AAAA Oct Meeting w/ Michael Echt & Bowl Show

Our speaker will be Michael Echt. He will be sharing his experiences from his collecting trip to Cameroon, Africa! A tale of fish, friends, sleep deprivation, COVID, bribery, discovery, loss and goats. Plus a whole bunch of photos! Overview of the 2022 West African Cichlid expedition to southern Cameroon along the border of the Congo.

Michael is A lifelong aquatics enthusiast for over 30 years. He sent me this short bio on his fish hobby : My first memories of fish were of my siblings' livebearer tank, snorkeling in the Caribbean and joining the American Killifish Association at the age of 12. For the last 10 years I have maintained a fish room of approximately 40 tanks focused half on killifish and half on the breeding of random species that catch my eye. My focus shifted in 2016 to include collecting ornamental fish. I travel to Florida yearly and always dedicate at least 2 days to collecting. In 2020 I took my first international trip to Peru and have since made it my goal to travel internationally every year in the search of tropical fish. In 2021 I moved from Upstate New York to North Georgia and I am now a member of the Atlanta Area Aquarium Association.

Plus our annual Bowl Show!!

BOWL SHOW ENTRY INFO: 1.) All freshwater fish types are allowed, provided they can be humanely and comfortably displayed in no larger than 10 gallon container. 2.) Display container must be acrylic or glass, with at least 1 flat surface for viewing and photography. We are accepting display tanks UP TO 10 GALLONS this year! 3.) Transport, setup, and water quality are the responsibility of the entrant. You must bring your own container, fish, and water. You are welcome to add bubblers to your tank for oxygen-needy fish. The bubblers should be battery-operated only, we do not want to create a trip hazard due to electrical cords. 4.) A mesh or glass lid is allowed to prevent jumping tragedies. No additional lighting is allowed. 5.) Entries can only be made by club members with currently paid memberships. ALL ENTRIES will be photographed and have basic digital enhancement (cropping, color adjustment) performed on them, and available by email to entrants. CASH PRIZES for the top 3 include: $10 for 3rd place, $15 for 2nd place, and $25 for 1st place! VOTING INFO: 1.) Each meeting attendee will be given two colored slips. One will be a higher value 2-point slip, while the other is a 1-point value. 2.) A 20-minute period will be allotted for visitors to view fish and vote on their favorites by placing slips into cups assigned to each entry. 3.) Points are tallied, and top 3 entries named.

Last, don't forget the Mini Auction at the end of the meeting! Remember, only active club members can sell in the auction, but everyone is welcomed to bid.

It's going to be a great meeting! Hope to see you there.

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