded!

Our Raffle table was once again loaded with supplies such as tanks,  filters (power, Matten, and & Sponge), Driftwood, Bowl Show Friendly Carriers, GreenPleco plushes, Food, Decor, etc! Tickets for our Monthly Raffle Table are only $1 for 6 or $5 for 36!

Refreshments included Spinach Dip, Veggie Trays, Cookies, and drinks of Various Pops and Water from  Elsie our Refreshment Chairman and Jan Bilsky also brought in a tasty Chocolate Carrot Cake, Thanks Jan!
Our refreshments are always FREE of charge for our members and guests.

Congratulations Max on winning the Door Prize GiftCard and taking home our Easter Rainbow Fish and GreenPleco Plush from the raffle! 

April’s Bowl Show had 35 Entries, The winners were 

Female Guppies
Jeff Plazak Taking 1st and 2nd
Mike & Elsie Swanson taking 3rd

Corydoras, Aspidoras, Brochis
1st - Jeff Plazak  - Cory Sterbai 
2nd - Misty & Will White - Pygmy Cory
3rd - Jeff Plazak  - Cory Palatos

Photography (Identification)
1st - Mike & Elsie Swanson - Pelvicachromis pulcher
2nd - Wayne Toven - Pelvicachromis taeniatus
3rd - Mike & Elsie Swanson - Cylindricus Cichlid​

Photography (Artistic)
1st - Misty & Will White - Golden Dojo loaches
2nd - Misty & Will White - Marble Betta
3rd - Misty & Will White - Leucistic Axolotl

Joe Doyle’s bio is below! Click the “Read More” tab below to view it!

Continue reading “2018 April 13th Meeting Summary”

Our guest speaker this month was “Big Rich Price” from Ohio Fish Rescue!

“Big Rich” along with his wife Tracy and son Josh, gave a very entertaining and colorful recount of one of their most challenging rescues yet,  a rescue that also just so happened to be “the one that started it all!” 

Details of the 72 hour trip, with 800 gallons of water, in a box truck, two teenagers and 19 fish averaging 3 FEET PLUS was definitely a story to hear!  Few people realize just how difficult and risky it is moving fish the size of a labrador! 

Thank you Rich & the Price family for your excellent presentation!
We look forward to visiting the Rescue for a Club trip soon! 

We had 6 BAP & HAP Spawns turned in, with 4 Certificates and 3 Plaques to be awarded! 

Congrats Bud White on earning your Master Breeder Catfish and Livebearer Plaques and Dave Williamson on your G.A.A.S. Centurion 100 Species Plaque!

Our Raffle table was plentiful and Elsie’s buffalo chicken dip, Brownies, Cookies, and Cake was amazing on our Refreshment table! 

Congrats to Bill Kosar on Winning the Gift Card donated by Big Rich Price
and Wayne Toven for Winning our $20 RMS Doorprize Giftcard.

Our Bowl Show had 20 entries, the winners were 

Mollies
Jeff Plazak  taking 1st, 2nd & 3rd  with silver Mollies

Barbs
1st-   Jeff Plazak  Black Ruby Barb
2nd -Jeff Plazak  Tiger Barb
3rd - Misty & Will White  Veiltail Cherry Barb 

Suckermouth Catfish
1st - Jeremy Harsh Albino Bristlenose
2nd - Misty & Will White L333 Pleco
3rd - Misty & Will White  L201 Pleco

and a BIG WELCOME to all our NEW MEMBERS!

On a more serious note, I was very glad to see the Rescue speaking at our Club this month.  So many shops are selling these monster fish as only babies that are just a few inches long for just a couple dollars each and because of this, so many of these fish get brought home and stuck in tanks that are NOWHERE NEAR  even close enough to meeting the needs of a fish that grow 2, 4 and even 8 feet long!  While the Rescue helps immensely by either providing or finding a home to try and meet the needs for those fish lucky enough to make their way there, we as aquarists, all need to be informed and  aware of what fish we can realistically provide for.  So the next time you see these adorable baby Common Plecos, Bala Sharks, Pacu, Red Tailed Catfish, Iridescent Sharks and Gars…. Remember the MONSTERS these guys become!    

To read more about Big Rich Price and The Ohio Fish Rescue, as well as the original meeting announcement, read below.

Continue reading “2018 March Meeting Summary”