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Seems like February was packed with cub activity, and now we get a month before the March 17 meeting.  We will post more specifics later….

But mark your calendars for the Milwaukee Aquarium Society Spring auction on March 11.  For more information click here:  MAS AUCTION

The WI Garden Expo was a blast!  Thanks to everyone who helped out, and to everyone who stopped by the booth and chatted.  I hope all of you are reading this post!

The next general meeting of the MAAH is next Saturday, February 18, at Dream Lanes (13 Atlas Ct., Madison).  The doors open at 11:00.  Hopefully some (or all!) of the people we talked to at the Expo will show up.  If they do, this meting will be HUGE!!!!

Speaker Presentation by Chrystal Schreck – WI DNR

Chrystal is going to give a presentation about the WI DNR rules regarding invasive species in WI, and how those rules affect aquarium hobbyists.  She will leave plenty of time for questions and answers.

Also at this meeting:

• Grimey Award (come prepared to tell us about a mistake)
• Mini-auction
• BAP and CBP submissions
• Lots of fun!

Date: Saturday, Dec 10th

Time: 12-5 PM, food served at 12:30
Location: Ben and Dawn’s place located in Sun Prairie near the Cottage Grove/Sun Prairie exit on Hwy 94 heading East

Please RSVP in this thread in the forum and you will be sent the exact address:  Party RSVP

This will be a Pot Luck Meal. Ben and Dawn will provide Chili as the main dish, in addition to non-alcoholic drinks, plates, napkins, and utensils.
We need side dishes and treats. Please RSVP in this thread with what you are bringing. Bring your own alcohol.

Donation fish, BAP and CBP will be accepted. All bags are $2.00 each, no auction. The proceeds help pay for the party.

White elephant gift exchange. Bring a $10.00 fish related, wrapped gift and we will have a gift exchange between everyone that brings a gift.

Rachel O’Leary of Mount Wolf, Pennsylvania has been in the hobby since childhood but has gotten increasingly active in the past decade. She is currently operating over seventy tanks with interests that range from micro to monster. She has a special focus on dwarf freshwater invertebrates including snails, shrimp, crayfish, and aquatic crabs.

She is currently breeding catfish, shrimp,  snails, pseudomugil rainbows, dwarf crayfish, plecos, and several other central and south American cichlids as well as a range of livebearers and egg scatters. Her tanks range in size from ten gallon to 220 gallon.

Rachel is an active member and on the board of the Capital Cichlid Association as well as a global moderator on Aquaria Central and a moderator at MonsterFishKeepers. She actively attends conventions and travels to speak at clubs on her invertebrate and micro fish interests.

She imports from around the globe to redistribute and help share with hobbyists around the country.

A proud mother of three, she actively donates tanks and their inhabitants to schools around her area and the country.

Future projects include a lot more travel to increase awareness of invertebrates and microfish as well as furthering the growth of her fish room through increased breeding efforts and availability.

Presentation:  Breeding Tips for Invertebrates

Rachel will present a talk that is a culmination of her many years of trial and error learning about breeding invertebrates (shrimp, crayfish and snails).

Thank you to everyone who made this past weekend’s event successful.  I think that the fest went very smooth for out first event of this type.  I will have some numbers totals up on the forum shortly.

The next general meeting of MAAH will be November 19… Only 3 weeks away!

Speaker presentation:  Rachel O’Leary – Asian Shrimp and Snails

Rachel imports, breeds and sells many different invertebrates and small Asian fish.  She has become an authority on the invertebrates a great speaker.  Just as soon as she sends me a description of her talk, I will post it!

If you are planning to sell fish in the box sale or auction and want to print your labels ahead of time, send me an email at tjudy@tedsfishroom.com or contact me (tjudy) with a PM on the forum.  I will tell you your seller number.

We’re gettin’ close!!!!!!!!

Here we go…..!

