Volume 7, #7-10 August-October, 2021
Editor: Alan De Angelo
Publisher: Daryl Hutchins
Contact: [email protected]
This is a combined issue because life has been extremely busy lately and, let’s face it, after the convention, things begin to slow down in the hobby and there is not much to report on. (Although the BB Editor would have appreciated a report on … The Convention!) With that being said, I’d like to offer you …
end-of-summer Greetings and Salutations!
ELECTIONS
The election is ongoing (and will automatically end in 32 days 2 hours 50 minutes and 53 seconds, as of this writing – Election Minion) and many of you have not yet voted. Please check your Spam Folder if you have not received a ballot yet, as the “system” says that all of you have received it, twice. (Technically, you would only have received the ballot twice if you did not vote following the first notice – EM again.) Take the time to vote for the candidates you feel will be best for the continued health and growth of the ACA. Thank you.
Since I am on the ballot, my Co-Chair Daryl Hutchins will be taking all inquiries into the election process. I have bowed out for this election period.
CONVENTION 2021 ROUNDUP
From what I hear, a good time was had by all. There were 220 attendees this year, which was a better attendance than expected due to the CoVid-19 pandemic. From all reports, no one came down with CoVid after the event so that is really great news, too. Jan Benes tells me that she had a great time and that it was wonderful to be able to sit and socialize with friends, old and new. The GCCA’s Jason Libasci stated: “Wow, this may have been the most wonderful and enjoyable ACA Convention I have ever been to.” You can’t beat that endorsement as Jason and the GCCA crew attend a lot of conventions. More photos and comments can be viewed on the ACA Convention FB page. Check it out.
Special thanks go out to Pat Tosie, convention chair, Mike Hellweg and The Missouri Aquarium Society who made the convention happen with their hard work and diligence. Also, thanks to all of the ACA staff at the event. The combined effort made a great convention.
The ACA would like to thank Zoo Med for once again printing our BB‘s in hardcopy form. As a collector, I personally want to thank them. There is nothing like the real deal in your hands. Zoo Med also provided the Registration bags full of goodies for all registered attendees. Thanks again Zoo Med for your continued support.
A big thank you also needs to go out to Cobalt Aquatics and the Louisville Tropical Fish Fanciers who adorned the hotel with a dozen 24-46-gallon tank set ups. Fish were donated by Segrest Farms, Imperial Tropicals, Rusty Wessel, the Wet Spot Tropical Fish, Dave’s Rare Aquarium Fish, Nautilus Wholesale Tropical Fish and Old World Exotic Fish Inc.
Stephan Tanner of Swiss Tropicals and Amazonas Magazine donated the filters for the tanks and numerous copies of the magazine, Amazonas. Thank you, Stephan. And, I have to say that I agree with the closing of Stephan’s email stating: “Not a subscriber? Why the h*ll not?” It’s a great magazine and you should be a subscriber. I have every issue of Amazonas and have enjoyed every one of them. I also have every issue of Cichlid News and you should subscribe to that fine publication, too.
Many thanks to Jehmco, who also donated items for the raffle/giveaways. If you don’t know about Jehmco, they are a great source for all of your fishroom supplies. Their valves, taps, bulkheads and many other products have been in my fishrooms for years. I did not attend the convention, nor do I have a program so if there is anyone else that I have missed, I apologize, the ACA appreciates all that you do.
Please support those who support the ACA. I have included the websites of our donors so you can easily look at what they offer.
CONVENTION 2022
– THE AQUATIC TRIPLE CROWN (ATC)
Holy cow! It’s happening at last. The Aquatic Triple Crown will be hosted by the Louisville Tropical Fish Fanciers (LTFF) next summer. What makes it the Triple Crown you ask? The combined conventions and fish shows of the Big Three: the American Cichlid Association, the American Killifish Association and the American Livebearer Association will all be occurring under one roof at the same time. Wow! It’s the Trifecta. Now, for me, this is extra special since I am a Life Member of all three groups. This event holds triple the fun.
But wait! There’s more. Not only are the ACA, AKA and ALA under one roof, the North American-Australia New Guinea Fishes Association is also holding its convention with all the rest. While NA-ANGFA will not have a fish show, I’m sure that some fine rainbowfish, etc, will be found swimming around somewhere in the hotel.
Now, I’ll probably get in trouble for this but … one person on FB said that the convention will be predators, target fish, dither fish and feeder fish all together. I think that’s funny and sort of true. But there are many flavors of fish keeping that will be satisfied at the same time at the Aquatic Triple Crown. I intend to enjoy them all. Oh, and I agree with not using feeder fish in general. Pellets are a lot healthier for your cichlids.
The full launch of the Aquatic Triple Crown website will occur on 11/1/21. It will launch for all of the organizations on that day so be ready to register and book your room pronto.
One other point about the ATC. There will be Open Houses of Rusty Wessel’s fish house on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. I have been there and visiting it is a wonderful, eye-opening experience. Since I have been there, I will not attend so another person can enjoy the visit. Be sure to put this on your must-do list when you are at the Convention. Rusty says to sign up early as the events fill up fast. You will not be sorry!
FOR WE ARE JOLLY GOOD F-FE-ELL-OWS
At the 2021 Convention, the BOT bestowed upon Daryl Hutchins, Steve Lundblad and me, the honor of being named Fellows of the ACA. You should all know Daryl Hutchins. He is our cantankerous, oops, I mean, our lovable BB Editor, ACA News Publisher and Election Co-Chair who is always there when the ACA needs help with website or publishing issues as well as other tech stuff. I know that I’d be lost without him doing the publishing of the AN. Steve Lundblad has been, and is, the man behind the judging of every ACA fish show for as long as I can remember as the ACA Convention Fish Show Judging Coordinator. To make a long title short, he’s the Fish Show guy. And then there is me, Alan De Angelo. Four terms as a BOT member, BOT Chair, Election Co-Chair, author of the AN for the past seven years and author of numerous BB articles. We have all served the ACA in our own capacities. I’m sure that I speak for the three of us when I say to the BOT and to you, the members, thank you for the honor and that it is our pleasure to be involved with the ACA.
U?
What about you? It’s easy to be involved with ACA. Maybe you’d like to be involved with show setup or convention planning, or writing an article for BB. Daryl is always looking for new articles to include. They do not have to be long and scientific, actually, short articles are very much needed to make up BB. So, join in the fun. And, yes, it really is fun. The best way to enjoy your experience in any club or organization is to participate. You won’t be sorry that you did. You’ll make new friends and build great relationships.
Contributions for the upcoming(?) December edition of BB are scarce … to put it mildly. Submit yours now!
And, remember to vote while you still can.
– Alan De Angelo
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.
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.
