ACA News, Volume 10, #6

ACA News

Volume 10, #6, June 2024

Editor: Alan De Angelo

Contact: [email protected]

 


Greetings and hot salutations:

The Mid-West is gripped in a wave of, for us, sweltering heat. It’s pretty hard to justify doing anything outside right now. Add to that the wonderful pestilence of a dual cicada hatch, both the 17- and the 13-year varieties have hatched together, and going outside is not really attractive. If you are not in a part of the country blessed with cicadas, consider yourself lucky. The critters are now beginning the end of their lifecycle but for about 6 weeks, they are just lovely to be around.
I went with my wife to her ophthalmologist’s appointment, sat in the chair, heard a scream, got up and found a cicada on the back of the chair. (Oh, I forgot to mention, they not only make a hell of a mess on your windshield, constantly, but they scream at you too. Darling critters.) The assistant freaked out, my wife was startled, and they asked what do we do? I, being of mostly sound mind, got up, grabbed a paper towel and firmly dispatched the offender. Cicadas, ya gotta love them. Not!

Cicada

But there is a silver lining to the invasion of cicadas. Panfish, apparently, love to eat them so bigger cichlids should enjoy them too. I currently do not have any cichlids big enough to gulp these bugs down but you may have some guapotes that would relish them. Hmmm, I wonder if Bill Gates is dining on them? Afterall, he wants us to eat bugs.

Convention time is almost here. The last I heard is that there are still a few rooms left at the hotel in our block, the folks in Cincy planned well with an abundance of reserved rooms, so if you have yet to make your reservation, do so now. You can reserve your room and register for the convention online.


Fincinnati01

ACA-CON 2024

It’s time to book your room and register for the 2024 American Cichlid Association convention! Greater Cincinnati Aquarium Society is once again looking forward to hosting the greatest cichlid show anywhere. And since catfish go so well with cichlids, we are including catfish again this year. Register at 2024 ACA Convention! – We’re Back, Jack! And Doin’ It Again! (convention.cichlid.org).

We have a great line-up of speakers:

Rich BierbowerAngelfish

Jeremy BaschCollecting Cichlids in Captivating Colombia

Sam BorsteinCurrent Cichlid Research

Ad KoningsLake Malawi

Ron ColemanCosta Rican Cichlids: Looking for Clues

Melanie StiassnyCichlid Relationships (Cichlid Taxonomy)

Gabe PosadaDiscus

Ad KoningsLake Tanganyika

Dan HodnettFacility, Process, Procedures & Mindset of Improving Fishkeeping

And Lawrence Kent is doing a special talk for the Kids in Cichlid Keeping gang, which should be a lot of fun for the kids. Lawrence is also the banquet speaker.

Show off your gorgeous fish in the Cichlid and Catfish show. You can enter your fish on the convention registration page for just $5 per entry. Feel free to enter multiple fish. Show rules can be found below. Entries close July 12 at 11:59 PM. Let’s show everyone how beautiful and amazing all the wonderful cichlids and catfish truly are.

We have one tour this time, a trip to Jungle Jim’s International Market and their Tilapia breeding facility. We’ve built in time for shopping and lunch at any one of the dining options on site. Jungle Jim’s has a huge hot sauce section as well as all kinds of foods from around the world. Be sure to wear comfy shoes! We are planning to run one bus on Thursday and one on Friday, so those of you who have signed up for the trip will be getting an email asking which day you prefer.

The KICK kids are hosting the Kids’ Tank Decorating Contest, as well as a Kids-only Pizza Party during the Saturday banquet. They are planning to have various crafts available as well as video games for the kids.

The Babes In The Cichlid Hobby are planning for their usual fun silent auction as well as their Friday night cichlid auction. All proceeds from their events go towards the Guy Jordan Research Fund and the Paul V. Loiselle Conservation Fund. There are still items from the estate of Wayne Leibel that will go into the silent auction and the proceeds from those items will go towards the future Wayne Leibel Endowment Fund. All three funds help with cichlid research and conservation through grants to students, researchers, conservation organizations, and other worthy requestors.