The Fall Fish Fest is less than two weeks away.  Please take a look at the link in the menu bar above.  We have changed the cost structure, and now it is a lot less expensive to come and enjoy the event.

BIG REMINDER… make your hotel reservation TODAY!!!

A few things to remember:

• Box Sales… a great way to sell fish at the event without the work to do so.
• Support the speakers… it is very, very important that we get a great turnout to hear the speakers.  Please come on Saturday to learn learn learn.
• Raffles…. WOW… we have a LOT of stuff.  Raffles will take place on Saturday and Sunday.
• Silent auctions…. we have three tanks setups for silent auction… maybe more once the weekend starts!
• Open house at Ted Judy’s fish room… 7:00 PM Friday, October 28.  Maps at the registration desk on Friday at the hotel, or if you are local and not checking into the hotel Friday you can send Ted a PM on the forum to get directions.
• WE NEED YOUR HELP… lot’s of opportunities to lend a hand, especially at the auction on Sunday.  There is a thread on the forum titled ‘FFF Help’ to let you know what is needed.

We will meet at the regular time (11:30) and place (Dream Lanes – 13 Atlas Ct. Madison) on Saturday (Oct. 15)…

Presentation:  Video from ACA 2010 Convention (we will decide as a group which one we want to watch)

Also at this meeting:

• Fall Fish Fest Preview and volunteer schedule (we need your help!)
• BAP and CBP submissions
• Mini-auction
• Grimey Award

FALL FISH FEST ANNOUNCEMENTS

• The schedules are posted on the forum and on the Fall Fish Fest web page.
• We have changed the times for the Box Sales so more people can participate (sellers and buyers).  9:00 – 10:30 (AM Sat.) bag check in… 10:30 – 11:30 room open for weekend pass holders… 11:30 – 2:00 room open to everyone
• Friday evening there will be an Open House at Ted Judy’s fish room from 7:00 – 10:00, for attendees arriving on Friday.  Maps will be available at the FFF registration table on Friday afternoon/evening.  Ted lives an easy 20 minute drive from the hotel.

Thank you to everyone who came out to our Plant-a-Pa-Looza meeting.  Three excellent talks (thank you Gordon, Randy and Ted).  TONS of great fish and plants.  124 lots went across the auction!  That has to be a new record for a general meeting, and before you say, ‘Yeah, but most of those were plants the club brought in’, you should know that there were only 38 bags of plants that we purchased for the club.  The other 86 lots were all from members.  Way to go!

Lot’s of stuff is happening in the next two months, so get your calendar out and a SHARPIE… NO PENCILS!!!!!  The September general meeting (9/17) features David Boruchowitz, the Editor and Chief of TFH magazine.  October is all about the Fall Fish Fest…  October 29-30.  Registration is open, so follow the link at the right end of the top menu bar, fill out a registration and let us know you are coming.  And spread the word!!!!  The Milwaukee Aquarium Society also has a lot of events planned in September and October, so be sure to jump over to their website to see what is coming up.

Location:  Dream Lanes – 13 Atlas Ct., Madison (east side near Cottage Grove Rd. and Hwy. 51)

Time:  Doors open at 11:00, and the meeting starts at 11:30.

This month we will be featuring three mini-programs about keeping plants.  The keynote presenter will be our own Gordon Hartmann, so will give is a presentation about his low tech planted tank methods.  Here is a link to images of Gordon’s 2004 AGA Aquascaping Contest 1st Place entry:  AGA 2004.

We will also hear from Randy Peterson about some of his tricks for maintaining his aquascapes, and from Ted Judy about building a layered soil substrate.

It is impossible to start a new planted tank without plants, so the club is going bring in some plants from Waterscapes Nurseries.  Six starter packages of plants will be given away as door prizes to those in attendance.  Identical starter packages will be available for sale ($5), and some other plants will be put into the mini-auction.

Also at this meeting:

• the first BAP submissions for the new year
• mini auction
• preview of the upcoming Fall Fish Fest (October is not far away!)