ACA News, Volume 6, #7-8


ACA News

Volume 6, #7-8, July/August 2020

 

Editor: Alan De Angelo

Publisher: Daryl Hutchins

Contact: [email protected]


Amazon Smiles

Greetings and a still-healthy Salutation!

Social Distance

Ugh! Are you tired of this virus yet? Lord knows, I am. There is a lot of information and misinformation going on about it. While I have my personal thoughts, this is not the forum for that discussion.

FarceBookACA FaceBook

But, while we are on the topic of discussion, I recently reopened the hybrid can of worms on the ACA FaceBook site. Why? Here’s the deal. Most of the ACA’s 8854 FB followers have no idea what the ACA is or what we are all about. They must see cichlid pictures and just click on it to add another group. I believe that we need to do a much better job of:

a) Informing the general public and those who follow us on FB, of who we are and what we do;
b) Informing them of what we offer; and
c) Unabashedly encourage them to join the ACA.

We have 8854 people interested in cichlids at our finger tips, we need to get them to join. How do we do this? I would say that we run an ad on our page at least weekly promoting membership in the ACA. But, you say, there is a description of the group present when they open our page! Yes there is, but how many are reading it? Like I said, they see cichlids and click to join. They also do not read the rules or answer the questions, so numerous people are turned down. It’s actually pretty sad. So, we need to do better.

On the dreaded topic of hybrids, there is some good news. Out of 190 respondents, 166 were against hybrids. That’s 87% against hybrids which is pretty good. There will always be those who want to meddle with nature and see what happens when you do this or that, but most of us are looking to keep the species as close to natural as possible. I say as close to natural as possible because as soon as you raise a generation of fish in a glass box, you eliminate all of the forces of nature and natural selection. However, if we up our husbandry skills, we can keep our fish as close to the standard as possible. Now, this is my personal opinion. Yours may be different and I will not condemn you for it. But, read on …

One other thing came out of this. Several respondents said they liked hybrids because they want something different. Er, uh, something different? Cough! You mean to tell me that the huge diversity of cichlidom is just not enough? Mark Wright pointed out in the follow-up post I made that Fishbase lists 1713 species and the CRC lists a few hundred undescribed species. But, people need something “different”. Call me crazy but I think you can find enough “different” in the realm of naturally occurring cichlids. Again, my personal opinion.

Last, in this era of FB groups for every niche, many people think that the American Ciichlid Association is only about American cichlids. I, and others, have repeatedly corrected people informing them that much like the British Cichlid Association, the ACA was named for the location of the organization over 50 years ago and that we encompass all cichlids across the globe. Don’t be afraid to correct people on this fact.

If you are not a member of the ACA FB page, join it, but please answer the two simple questions. One question is about reading our rules which are basically being civil to one another, no foul language, no sales of fish, etc. The other is simply asking if you keep cichlids. It’s even okay if you say that you don’t keep cichlids! All are welcome to hang out and learn about them. If you are on our FB page, help to promote the ACA and urge people to join. It’s your organization, too!

BOT ElectionElections are coming!

The ACA elections that is, and we need nominees to run for BOT positions. If you would like to run for office in this esteemed organization, send a short bio to me at [email protected]. If you did not already know, Daryl and I are Co-Chairs of the Election Committee. So, drop us a quick bio. We ask that you are a member in good standing of at least one year’s duration. There are four positions to be filled. The deadline is approaching fast. Thanks.

Nominations are invited to fill four positions on the ACA Board of Trustees for 2021-22.
If you are interested in one of these positions, please submit your application, along with a brief biography, to: [email protected].

Memberships

Life Memberships

During my “Reign of Terror” as the ACA BOT Chair, LOL, I reinstituted Life Memberships in the ACA. Why would you become a Lifer? I did it many years ago because I was very busy and didn’t want to miss out on anything that was going on in the ACA if my membership lapsed. I also wanted to save the hassle of remembering to renew each year. I could be on Cichlid Cruise Control. Nirvana! Is it worth it? I think so. Imagine … a lifetime of the Cichlid Room Companion, a lifetime of Buntbarsche Bulletin, the ACA News, convention reminders, participation in funding research projects, conservation projects and other important cichlid-related programs. Because the Life Memberships are on a gradient (different levels), you can increase your level of Life Membership to help the ACA. The additional funds can even be directed to the General Fund for day-to-day operations, the Paul V. Loiselle Conservation Fund or the Guy D. Jordan Fund dedicated to research. You can help the future of the hobby with your generosity. Go to cichlid.org  > Store> Life Memberships.

WWWebsite

While you are visiting cichlid.org visit all of the drop-down menus, there is a lot of information there. Don’t forget to visit the ACA Store for back issues of BB and the current issues of BB available in print. A huge thank you to Zoo Med for printing these for the ACA and for all of their support throughout the years. Don’t forget that all of the issues of BB #1-304 are available on a thumb drive. The print version of the early BBs is currently out of stock but they are being replenished soon.

Finally, if you have not read Ross Socolof’s book Confessions of a Tropical Fish Addict you are missing out. I have read it twice and enjoyed it more the second time. Pick up a copy for your collection. You can order all of these items at the ACA Store: cichlid.org > Store.

BB Pays

Buntbarsche Bulletin

Articles are always needed for BB. While you are on shutdown and social distancing, put pen to paper or type out an article for BB (if the required extremity is broken, send an audio recording – Pub). We can always use submissions. You do not have to make it long and/or scientific either. Personal experiences, breeding hints, maintenance tips, collecting stories, etc, are all welcome. Send your submissions to Daryl Hutchins: [email protected].

USBBBack Issues

Be safe and keep healthy,

– Alan


Update Details

WHERE ARE YOU?

Please ensure that the ACA has your current e-mail address. Otherwise we could lose touch … e-mails not arriving, fire and brimstone coming down from the skies, rivers and seas boiling, 40 years of darkness, earthquakes, volcanoes, dead rising from the grave, human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together – mass hysteria! Oh, wait …

Your street address and/or mobile/phone number could prove useful too … just in case.


LOCAL CLUB EVENTS

Send your cichlid-related news/events to the AN Editor at [email protected] and we will be happy to help you spread the word about your local events. Please allow six weeks lead-time.