If you are looking for new and exciting fish for your fishroom, we will have the rental tank room again, where hobbyists and fish sellers will be showing off their fish and you can purchase that special fish in person from the vendor.

We also have a vendor room where you can browse fish and aquarium products, as well as books, and pick up that item you have been looking for.

T-shirt

T-Shirts, hoodies, and other items are available through a separate link on the registration website. You have the option of having them sent to you at home or you can check a box for convention pick-up.
Our hotel is Marriott’s Delta Hotel, in Sharonville, OH. The address is 11320 Chester Road Sharonville, Ohio 45246. It is the same hotel we were at in 2009. There are dining options within walking distance and even more just a short drive away.
As I have been telling everyone I can, the hotel will be filling up. Due to the Jazz Fest moving their date to the same weekend as our convention, virtually every hotel in Greater Cincinnati will be sold out and if you can find a room, it will be a lot more than $129 per night. The block closes July 9, so get your rooms while you can. The hotel’s reservation website has been glitchy at times, so if it shows as sold out, it probably isn’t and you should call the hotel directly to book your room. The direct phone number is 513-771-2080. I’ll say it one more time, BOOK YOUR ROOM NOW!
In addition to the traditional hospitality room Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, during the day, any registered attendee can find snacks and sodas in the hospitality room, courtesy of GCAS.
This is the fourth time that GCAS is hosting an ACA Convention here in my time (2003, 2009, 2016, 2024) and GCAS also hosted one in the early 1970s. So, “We’re back, Jack, doin’ it again!” And we hope to see lots of old friends come back to Cincy and we hope to make lots of new friends!

NOTE: We are also adding two new items to the registration website. We are offering hot breakfast buffet tickets for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at $15.00 per day or all three days for $40.00. A box lunch is also being offered on Friday and Saturday for $155 per day or both days for $25. The hotel does not offer a complimentary breakfast.

See you in July!

Jan Benes
Co-Chair, ACA Convention 2024

Fincinnati02



2024 Convention Schedule


Wednesday, July 24

12:00 PM

Registration desk opens

5:00 PM

Showroom opens

Showroom tanks available for set-up

Rental Room tanks available for set-up


Thursday, July 25

9:00 AM

Registration desk opens

Showroom opens

Vendor Room opens

Rental Room opens

11:00 AM

Jungle Jim’s trip

6:30 PM

Rich Bierbower – Angelfish

KICK Room opens

8:00 PM

Jeremy Basch – Collecting Cichlids in Captivating Colombia

9:00 PM

KICK Room closes

Registration desk closes

Vendor Room closes

10:00 PM

Hospitality Room opens

11:00 PM

Showroom closes

Rental Room closes


Friday, July 26

9:00 AM

Registration desk opens

Showroom opens

Vendor Room opens

Rental Room opens

10:00 AM

KICK Room open

11:00 AM

Jungle Jim’s trip

5:00 PM

Sam Borstein – Current Cichlid Research

6:30 PM

Ad Konings – Lake Malawi

8:00 PM

Speaker Panel

8:30 PM

KICK Kids-only Auction

9:00 PM

KICK Room closes

Registration desk closes

Vendor Room closes

10:00 PM

Babes in the Cichlid Hobby Auction

Hospitality Room opens

11:00 PM

Showroom closes

Rental Room closes

 


Saturday, July 27

9:00 AM

Registration desk opens

Showroom opens

Vendor Room opens

Rental Room opens

Ron Coleman – Costa Rican Cichlids: Looking for Clues

10:00 AM

KICK Room opens

10:30 AM

Melanie Stiassny – Cichlid Relationships (Cichlid Taxonomy)

12:30 PM

Gabe Posada – Discus

1:30 PM

Kids’ Tank Decorating Contest

2:00 PM

Ad Konings – Lake Tanganyika

3:30 PM

Dan Hodnett – Facility, Process, Procedures & Mindset of Improving Fishkeeping

3:30 PM

Showroom closes for judging

KICK Kids Talk – Speaker: Lawrence Kent

6:00 PM

Reception – Cash Bar opens

7:00 PM

KICK Pizza Party

Banquet & Awards Ceremony – Speaker: Lawrence Kent

(After the Banquet, the Showroom will reopen for viewing)

9:00 PM

KICK Room closes

10:00 PM

Hospitality Room opens

11:30 PM

Vendor Showroom deadline for tear-down and move-out


Sunday, July 28

8:00 AM

Showroom opens for entry removal

Rental Room opens for livestock removal

8 AM-12 PM

Auction registration

10:00 AM

Cichlid, Catfish, & Plant Auction

12:00 PM

Deadline for show entry removal

1:00 PM

Deadline – All fish must be removed from Rental Room


Auction Rules

Auction starts at 10 AM

GENERAL:

1.

