Welcome to
St. Catharines & Area Aquarium Society!
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The next meeting is on Monday April 3rd
The Art of Aquascaping
The St Catharines and Area Aquarium Society presents all aspects of “The Art of Aquascaping” by talented and competitive aquascaper Art Commisso April 3. This speaker incorporates a live demonstration on various aquascaping and planted aquarium layout techniques. It greatly surpasses a basic lesson on how to begin using real plants, by focusing on how to aquascape with visual impact, advice to design your own aquarium to strike a harmonious and cohesive whole result considering balance, depth, scale, suitability of plant life, use of colour, effective use of space, and hardscape materials. Art, with 2 team mates, won “Best in Show” at last November’s Aquatic Experience International Competition in Chicago for their aquascaped tank. The “above winning tank” took about 8 hours for the 3 competitors to create together (video of the competition below). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTFzpNBJp8o&feature=youtu.be
The April meeting will also feature a beautiful 25cm cube tank, light, and wood which Art will use in his hands-on demo. The tank was generously supplied by Aqua Inspiration (see upper right). The finished scape will be auctioned off afterwards! Jar Show for April is Anabantids, Gouramis, Bettas and AOV (i.e., All Other Varieties, including plants).
February President's Message
First, I would like to call upon the membership for volunteers to assume the positions of “Programs/Way & Means Chair” and “Club Photographer”. The “Program/ Ways and Means Chair” has the primary duty of offering suggestions to the Executive for approval on speakers, events, raffles, and fund raisers and helping with those related matters. This key position has been vacant for over year.
A Club Photographer is also required. The photographer will take fun photos of the “Club in Action”, winners of the Jar Shows, Breeder’s Awards, and Horticultural Awards. Some photos will be featured in the Newsletter and/or on the Society’s internet presences. Interested individuals are encouraged to see me or any Club Officers.
If any member has any ideas for speakers, please let us know. The Executive will be rescheduling an Executive meeting to which all general members are welcome. Please watch for this and other regular club updates at: https://www.facebook.com/St-Catharines-andarea-Aquarium-Society-565883823470381/.
I would like to mention the 2017 Annual CAOAC Convention sponsored by Hamilton District Aquarium Society (http://hdas.ca/hdasevent/caoac-convention-2017).
This fish extravaganza is occurring on the Victoria Day Weekend and while that date sounds distant, tickets are selling now to see the esteemed speakers. Details including hotel accommodations can be found at the link above.
I look forward this February to seeing the compilation video that has been prepared for us by Roman Haljkevic featuring our Club’s Home Show tanks and hope to see you there too. Lastly, I am encouraged by the willingness of SCAAS members to share information with each other at sessions, presentations and by participating in the SCAAS Newsletter. See you February 6th!
Paul Paradis
President
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We meet at the Seafarers and Teamsters Union at
70 St. David St. East in Thorold, Ontario.
Who Are We?
The Society was established in 1958 and is a non-profit, educational organization that is dedicated to the task of promoting interest in the breeding, raising, maintenance and study of aquatic life, both at the beginner and advanced levels. We achieve these goals by sharing information from our own experiences and also by bringing in recognized expert speakers. We also have a fairly large library with books on pretty much any topic to do with fish.
The St. Catharines & Area Aquarium Society is a charter member of the Canadian Association of Aquarium Clubs, Inc (CAOAC - www.caoac.ca). The St. Catharines & Area Aquarium Society is also a member of the Federation of American Aquarium Societies (FAAS – www.faas.info).
Join Us!
Meetings of the St. Catharines & Area Aquarium Society are held on the first Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m at the Seafarers & Teamsters Union Hall, 70 St. David's St. E. Thorold, Ontario.
If the first Monday of the month is a holiday, the meeting will be held on the second Monday of the month. There are no meetings held in July or August. While our meetings start at 7:30 p.m, most members arrive early to chat beforehand and to enter items into our auction or jar show. Our President calls the meeting to order around 7:30. He informs us of club news, introduces new members and talks about recent fish endeavors.
AWARDS: Next we present awards for breeding and plant propigatio. Find out more about the breeder’s award program by Breeder award , Horticultural form, Following this, someone introduces that month’s presenter and topic.
PROGRAMS: Some of the many topics have included how to start a saltwater tank (with a live demonstration), presentations from experts, some are our own members, who have traveled the world collecting exotic fish, and setting up a do-it-yourself CO2 system. This year’s line-up looks just as exciting!
SOCIAL: There is always an “intermission” during which time everyone mingles and discusses their aquariums. Coffee and snacks are always available. Whether you’re interested in a species of fish, having trouble with algae or wanting to set up your first tank, someone will be able to help. Our club consists of some of the friendliest people you’ll meet; we’re always willing to help each other out.
JAR SHOW: After the break our club's Jar Show Judge announces the winner(s) of the jar show. Find out more about our jar shows, including how to enter, by clicking here 
RAFFLES: We also have raffles with fantastic prizes that are drawn right after the results of the jar show.
Auction: Here, you are able to bid on or enter your own healthy aquatic creatures, plants and functioning aquariums and supplies. The fish and plants in our auction far exceed the quality and selection you can find in stores. 70% of the profit goes to the seller and the club keeps the other 30%to help pay the bills. Find out more information and forms for the auction by clicking here The auction is one of the highlights of the meetings for many people because you are able to find great deals on reliable aquatics and equipment.
Come on out and see what you think. If you enjoy yourself (which we know you will), get a membership for you and your family for the year. It's less than the cost of seeing a movie and much more enjoyable! In addition, membership comes with access to our monthly newsletter, the "SCAT", which features articles by hobbyists, information about upcoming events in the hobby and information about our sponsors. Find out more about becoming a member by clicking here
