ACA News, Volume 9, #3

March 6, 2023

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ACA News

Volume 9, #3 March 2023

Editor: Alan De Angelo

Contact: [email protected]

Publisher: Daryl Hutchins

Buntbarsche Buddies,

That is how the first issue of Buntbarsche Bulletin (August 1966) began. Dick Stratton was the first Editor of the magazine and started the American Cichlid Association along with Guy Jordan, Al Klee and shortly afterwards, Paul Loiselle joined in. If you don’t know who these guys are, just go back through the issues of BB conveniently available on USB for you to browse. There is a lot of information in those 316 issues.

Buntbarsche Buddies soon became outdated and terms like cichlidiot and cichlidophile came to be. There are always the double-worded descriptions like cichlid nut and cichlid freak. Cichlid lover is another great one. You may have your own terms of endearment to describe cichlid keepers but my favorite is cichlidist, or one who cichlids. Now, I’m not sure if that is even a proper word to be found in your Funk & Wagnall’s but it is my favorite that I coined many years ago and prefer using. But that’s just me.

Kingfish

The hobby lost another of the great ones. My friend, Ray Kingfish Lucas, recently passed away. To know Ray was an absolute delight. He would travel to many aquarium events and represent numerous manufacturers at his display booth for Kingfish Services. His knowledge of the products was phenomenal but his knowledge of the people in our fish keeping community was immense. He would hold court with anyone who would take the time to sit with him and regale you with story upon story of adventures and people, far and wide.

He would also lie to me every time he saw me when he would greet me with a “Hello, young man!” “Aw, thanks for lying”, I would respond. If he wasn’t busy, we would sit and talk for hours on end.

He retired from representing manufacturers a few years back and said that he was going to spend time with the family and write his memoirs. I hope that he accomplished that, as it would be one heck of a read. Ray, while the hobby as a whole, will miss you, I, personally, will miss you greatly. Rest In Peace, my friend.

What the heck?

Q: What do you get when you cross a Mahi Mahi with a Herichthys sp.?
A: The cover photo of BB #316.

Maybe you can make the stretch of calling it a Tropheus forehead but it sure looks like good old Coryphaena hippurus. You may know it as a dolphin fish in the Gulf. Now, Daryl explained that this was an AI version of a cichlid. I’m glad that we rely on nature to provide us with our fishes. You’re off the hook for this one, Daryl. (Pun intended.)

BB

I would hate to think what AI would do if it wrote an article for BB. (😖 It did! – see BB316 pp30-31 … but let’s not spoil a good story with facts – BB Ed!) There is no replacement for real-life experience. Write an article for BB and tell us about your experiences in cichlid keeping. The ACA even pays for the articles, photos and other graphics. Contact our editor, Daryl Hutchins, at [email protected].

Recently, you were all sent a copy of the ACA ByLaws that were revised by Daryl and me. We spent a lot of time and effort making the ByLaws current to encompass the digital status of the association. If you read the ByLaws, which I am sure only a few of you did, you would find that any changes to the ByLaws need to be approved by the sitting BOT and then, they NEED to be voted on by 20% of the membership, 2/3 of whom need to approve for the revision to pass.

I understand that the ACA ByLaws are not your favorite watercooler conversation, but it is something that does need attention, as we are a formal association and a non-profit 501c3. So, while it is easy to think that the “other guy” is going to vote, we really do need you to vote for the approval of the revised ByLaws so they can be put into effect. Most changes are minor but the big things are the reliance on digital communication instead the USPS and the shortening of the lengthy process of voting for the BOT using online voting. Of course, Daryl and I, being wordsmiths of sorts, have combed through the verbiage and made any grammatical changes that were deemed necessary.

So, please, look through your emails and vote “Yes” for the proposed changes to the ByLaws. Read them if you would like, you will learn a bit about the organization but please Vote! If you can’t find those emails, contact us at [email protected] and another will be sent asap. Thank you.

Convention

The convention in Madison, WI is shaping up to be one of the greats. Cichlids and catfish, just go together so well. Be sure to check out the planned festivities at convention.cichlid.org.

BABES

Don’t forget the BABES auctions. Donate what you can, whether it is livestock or dry goods. Anthony Edmonston sent me a whole box of discus periodicals that I will be bringing to the auction in Madison. I’m still sorting through it and there is some really good stuff in there. Thanks, Anthony!

BABES+ going wild(ish).

If you have never attended a BABES late-night auction, you are missing out. Not quite “Girls Gone Wild” but a whole lot of tomfoolery and fun. Some really rare fish get auctioned off as well as cool items for the fishroom and apparel. Be there!

Later,