You do not have to be a member of GCAS, ACA, or any other club to buy or sell. There is no entry fee for buyers.

2.

GCAS, ACA, their members, and associates are not liable for any injuries that might occur before, during, or after the auction, or on the site of the auction.

3.

All items become the buyer’s responsibility once they are sold and GCAS/ACA assumes no further responsibility for sold items.

SELLERS:

1.

Sellers are limited to no more than 40 items entered into the auction. Only five (5) bags of any one species or color morph will be accepted per seller. Each seller may include 10 bags of plants as part of their 40 items and the 5 bags of one species rule applies to plants, also. No bags of mixed species, fish or plants, will be allowed.

2.

All items must have the ACA generated item label affixed to the item. Auction packets will be available throughout the convention at the Registration Booth. Packets include item labels and seller’s information sheet. Sellers who are not registered attendees must pick up their labels at the auction check-in table prior to 10 AM Sunday morning. Auction registration will close at noon on Sunday and no further items will be allowed. Item labels only show seller letter and item number. Labels for seller’s name and address, fish information, etc. must be provided by the seller.

3.

Only cichlids, catfish, and plants will be accepted for sale in the auction. No dry goods.

4.

There is a $1.00 entry fee per item on all items The selling split is 70% to the seller and 30% to GCAS/ACA, if the seller is a registered convention attendee. If the seller is not a registered convention attendee (either full event or one day), the split will be 50% to the seller and 50% to GCAS/ACA. Membership in ACA or GCAS does not entitle you to the higher split percentage; you must be a registered attendee at the convention to receive the higher split. All sellers will receive a check in the mail for their proceeds. This amount will not be deducted from their purchases.

5.

All sellers must have a letter assigned to them by the auction chairperson and only these letters may be used.

6.

A rebagging charge of $2.00 will be assessed on all leaking bags and any fish that are in freezer, zip-lock, sandwich bags, or any item that the auction committee deem inappropriate. (Wrong size bag for #/size of fish will not be accepted.)

7.

All juvenile fish must be a minimum of one inch. Exceptions must be approved by the auction committee. Bags of unsexed, immature fish must have at least three fish per bag. All bags will be inspected before entry into the auction.

8.

The auction committee retains the right to reject and/or dispose of any fish not meeting these rules. No hybrid fish or plants will be allowed, except as donations.

9.

All items remaining at the end of the auction become the property of GCAS/ACA.

10.

All items must be labelled with seller’s name and telephone number, identity of contents, quantity, and any other pertinent information. Use permanent ink marker on self-sticking labels. Label fish as follows: “PAIR” one of each sex; “MATED PAIR” two fish that have spawned with each other; “TRIO” one male and two females; “REVERSE TRIO” two males and one female; “MIXED SEXES” at least one of each sex. If uncertain, label “UNSEXED”. Any bags not properly labelled will not be permitted.

11.

There will be NO minimum bids allowed on any item to be sold. Any item to be sold will go to the highest bidder, no matter what the price might be. All sales are final once the auctioneer says sold.

12.

Seller must deliver own items to the auction or they will not be accepted for sale.

BUYERS:

1.

Anyone who wants to run a tab must leave with the auction treasurer either a valid state driver’s license or a valid credit card. No company or corporate checks will be accepted without prior approval from auction chairperson. VISA, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover will be accepted.

2.

All bidders running a tab must have a bidder number. Hold your number up to bid and if you are the highest bidder, please keep your number up until the runner delivers your purchase.

3.

The starting bid is $1.00 (exceptions to be made at the discretion of the auctioneer).

4.

When the auctioneer says, “Sold,” no more bids will be accepted on that item. The auctioneer has the final say on the bidding of an item. The highest bidder will pay that amount.

5.

To accommodate out-of-town travellers, a “Priority System” will be used. For a fee of $5.00 per item, buyers may call an item to the auction block. This fee is collected up front, in cash, and is not applied to any bid on the item. This fee does not guarantee that the person who paid the fee will win the bid on the item. This fee cannot be added to the final price of the item.

PROHIBITED AQUATIC SPECIES WILL NOT BE ALLOWED IN THE AUCTION.


ACA 2024 Show Rules

1.

The Show is open to all pre-registered attendees and you need not be present to receive an award.

2.

Entry fee is $5.00 per entry. There is no limit to the number of entries per person. An entry consists of a single Cichlid or Catfish. One entry per tank is allowed. No hybrids will be permitted except in the Ornamental Class. Entries will close on July 12, at 11:59 PM.

3.

The show room will be available no later than 6:00 PM, Thursday July 25, 2024.

4.

Tanks, air tubing and filters will be provided. Tanks will be filled with dechlorinated water and kept at approximately 75°F.

5.

All entries will be shown in ten-gallon aquariums (twenty-gallon tanks only available upon request). Entries must be set up by 12:00 PM, Saturday, July 27, 2024. The Show Committee reserves the right to assign entries to a class.

6.

An entry will be disqualified if it does not comply with the show rules.

7.

The decision of the judges and the Show Committee will be final.

8.

Entries in the Ornamental Class are not eligible for the People’s Choice Award.

9.

The Show Committee reserves the right to disqualify fish based on deformities, illness, poor condition, health, or death.

10.

Awards will be presented to the Best of Show, Division, and Class winners at the Banquet on Saturday, July 27, 2024.

11.

Entries must be removed from the fish room on Sunday, July 28, 2024 by 12:00 PM (noon) or they will be auctioned for the Guy Jordan Endowment Fund.

12.

Neither the ACA, GCAS, nor the hotel will be held responsible for the loss or damage to the fish and/or equipment, or for personal injury before, during or after the convention.

The ACA 2024 Cichlid Show is sanctioned by the ACA.


Parents, don’t forget about the events being held for the kids by K.I.C.K. It sounds like a lot of fun.

KICK

Kids In Cichlid Keeping
The mission of K.I.C.K. is to educate kids about how to care/keep different species of cichlids and inspire the next generation of cichlid keepers. One of the ways we do this is by hosting fun events for kids at the annual ACA Convention. This year in Cincinnati, KICK will be offering a Kids-Only Auction, the KICK Silent Auction for kids, the Recycle Project, and The Pizza Party that will be held during the Banquet. These events not only entertain kids during the Friday and Saturday of the convention, but also educate about cichlids and aquarium club operations. If you are coming to the convention this year and bringing children, please feel free to bring the kids by for some fun times.

Phoebe, Hannah, and Grace
(with a little editing from Andy H.)

Get ready for a great weekend of fish, friends and fun at the Convention.

Until next time,

Alan


BOT ELection

Don’t be bashful! Run for the ACA BOT and help to guide the organization through the next few years. Send your short bio to Daryl at [email protected].


And always remember …

YOUR Buntbarsche Bulletin needs articles, articles, articles.  The ACA even pays for them, too.  Send all submissions to Daryl Hutchins our BB Editor at [email protected].


PRINTED BB BACK ISSUES

Finalize your BB-in-print collection as the 2-fer sale continues.

BB Back Issues

The 2-for-1 sale is ongoing (until after the Convention). Get your PRINTED copies of BBwhile the sale lasts.


PS: Be sure to mark this event down in your calendar too:

Extravaganza


BB Back Issues

PRINTED copies of BB Back Issues and/or a flash drive (USB3 = fast) containing the complete collection of each and every edition of BB ever produced, including all inserts, BB Indexes, etc (and a few other publications, just for good measure) can be purchased from the website store at:

cichlid.org

New email?

MOAPH
The Museum of Aquarium and Pet History. It’s so cool …

moaph.org